San Diego’s First Aqueduct to shut down for yearly inspections and maintenance of water pipelines
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — Portions of San Diego’s First Aqueduct will shut down this week for yearly inspections and maintenance of water supply pipelines for the region, the San Diego County Water Authority announced this week.
The San Diego County Water Authority’s historic First Aqueduct delivers treated and untreated water from just south of the Riverside County/San Diego County border to the San Vicente Reservoir near Lakeside, transporting up to 120 million gallons of water per day to the San Diego region.
Portions of the San Diego County Water Authority’s historic First Aqueduct are scheduled to shut down from Feb. 25 to March 5 as the Water Authority works to maintain a safe and reliable water supply for San Diegans.
Funded through water bills, work will focus on the southern portion of the First Aqueduct, and will isolate sections of the pipeline, which are more than 65 years old, as part of a major pipeline structure rehabilitation project that will be performed over the next 12 months.
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The Water Authority says residents in the City of Poway, City of San Diego, Helix Water District and Ramona Municipal Water District should contact their local water provider for questions about any impacts from this shut down.
However, the Water Authority says it is working with member agencies to minimize impacts to residents and businesses.
Both pipelines in the aqueduct were constructed by the federal government after World War II — Pipeline 1 was built in the 1940s; pipeline 2 was built in the 1950s.
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On November 28, 1947, the first Colorado River water flowed south from Riverside County along 71 miles into the City of San Diego’s San Vicente Reservoir through the First Aqueduct.
The Water Authority says this shutdown happens yearly, part of the Water Authority’s Asset Management Program.
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308 miles of pipelines, which provide treated and untreated water to 23 member agencies across San Diego County, are constantly assessed and inspected and are repaired and replaced when needed, according to the agency.
The Water Authority says it investments in the latest inspection technologies like electromagnetic scanning, robotic inspections and 3-D tunnel inspections aim to detect defects in pipelines before they become a costly issue.
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