GrokSurf's San Diego

The San Diego Metro Wastewater Joint Powers Authority Technical Advisory Committee agenda for September 15 is now available…one of the attachments has a response from the Public Utilities Department regarding comments submitted in July by the JPA about the City’s Recycled Water Study. An interesting comment in that document suggested that the City’s IPR Project (Water Purification Demonstration Project) consider using an advanced treatment facility at Padre Dam Water Reclamation Plant in Santee if IPR is approved for operations, since that facility is located much closer to San Vicente Reservoir than the North City Water Reclamation Plant and could reduce the transport distance.

The Independent Rates Oversight Committee (IROC) Environmental and Technical Subcommittee met September 13. During an update on recent water main breaks and sewage spills, committee members observed that in the heat of reporting, the media sometimes overlooks important details without issuing updates. Examples: during a recent water main break in Pacific Beach, initial reports that there had been cross-contamination with sewer lines were in error; a water main break on Front Street downtown was actually caused by a private contractor who failed to observe a water main marker and drilled into the pipeline and the city will recover all repair costs (including for lost water) from the contractor; the recent SDSU water main break did not involve any city-owned or maintained pipelines at all.