The view from high up in Del Mar’s 17th Street lifeguard station is a visit-California poster: a sweeping curve of sand, dramatic coastal bluffs, a welcoming sea. What scientists see, though, is somewhat more sobering: the Pacific Ocean as seething menace, a marine battering ram born of climate change that will inexorably claim more and more land and whatever sits upon it.
With rising seas now posing a greater threat to California’s economy than wildfires or severe earthquakes, state authorities are cautioning those who live along some of the Golden State’s famous beaches to do what they’re loath to do: retreat. Turn their backs to the sea and move homes, businesses, schools and critical infrastructure out of harm’s way.
The ocean could rise two to ten feet by 2100, imperiling $150 billion in property, according to state estimates, and erasing two-thirds of California’s beaches.
https://www.waternewsnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/water-news-network.png00Mike Leehttps://www.waternewsnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/water-news-network.pngMike Lee2020-04-29 09:26:402020-05-04 09:56:23Back Off the Beach and the Rising Sea? No Way, California Cities Say
The San Diego County Water Authority is making progress on the construction of a new 5 million gallon underground reservoir in Mission Trails Regional Park. The underground reservoir is also known as a flow regulatory structure.
Classified as a “critical or essential” infrastructure project during the COVID-19 response, the project is moving forward to stay on schedule. Water Authority and contractor staff are taking heath protection precautions to maintain public safety by following COVID-19 safety guidelines, including wearing face masks, using hand sanitizers, and disinfecting fencing, work tools and equipment.
Construction preparation underway for water project
Recent work includes the installation of temporary office trailers at the east end of Clairemont Mesa Drive in the City of San Diego, delivery of materials, installation of eight-foot fencing around the major construction sites and placement of silt fencing around environmentally sensitive areas.
Topsoil is being removed and saved where digging is planned. This topsoil will be placed back in its original location after construction is done to encourage plant re-growth, help hold water and prevent soil erosion. Construction crews are working Monday through Friday between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.
Trail closures to ensure safety of public and essential workers
Some trails in the western portion of the park are closed to ensure the safety of the public and essential workers on site. Several trail closure signs with maps have been strategically placed to help park users navigate the trails and take detours to avoid the construction area.
The project is in the western part of Mission Trails Regional Park near the Tierrasanta community. It includes building the new underground covered reservoir, a flow control facility and pipeline interconnections to upgrade the system that delivers water to treatment plants serving the central and southern areas of San Diego County. The project is anticipated to be complete in early 2022.
https://www.waternewsnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/MissionTrailsAprConstruction_PRIMARY.jpg450845Kristiene Gonghttps://www.waternewsnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/water-news-network.pngKristiene Gong2020-04-28 13:15:542020-04-28 13:43:39Construction Begins on Essential Water Project in Mission Trails Regional Park
Seventeen above ground steel tanks and two underground concrete reservoirs play a vital role in the Vallecitos Water District’s mission to provide clean, safe, and reliable water to its 105,000 district residents. Maintenance and cleaning of the tanks and reservoirs is a critically important process.
Without regular washouts, tanks can accumulate large amounts of sediment, prohibiting proper inspections.
https://www.waternewsnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/water-news-network.png00Mike Leehttps://www.waternewsnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/water-news-network.pngMike Lee2020-04-23 10:15:352020-04-30 09:09:42Tank Cleaning Program Helps Vallecitos Water District Maintain Safe Water Supply
Two bipartisan draft water infrastructure bills unveiled this week by the Senate environment committee are a good start but will need even more funding in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, water agencies and other groups said Wednesday.
https://www.waternewsnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/water-news-network.png00Kimberlyn Velasquezhttps://www.waternewsnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/water-news-network.pngKimberlyn Velasquez2020-04-23 10:12:292020-04-28 09:44:55Senate Water Bills Need More Funding Due to Pandemic: Witnesses
Several streets in neighborhoods near San Diego State will be torn up for short periods over the next four years so the city can widen and upgrade sewer and water lines that lead to the Point Loma Wastewater Treatment Plant.
