DATE: August 6, 2025
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
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Staff recommends that the City Council determine there remains a need to continue emergency work on the 18-inch Mesa Loma Water Main.
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BACKGROUND AND ANALYSIS
Water Utilities staff detected decreased water pressure on January 18, 2024, and identified a potential leak in the 18-inch Mesa Loma Water Main near Loma Alta Creek and the North County Transit District (NCTD) railroad crossing. Due to the pipeline's location within environmentally sensitive areas, and the complexity of internal pipe access to pinpoint leak, it took several months to complete field investigations, internal inspections, permitting, and environmental assessments necessary to locate the leak and develop a repair approach.
By early 2025, the City confirmed two critical pipeline defects requiring immediate repair. Given the estimated 9 to 12 months for standard CEQA processing, staff obtained emergency permitting from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board. In addition, contractor and staff coordinated and obtained the necessary training and permits from NCTD. Emergency repairs began in April 2025 under the City's emergency procurement policy.
Initial excavation at Repair Location No. 1 revealed no damage at the first suspected site, but further pressurization tests and video inspections uncovered corrosion-related deterioration at multiple joints along the pipeline, including a significant breach near the second repair, Location No. 2. While Repair Location No. 1 has since been completed and backfilled, progress at Repair Location No. 2 was paused on April 21 due to discovery of an active bird nest. On May 21, a second nest was discovered in the project area further delaying the repair work. In compliance with...
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