DATE: February 4, 2026
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Councilmembers
FROM: Water Utilities Department
TITLE: APPROVE CONTINUATION OF EMERGENCY WORK TO REPAIR THE 18-INCH MESA LOMA WATER MAIN AT LOMA ALTA CREEK
RECOMMENDATION
title
Staff recommends that the City Council determine there remains a need to continue emergency work on the 18-inch Mesa Loma Water Main.
body
BACKGROUND AND ANALYSIS
In January 2024, staff isolated a leaking segment of the 18-inch Mesa Loma Water Main near Loma Alta Creek and activated the Mesa Loma Pump Station to maintain service.
Emergency permits were secured in early 2025 from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board, and North County Transit District (NCTD). Cass Arrieta, the City's emergency contractor, began work in April 2025. Initial repairs addressed significant damage to the pipeline within the creek directly north of the NCTD tracks, and subsequent inspections revealed additional deficiencies in multiple joints near the initial repair site.
To address the corrosion found in the segment north of the tracks, 300 feet of the existing pipe was lined and final connections were completed September 30, 2025, under the City's emergency procurement policy. Upon completion of the work, 1,800 feet of existing pipe that had been isolated for the repair work was pressure tested and failed to hold pressure. Another leak in the pipeline is suspected south of the railroad tracks where the existing steel pipeline was observed to have similar interior lining and corrosion defects. Staff has determined the most cost-effective solution is to replace approximately 150 feet of existing steel with a more corrosion resistant PVC pipe. Work on this additional repair commenced in December 2025, and is expected to be complete February 2026.
Change Order No. 1 executed on August 6, 2025, in the amount of $182,966 increased Cass-Arrieta's original $100,000 emergency contract to $282,966 to repair the initial...
Click here for full text