https://www.waternewsnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/water-news-network.png00Kimberlyn Velasquezhttps://www.waternewsnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/water-news-network.pngKimberlyn Velasquez2020-04-22 10:32:502020-04-28 11:07:33San Diego Plans to Spend $70M Upgrading Sewer, Water Pipes Near San Diego State
A 10-person crew is in the midst of a three-week shelter-in-place shift at the Claude “Bud” Lewis Carlsbad Desalination Plant, relieving an initial crew that self-quarantined on site for three weeks to continue producing clean drinking water for county residents amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Starting March 19, the first crew of 10 “mission-critical employees” was stationed at the plant to continue operations, working two 12-hour shifts each day and sleeping in RVs in the plant parking lot, according to Poseidon Water, which manages the plant.
The repair work for one of the San Diego County Water Authority pipelines in Moosa Canyon will be done this month, and two shutdowns of the SDCWA pipeline will sandwich the carbon fiber relining.
“We shut down Pipeline 5, and we are currently in the process of installing two internal steel bulkheads,” Neena Kuzmich, engineering manager with CWA, said. “We just started a shutdown Monday.”
That Monday was March 30.
“It’s a seven-day shutdown of Pipeline 5, and that’s to facilitate the carbon fiber repair,” Kuzmich said.
https://www.waternewsnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/water-news-network.png00Mike Leehttps://www.waternewsnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/water-news-network.pngMike Lee2020-04-13 09:59:232020-04-16 10:13:49Pipeline 5 at Moosa Creek Shut Down for Repair Work
When Mission Trails Regional Park reopens and visitors return, they may notice an increase in construction traffic and activities in and near the western portion of the park as the San Diego County Water Authority improves a portion of its regional water delivery system.
The Water Authority has begun work to construct a new underground reservoir and flow control facility. The facilities are part of the Mission Trails Project, a suite of projects that mostly were completed in late 2010 to improve regional water infrastructure.
Completed components include construction of a pipeline tunnel, demolition of most above-ground vent stacks in the park, and construction of a stabilized crossing at the San Diego River.
New underground flow regulatory structure
The new underground flow regulatory structure, or covered reservoir, will help regulate untreated water flows in the regional water delivery system. It will hold up to 5 million gallons of water. The reservoir will be covered with soil and vegetation, except for several above-ground access hatches and vents that will allow for air movement in and out of the reservoir. A new flow control facility and pipeline interconnections will also be constructed as part of this project.
Pre-construction work to prepare the site has already started. The project construction is scheduled to end in early 2022.
Construction vehicles will use Clairemont Mesa Boulevard, Calle de Vida, Portobelo Drive, and Antigua Boulevard to access work areas in the park. Some trails leading to the site in the western portion of the park will be closed. For instance, the trail that begins at the intersection of Calle de Vida and Colina Dorada Drive will be closed to allow large construction vehicles and traffic to safely pass through the park. Additionally, parking at the eastern end of Clairemont Mesa Boulevard will be limited to accommodate project field offices and equipment staging.
For more information about either project, go to www.sdcwa.org/mission-trails-FRS, call the toll-free project information line at 877-682-9283, ext. 7004, or email .
In the century-long “us-versus-them” mentality of California water, a plan released by Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Department of Water Resources last week achieved something perhaps never accomplished before in the Golden State’s water industry. It incited universal scorn. First, as is always the case, some recent history on California’s water infrastructure. Much of California’s surface water – that is, water captured from rainfall, stored in dams and reservoirs, and transported via canals and aqueducts – is delivered via two massive projects: the Central Valley Project, operated by the U.S. Department of Interior’s Bureau of Reclamation, and the State Water Project, operated by the State of California’s Department of Water Resources.
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Expressions of gratitude and support have poured in from a grateful community to the ten volunteers sheltering in place at the Claude “Bud” Lewis Carlsbad Desalination Plant in San Diego County. As people learned about their effort to maintain plant operations and keep the water flowing during the COVID-19 pandemic, residents responded by expressing their heartful thanks through messages, photos and artwork.
“The Desal Plant employees were overwhelmed with the community support they have received,” said Jessica Jones, Poseidon Water director of communications. “They read and enjoyed every message, photo, and drawing. The support was just the boost in morale that they needed to finish out their 21-days onsite.”
