The San Diego County Water Authority is no stranger to conflict – virtually all of its dealings over the past decade have been shaped by its feud with the Los Angeles-based Metropolitan Water District of Southern California Now that feud is fueling fights within the agency itself. In the latest twist, some members called for an independent ethics officer during a full meeting of the Water Authority last month.
San Diego hiking enthusiasts might have to share part of their favorite trail with a cement mixer for the next year. The San Diego County Water Authority is building a massive 5-million-gallon concrete water storage tank, called a flow regulatory structure. You will never see it once it’s completed.
One of the hiking trails in the northwest corner of Mission Trails Regional Park is closed and there are trail detours on other parts.
Another legal challenge has been launched against a project by downtown-based water infrastructure company Cadiz Inc. to pump and transport water from its desert aquifer to connect with existing water conveyance systems. This latest lawsuit was filed March 23 against the Bureau of Land Management by the Center for Biological Diversity, Earthjustice and the Sierra Club.
SRK Engineering received the Fallbrook Public Utility District contract to replace FPUD’s Gum Tree Pipeline.
The FPUD board voted 5-0 Monday, March 22, to award SRK a $428,500 contract, which matches the Escondido company’s bid. The work will replace approximately 1,400 feet of 20-inch diameter cement mortar lined and coated steel pipe along with associated appurtenances.
After a series of meetings, the La Jolla View Reservoir project is taking a brief hiatus so the scope of what will be needed from La Jolla’s next reservoir can be determined. New findings are expected to be released in mid- to late April.
The water industry has a visibility problem. Often the only time that water professionals are contacted is when things have gone wrong.
Calls come in when a pipe bursts. Angry emails from a local homeowners’ association detail how sewers are backing up in basements. Lawsuits are filed when contamination is found in drinking water.
If you followed the news, you would think there are only problems and few successes with water infrastructure in the U.S. But that’s not the case. Part of the visibility problem with water infrastructure is that the industry does such a good job of making things work. In most situations things are not falling apart. Contamination is not an issue. Sewage backups are solved or eliminated, and people spend their game day blissfully unaware of the infrastructure keeping their finished basement dry.
These are successes we tell ourselves within our bubble, but they aren’t told to a wider audience. It is time to change that.
There is beauty and art in the engineering of these systems. Whether it is an array of aerators for a new mixing tank, the reflection of the sunrise in an open-air clarifier, or the organized jumble of purple pipe at a water reclamation facility, water infrastructure is not invisible. It’s right there.
Below is a growing and updated list of examples of water infrastructure throughout the U.S. Tag @WWDmag or @BCrossen on Twitter with your pictures of your infrastructure to be included in this ever-evolving and growing list. Or send an email to with the subject line “This is water infrastructure” with your location, facility name and what you admire about your local infrastructure.
A Water & Wastes Digest story said the water industry has a visibility problem with infrastructure. The magazine article featured this San Diego County Water Authority tweet, among others, on April 2, 2021.
The past year has shown Arizonans how critical water is to all we hold dear. It’s a pillar of public health, a precious and finite resource, and the lifeblood of our economy and food production.
Water is essential for life, and climate change is shrinking already scarce supplies. Fortunately, we also know what we can do now to help safeguard our water.
Arizona tribal officials told a Senate committee Wednesday that the federal government can help address a crisis with water infrastructure on their lands through more funding, and less meddling.
Navajo Department of Water Resources Director Jason John and Colorado River Indian Tribes Chairwoman Amelia Flores made the comments during a Senate Indian Affairs Committee hearing on water infrastructure for Native communities. Leaders of Oregon and Alaska tribes also testified at the hearing.
San Diego County Water Authority crews recently replaced two pickup truck-sized valves at the agency’s Pressure Control and Hydroelectric Facility in central San Diego – each valve weighing about 35,000 pounds. The pressure-control facility is a key piece of the Emergency and Carryover Storage Project, which ensures water is available around the region if imported water deliveries are disrupted.
San Diego County Water Authority crews recently replaced two pickup truck-sized valves at the agency’s Pressure Control and Hydroelectric Facility in central San Diego – each valve weighing about 35,000 pounds.
The replacement project took place during a scheduled shutdown of a portion of Pipeline 5, which delivers untreated water throughout the county. The pressure-control facility is a key piece of the Emergency and Carryover Storage Project, which ensures water is available around the region if imported water deliveries are disrupted.
Several large-diameter valves in the facility control the pressure and quantity of water delivered to reservoirs and water treatment plants in eastern and southern parts of the county. In addition, a hydroelectric turbine in the facility generates supplemental electricity that reduces the Water Authority’s energy costs while supplying surplus power to the region.
“The new valves will allow the facility to function efficiently at both low and high water flows, depending on regional demand,” said Kirk Whitaker, a senior engineer at the Water Authority. “The project is part of ongoing improvements that enhance the flexibility of our regional water delivery system.”
To perform the valve replacement, a large crane lifted the existing valves out of the facility through the roof and placed them onto flatbed trucks for delivery to a disposal and recycling site. The new valves were then lowered into the facility through the roof and fitted with new 42-inch pipeline sections. Concrete was poured to build pedestals that secure the valves in place.
The new valves were produced in Germany and transported to San Diego by ship. The valve installation process took four days to complete.
The Pressure Control and Hydroelectric Facility serves an important function in improving aqueduct operations and enhancing the flexibility of the Water Authority’s extensive water delivery system. The $21 million facility was completed in 2007 and pressurizes a 22-mile-long section of the Water Authority’s large-diameter Pipeline 5 between San Marcos and Mira Mesa.
The pipeline previously conveyed water in one direction only, from north to south, by gravity. This limited the Water Authority’s ability to move water around the county in the event of a supply disruption. Upgrades to Pipeline 5 now allow water to be transported either north or south using water stored at San Vicente Reservoir, which greatly improves pipeline operations and ensures that water can continue flowing to member agencies.
The Water News Network is San Diego County’s source for water news and information.
