The San Diego County Water Authority celebrated the groundbreaking of the first-ever Water Authority-owned water treatment plant. The Twin Oaks Valley Water Treatment Plant will be located just north of San Marcos. The event (photo attached) was held on the project site early Tuesday morning. Residents, contractors, and staff attended the groundbreaking to celebrate this milestone.
Once completed, the facility will deliver 100-million gallons a day of treated water to the county to help meet increasing demand during warm-weather months, and reduce the region’s reliance on treated water from outside the county.
“The Water Authority is very excited to launch the plant’s construction to address the critical need for more treated water in San Diego County,” said Maureen Stapleton, general manager, San Diego County Water Authority. “We have been working with our Twin Oaks Valley neighbors for the past year to ensure the plant fits in with the community’s unique surroundings.”
CH2M HILL Constructors, Inc. will design and construct the Water Authority-owned treatment plant and operate it for at least 15 years. Construction of the treatment plant will begin in early 2006 with completion scheduled for spring 2008.
The Water Authority selected a submerged membrane treatment process over two conventional treatment alternatives because it will produce higher quality treatment at lower costs and is more environmentally friendly. When completed, it will be the largest water treatment plant of its kind in the world.
The Water Authority board selected the Twin Oaks Valley site because from this location the Water Authority can deliver treated water by gravity to its existing aqueduct system. This eliminates the need for energy-intensive pump stations or new pipelines. In addition, the plant will enable the Water Authority to deliver treated water through its emergency water delivery system rather than untreated water, which requires boiling. This emergency system combined with the treatment plant will keep treated water flowing in the event of an earthquake or other interruption in imported water deliveries.
Malcolm Pirnie, Inc. provided management consulting to the Water Authority for the solicitation of qualifications from design-build-operate teams and the awarding of the service contract to design, build and operate the treatment plant.
Katz & Associates serves as a consultant to the Water Authority on the project and supports its public outreach efforts, including managing logistics for the groundbreaking event and helping facilitate communications with the Twin Oaks Working Group.
The water treatment plant is part of the Water Authority’s $3.2 billion Capital Improvement Program to reduce over reliance on a single supplier and improve water reliability by diversifying the region’s water supply portfolio. In addition to the water treatment plant, the CIP includes the development of seawater desalination, increasing regional water storage capacity and construction of new and rehabilitating existing facilities to increase operational flexibility and capacity to deliver water.
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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 $150 billion economy and the quality of life of 3 million residents.
