With all the rain Southern California had this winter, local water agencies are working harder to capture and keep all that water for when the drier years return.
In San Bernardino, you might not notice the latest project because much of it will be underground.
The Santa Ana River flows from the San Bernardino Mountains to the Pacific Ocean in Orange County. While much of that water does end up in the ocean, plenty is stored in aquifers and reservoirs.
https://www.waternewsnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/water-news-network.png00Andrea Morahttps://www.waternewsnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/water-news-network.pngAndrea Mora2023-04-10 10:18:072023-04-10 10:26:20New Underground Basins Planned to Help Socal Store Water for Next Drought
The Helix Water District recently completed an extensive rehabilitation of its Tunnel Hill water storage tanks. The two tanks are above Interstate 8 near the Los Coches freeway exit. The tanks play an important role in the water infrastructure system by storing and providing water to thousands of Helix Water District customers in Lakeside and El Cajon.
The project took two years to complete in several phases. The first phase of the project involved stripping the exterior of the smaller and newer, reinforced concrete tank. The new, natural concrete finish does not require paint and will reduce long-term maintenance costs.
The larger steel Tunnel Hill water tank received a corrosion-resistant aluminum dome roof. Photo: Helix Water District
Next, the larger steel tank received new paint and a corrosion-resistant aluminum dome roof. The height of the tank was extended by five feet to improve the tank’s performance and safety in an earthquake, especially to protect nearby neighborhoods. The exterior of the steel tank was recoated.
Both tanks received new interior coatings to prevent corrosion and were replumbed with flexible fittings to prevent breaks and keep the tanks connected during an earthquake.
Asset Management
Both tanks received new interior coatings to prevent corrosion and were replumbed with flexible fittings to prevent breaks and keep the tanks connected during an earthquake. Photo: Helix Water District
“The Tunnel Hill Tank improvements are a great example of successful asset management,” said Helix Water District Board President Kathleen Coates Hedberg. “It would have cost over $10 million dollars if we had to replace the tanks. However, rehabilitating cost $3.5 million dollars. Our District is over 100 years old, and it is important to stay on top of our aging water system. We continuously monitor and manage our infrastructure because it’s the best long-term solution for our customers.”
The completed improvements will extend the life of the Tunnel Hill tanks for another 50 to 75 years.
Watch video of the Tunnel Hill Tank rehabilitation project in progress
Vital Roles In Water Infrastructure
Tanks are the most visible parts of water infrastructure and play a vital role in supplying water for the daily needs of residents and businesses, as well as for emergencies. The Helix Water District operates and maintains 25 tanks across its 50-square-mile service area. Proactive rehabilitations are less expensive than the construction of a new tank.
The height of the larger tank was extended by five feet to improve the tank’s performance and safety in an earthquake, especially to protect nearby neighborhoods. Photo: Helix Water District
Eight additional water storage tanks were inspected and repaired in 2022. In addition, as part of its proactive maintenance, crews replaced 11,560 feet of cast-iron pipeline and surveyed 14,728 feet of pipeline route for design.
The district pulled electromagnetic detectors through 12,000 feet of the 36-inch diameter pipeline that delivers water from the Colorado River and Northern California to the R.M. Levy Water Treatment Plant in Lakeside. The detectors measure the pipe wall and identify weak points, facilitating faster, more precise and less expensive repairs. Based on the data, the Helix Water District replaced 805 feet of pipe and installed 34 steel plates and 10 new access manways.
(Editor’s note: The Helix Water District is one of the San Diego County Water Authority’s 24 member agencies that deliver water across the San Diego County region.)
https://www.waternewsnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Helix-Tank.Still017-845X450.jpg450845Gayle Falkenthalhttps://www.waternewsnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/water-news-network.pngGayle Falkenthal2023-03-01 09:26:322023-03-01 09:26:32Tunnel Hill Water Tanks Rehabbed and Upgraded by Helix Water District
After the driest three years in the state’s modern history, California suddenly has a different problem on its hands: too much water.
An ongoing series of storms drenching the state has forced officials to take measures unfathomable just a month ago, like releasing excess water from reservoirs and pumping surging river flows into storage.
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 Lee2023-01-17 10:11:382023-01-17 10:12:24Storms Force California to Look Harder at Capturing Rainfall to Ease Drought
The rain and snow storms that have pummeled California for weeks have taken nearly two dozen lives and caused billions of dollars in damages to public and private property.
The flip side, however, is that they dropped immense amounts of water on a state that has suffered through severe drought for several years. At one point this month, an astonishing 160,000 cubic feet of water – 1.2 million gallons – was flowing through the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta every second. That’s enough water to fill a reservoir the size of Folsom Lake, about 1 million acre-feet, in three days and doesn’t count water falling on other regions, such as Southern California.
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 Lee2023-01-17 10:00:142023-01-17 10:05:37Opinion: Storms Tell California to Upgrade its Plumbing
What the Bonsall Unified School District does in the long term with the 49.78-acre parcel off of Gird Road the district owns wasn’t addressed at the Sept. 13 BUSD board meeting. Regardless of whether the district builds a school, builds athletic or other non-classroom facilities, or sells the land, the current use for part of the land will be by the Rainbow Municipal Water District for storage.
A much-anticipated water storage project in northern California received a major financial commitment from the federal government Monday.
According to the Bureau of Reclamation, the Biden Administration has committed $30 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to the Sites Reservoir project.
After a third straight year of severe drought, the Bureau of Reclamation’s Central Valley Project begins the 2023 water year with 3.6 million acre-feet of water in storage — one of the lowest starting points in recent years. The CVP’s major reservoirs are (from north to south) Trinity, Shasta, Folsom, New Melones, Millerton, and the federal share of San Luis Reservoir. The water year begins Oct. 1 each year and ends Sept. 30.
https://www.waternewsnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/water-news-network.png00Gayle Falkenthalhttps://www.waternewsnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/water-news-network.pngGayle Falkenthal2022-10-13 09:51:032022-10-13 09:56:56Central Valley Water Storage At Low Level
After a third straight year of severe drought, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’s Central Valley Project in California is beginning the 2023 water year with 3.6 million acre-feet of water in storage — one of the lowest starting points in recent years.
https://www.waternewsnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/water-news-network.png00Chelsea Camposhttps://www.waternewsnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/water-news-network.pngChelsea Campos2022-10-07 10:11:512022-10-07 10:13:21Drought Means Central Valley Project Begins 2023 Water Year With Low Storage
California should invest tens of billions of dollars in water recycling, storage and desalination over the next two decades to shore up its supply as the state gets drier and hotter, Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a proposal released Thursday.
It comes as drought continues to grip the U.S. West and the state prepares to lose 10% of its water supply by 2040, according to projections by the Department of Water Resources.
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 Lee2022-08-12 10:13:022022-08-12 10:30:33Newsom: California Must Boost Water Recycling, Desalination
Conditions in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and its watershed are changing as droughts become warmer and more intense. But as our new study highlights, California is not doing a good job of tracking these changes. That’s making it even tougher to manage the water that is available for the benefit of the state’s communities, economy and environment.
