Presentation - SDCWA - San Vicente Pipeline & Emergency Storage Project
San Diego County Water Authority Presentation
San Vicente Pipeline & Emergency Storage Project
April 26, 2005
Representatives attending the City Council meeting from the San Diego
County Water Authority:
John McCullough
Alex Newton
Tad Brierton
** John McCullough will be making the actual presentation.
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The San Vicente
Pipeline is part of the
Emergency Storage
Project. a system
of reservoirs,
interconnected
pipelines and pumping
stations designed to
make water available
to the San Diego region
in the event of a
prolonged interruption
in imported water
deliveries.
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 regions $130 billion
economy and the
quality of life of
3 million residents.
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San Diego County
Wafer Au,hori,y
Capital Improvement
Program
San Diego
County
Water
Authority
San Vicente Pipeline
....... ,.........................................................
Building Water Reliability through the Emergency Storage Project
Piping In Water Reliability
The San Vicente Pipeline will be an ll-mile-long pipeline connecting the San Vicente ReservOir in Lakeside to
the Water Authority's Second Aqueduct west of Interstate 15. This project is a key component of the Water
Authority's Emergency Storage Project and an important investment in the future reliability of San Diego
County's water supply.
The Emergency Storage Proiect will protect the region's
$130 billion economy, job base and quality of life by increas.
ing the amount of water available within the county for use
during emergencies. A drought or major earthquake could
interrupt the delivery of imported water to the county for up
to six months, and some communities could be without water
within three to four days. The San Vicente Pipeline will
provide access to water set aside for such emergencies.
The pipeline will also improve the Water Authority's ability
to move water around the county to serve the region's nearly
3 million people.
San Vicente Reservoir.
How Tunneling Works
At 102 inches, this large-diameter 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. A tunnel boring machine excavates rock using a rotating cutterhead to break rock into small pieces.
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The route for the tunnel and pipeline begins at San Vicente Dam and will continue in a northwesterly direction.
As the tunnel approaches more densely populated areas in Scripps Ranch, it will be below San Diego Gas &'
Electric transmission lines and Scripps Poway Parkway. The tunnel route ends just west of /-15 at Mercy Road.
The tunnel and pipeline will not pass directly under any homes.
The small pieces of rock and dirt then exit behind the boring machine for disposal and will be removed by either
haul trains or a conveyor belt. The tunnel boring machine can excavate at a rate of 50 to 130 feet a day, depend-
ing on rock conditions.
People near the tunnel route may perceive a subtle, low-level vibration for several days as the tunnel boring
machine approaches and proceeds past their location. This low-level vibration during tunneling will not impact
surface structures such as homes, swimming pools or patios. It is possible that the tunnel boring machine could
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Emergency Storage Project
Tunnel Facts
. The tunnel will be
II miles in length
and 13feetin
diameter.
. The pipeline will
be approximately
81/2 feetin
diameter.
. The project budget
is approximately
$205 million.
. The tunnel depth
ranges between
50 and 600 feet
underground
continued
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encounter a very large boulder that it cannot excavate. In this case, it may be necessary to remove the boulder
through controlled blasting. Residents and property owners near the blasting site would be notified in advance.
Tunnel Access and Construction
Three shafts and one portal will be used to construct the tunnel and pipeline. A shaft is a hole in the ground that
extends down to the tunnel. A portal is a hole located in the side of a hill and is usually used at the beginning
and/or end of a tunnel. The portal site is located near the San Vicente Dam and the shaft sites are located in
Slaughterhouse Canyon, south of Beeler Canyon (Central Shaft) and off of Mercy Road near Interstate 15
IWest Shaft). The shafts and portal are needed for personnel and materials to access the tunnel, to insert and
extract the tunnel boring machines, remove excavated materials from the tunnel, circulate air and deliver
equipment, pipe sections and concrete.
Excavated materials from the tunnel will primarily come from the San Vicente Portal and Central Shaft, with a
limited amount from the West Shaft. Materials excavated from the Central Shaft will be placed and graded on
site and will not be hauled off the property.
Materials excavated from the San Vicente
Portal may be hauled to a nearby commer-
cial quarry. The materials from the West
Shaft may be hauled to a commercial quarry
and/or used as fill at a San Diego Gas &
Electric property.
Project Schedule
Environmental documentation - Certified in January 2004
Tunnel and pipeline design - Ongoing through mid 2004
Tunnel and pipeline construction - Early 2005 through 2008
When tunnel and pipeline construction is completed, some permanent facilities will remain at the San Vicente
portal and Central and West shafts to allow for future access for tunnel inspection and maintenance. Appropriate
fencing, cameras and motion-activated lighting will be installed at the permanent sites for security and safety
purposes.
Environmental Mitigation and Documentation
The Water Authority is committed to avoiding impacts to the community and the environment from project
construction activities whenever possible and to minimizing unavoidable impacts. In 1996, the Water
Authority board certified an Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact Statement for
construction ofthe San Vicente Pipeline as either a cut-and-covertrench or a tunnel. In 2001, the
Water Authority selected tunnel construction for the pipeline which significantly reduced the traffic
and community impacts of construction that would occur along a trenched pipeline route.
