Water Agency Seeks to Extend Pipeline Life

By Bradley J. Fikes, North County Times, Escondido, Calif.

Mar. 8–RANCHO SANTA FE — A major water pipeline running through North County is getting an internal face lift that officials expect to keep it operating for at least another half-century.

A two-mile section of the San Diego County Water Authority’s Pipeline 4 is being fitted with a steel liner that will in effect become a new pipeline. County Water Authority workers are inserting the liner in the Paint Mountain region of the pipeline, along a southward path ending near the Del Dios Highway.

The lining is cheaper and less noisy than the alternative of tearing out the entire old pipe and replacing it, said Jack Neely, manager of the project for the authority. This will extend the pipeline’s life for 50 to 75 years, he said.

The collapsible liner is inserted through six entry points into the pipeline and expands to nearly fill the old pipeline’s interior. Workmen will then pressure-inject grout to fill the space, protecting the liner against corrosion.

Residents will continue to get water as usual, Neely said. The pipeline does not connect to end users; it conveys supplies from the county Water Authority to local water districts. These districts have been notified of the lining project and have made sure that they have enough water while that section of the pipeline is shut down.

Pipeline 4 runs through San Diego County from the border with Riverside County to the Lower Otay Reservoir in the eastern Chula Vista area. It supplies the Olivenhain, San Dieguito/Santa Fe, Ramona, the city of San Diego, Padre Dam, Helix, Sweetwater and Otay water districts. Pipeline 3 also serves these districts, so they can receive water even without Pipeline 4.

—–

To see more of the North County Times, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.nctimes.com.

Copyright (c) 2008, North County Times, Escondido, Calif.

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.

For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.