Marlene Martinez, Senior Geographical Information System Analyst, is the Valley Center Municipal Water District Manager’s Award winner for 2020. Martinez, a 13-year district employee, was recognized for her outstanding work in developing and expanding the District’s GIS program capabilities.
The San Diego County Water Authority is gearing up to construct a 2.1 million-gallon drinking water reservoir on the Valley Center Pipeline to enhance service reliability throughout the region. The Hauck Mesa Storage Reservoir project in northern San Diego County is part of the Water Authority’s Capital Improvement Program.
Construction work is scheduled to begin in early 2021 and is estimated to be completed in the winter of 2022. The project includes demolition of an abandoned steel tank, and construction of a new 2.1 million-gallon concrete reservoir, isolation vault, and underground flow control facility, as well as other site improvements.
New infrastructure development by the Water Authority and its 24 member agencies ensures the delivery of water to support the region’s $245 billion economy and the quality of life for 3.3 million residents.
The Hauck Mesa Storage Reservoir will temporarily store drinking water pumped from the Claude “Bud” Lewis Carlsbad Desalination Plant and the Twin Oaks Valley Water Treatment Plant. Graphic: San Diego County Water Authority
The new storage reservoir will improve water deliveries by temporarily storing drinking water pumped to the Valley Center Municipal Water District, Vallecitos Water District, Vista Irrigation District, and the Rincon del Diablo Municipal Water District from the Claude “Bud” Lewis Carlsbad Desalination Plant and the Twin Oaks Valley Water Treatment Plant. The stored water will safeguard water deliveries from unanticipated water interruptions or pump station outages.
“This project is just one of the infrastructure improvement projects the Water Authority is undertaking to fulfill the agency’s mission to provide a safe and reliable water supply for today and the future,” said Kirk Whitaker, the Water Authority’s project manager.
The Water Authority will work closely with the Valley Center community, Valley Center Municipal Water District, and homeowners to minimize short term construction impacts in the area to ensure safe, uninterrupted water service. For more information on the Hauck Mesa Storage Reservoir project, go to the Water Authority’s Future Projects webpage.
Every time you turn on the tap to draw water to drink, cook or bathe, you expect that the water will be safe and healthy to use, and that’s what you should expect. That’s not true in every part of the World, or even in some parts of California, but it is true here in the Valley Center Municipal Water District service area.
We are confident in saying that our highest priority here at VCMWD is managing, monitoring and testing the water supply to ensure it meets all stringent federal and state drinking water standards.
Last week, watching an erroneous news story on a Los Angeles TV station, many listeners were shocked to learn that a new state law would limit them to 55 gallons per day indoor water use; and that they could face $1,000 penalties for laundering and showering on the same day.
The news story was wrong, but not THAT wrong.
Valley Center Municipal Water District has been advised by the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) that its Cool Valley Reservoir Cover Replacement Project was recognized by the Environmental Protection Agency’s new AQUARIUS Program as an “Exceptional Project,” among only 10 identified as such nationwide.
Each year, EPA’s Aquarius Program recognizes one Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) project from each of its 10 Regions nationwide for “exceptional focus on sustainability, protection of public health” while demonstrating a high level of innovation.
The Valley Center Municipal Water District’s investments over the years in independent power sources paid off this week when parts of the district were cut off by San Diego Gas & Electric implementing its shutoff protocols, but all of VCMWD’s facilities stayed powered—although four large (70 kw to 400 Kw) portable power had to be brought in to power five pump stations. This involved placing one of the 150 KW units between two pump stations as needed.
“And with those investments, water/wastewater service was sustained throughout the District service area,” concluded VCMWD Gen. Mgr. Gary Arant.
The Water News Network is San Diego County’s source for water news and information.
