DATE: March 11, 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, approximately 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, the existing pipe that had been isolated for the repair work was pressure tested and failed to hold pressure. Another leak was been found in the pipeline south of the railroad tracks where the existing steel pipeline has similar interior lining and corrosion defects. In December 2025, work began on the construction of 150 feet of PVC pipe to replace the existing steel pipe with a more corrosion-resistant system.
Construction activities within the creek are highly dependent on site access and dewatering conditions. Recent storms and elevated groundwater levels have limited safe access at times, and the contractor has paused certain work activities during wet periods, resuming when conditions all...
Click here for full text