News Releases
San Diego County Water Authority
News Release: July 21, 2005 |
Contact:
John Liarakos
Office (858) 522-6703
Mobile (858) 761-2544 |
or
Donna Nenow
Office (858) 522-6707
Mobile (858) 414-8168 |
Water Authority begins San Vicente Pipeline project
Emergency Storage Project pipeline is the largest project in Water Authority’s
history
The San Diego County Water Authority board members and community and labor
representatives cut a ribbon on a 102-inch pipe today to officially begin the
largest construction project in Water Authority history. The San Vicente Pipeline
will be a large-diameter pipeline connecting the San Vicente Reservoir in Lakeside
to the Water Authority's second aqueduct west of Interstate 15.
“This is a significant event in the Water Authority’s Emergency
Storage Project and its commitment to ensuring water reliability for San Diego
County’s future,” said Water Authority Board Chairman James Bond.
“The San Vicente Pipeline will provide the means to move water where it
is needed in the county in times of emergency.”
The San Vicente Pipeline and the Emergency Storage Project are part of the
Water Authority's $3.1 billion Capital Improvement Program to enhance and increase
the operational flexibility of its water delivery system. This 11-mile-long
pipeline is a key component of the ESP, a series of dams, reservoirs, pipelines
and pump stations. The pipeline will provide access to water set aside in the
San Vicente reservoir for emergencies, such as a drought or major earthquake,
that could cut off the county's supply of imported water.
This pipeline will be built in a tunnel rather than a trench at a depth ranging
from 50 to 600 feet below the surface. Tunneling will enable the Water Authority
to build the pipeline with fewer impacts to land surfaces and the surrounding
communities.
The Water Authority’s contractor will use two or more tunnel boring machines
to excavate the majority of the tunnel, minimizing the need for blasting. A
tunnel-boring machine excavates rock using a rotating cutterhead to break rock
into small pieces. The small pieces of rock and dirt then exit behind the boring
machine for disposal by either haul trains or a conveyor belt. The tunnel-boring
machine can excavate at a rate of 50 to 130 feet a day, depending on rock conditions.
The pipeline project, at a cost almost $200 million, is scheduled for completion
in 2008.
For additional information go to: www.sdcwa.org/infra/pdf/SVP_FactSheet04-04.pdf
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The San Diego County Water Authority is a public agency serving
the San Diego region as a wholesale supplier of water from the Colorado River
and Northern California. The Water Authority works through its 23 member agencies
to provide a safe, reliable water supply to support the region’s $142
billion economy and the quality of life of 3 million residents.
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