The Water Authority prepared a Subsequent Environmental Impact Report to evaluate elements of
the pipeline projectthat had changed since 1996. These elements included re-routing a portion of
tunnel alignment, locating access shafts needed during construction and adding a surge control
facility near the San Vicente Dam. The
Water Authority board of directors certified
the SEIR in January 2004.
Example of a tunnel boring machine.
Public Participation
Throughout construction, the Water Authority will
communicate with the communities along the tunnel
route to provide updates on the project and respond to
questions and concerns. The Water Authority will use
newsletters, community meeting briefings, mailings and
a toll-free project information line to keep stakeholders
informed and receive comments and questions. The
Water Authority will make every effort to minimize
b. inconveniences created by construction.
~ San Diego County Water Authority
April 2004
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Emergency Storage Project
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The Emergency
Storage Project is a
system of reservoirs,
interconnected
pipelines and
pumping stations
designed to make
water available to
the San Diego region
in the event of an
interruption in
imported water
deliveries.
The Water
Authority is a public
agency serving the
San Diego region as
a wholesale supplier
of water. The Water
Authority works
through its 23 member
agencies to provide a
safe, reliable water
supply to support the
regions economy,
job base and quality
of life for more
than 3 mil/ion
residents.
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San 0Iea0 County
Water "-rIoarily
Capita' Improvement
Prog",m
San Diego
County
Water
Authority
Emergency Storage Project
Building Waler Reliability
.....................,..................... .............
In 1989, the San Diego County Water Authority embarked on a Capital Improvement Program. The CIP
was initiated to make necessary improvements to the pipeline delivery system and to increase
operational flexibility in supplying water throughout the county. Included in the $3.1 billion CIP is the
$834 million Emergency Storage
Project, a system of reservoirs,
pipelines and other facilities that
work together to store and move
water around the county in the
event of a natural disaster.
Currently, the Water Authority
imports up to 90 percent of the
region's water supply from the
Metropolitan Water District of
Southern California. The pipelines
that carry imported water cross
several major fault lines on the way to San Diego County. An earthquake, drought or other disaster
could interrupt San Diego County's imported water supply for up
to six months. Some communities would be without water within
The Emergency Storage Project, scheduled to be completed in
2011, connects existing sources of water, enabling water to flow
throughout the
system even in the
event a disaster
disrupts the region's
imported water
supply. The project
provides an
additional 90,100 acre,feet of storage capacity. Combined
with the storage space already dedicated to emergency
use, the additional capacity is projected to meet the
county's emergency needs through at least 2030.
The Olivenhain Reservoir has the capocity to hold opproximately
8 billion gallons of woter - enough water to sustoin nearly
200,000 residents far one year during an emergency.
three to four days.
San Vicente Dam and Reservoir.
An acre-foot is:
. 325,900 gallons of water
. Enough water to cover
an entire footballlield
one foot deep
. The approximate amount
of water two families of
four use in one year
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continued
Emergency Storage Project
Emergency Storage Project Components
. The 318-foot-high Olivenhain Dam and 24,OOO-acre-foot reservoir (Completed in 2003)
. A pipeline connecting the new Olivenhain Reservoir to the Water Authority's Second Aqueduct
ICompleted in 2002)
. A pipeline connecting the new Olivenhain Reservoir with Lake Hodges
. Raising San Vicente Dam by 54 feet to provide an additional 52,100 acre-feet of water storage
. A pipeline connecting San Vicente Reservoir to the Water Authority's Second Aqueduct
. Five new pump stations
. Lake Hodges Pipeline
. Lake Hodges Pump Station
. Pipeline 3 Pump Station and Interconnection
. Pipeline 4 Pump Station
. Related facilities
The ESP Schedule
Phase One (1998 - 2003)
. Dlivenhain Dam
. Olivenhain Pipelines and Powerline
. Olivenhain Pump Station, Surge
Control Pipe
Phase Two (2002 - 2008)
. San Vicente Pipeline
. San Vicente/Moreno-Lakeside
Interconnect Pipeline
. San Vicente Pump Station
. San Vicente Surge Control Facility
Phase Three (2004 - 2008)
Phase Four (2008 - 2011)
. San Vicente Dam Raise
. San Vicente Recreational Facilities
. Operations Center Upgrade
@son Diego County Water Authority
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Carlsbad\
LEGEND
Fallbrook
........ Pipeline (Tunnel)
. Pump Station
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Pacific
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For more informatjon abDut the
San Djego County Water Authorjty's
Emergency Storage Project,
please cal1 thjs tol1-free number:
(877) 426-2010,
Photographs lCl 2004, Joh~W.Ale.anders. Todd Nordness.
and the California Department of Water ReSOUfC€S
October 2004
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Emergency Storage Project