The San Diego County Board of Supervisors, who are also the board members of the San Diego County Sanitation District, approved a joint powers agreement for the East County Advanced Water Purification Program.
The supervisors’ 5-0 vote October 30 also appointed Supervisor Dianne Jacob as the sanitation district’s representative on the Joint Powers Authority board which will also include representatives from the Padre Dam Municipal Water District, the Helix Water District, and the City of El Cajon.
“We continue to make progress on what will be a great asset,” Jacob said.
The East County Advanced Water Purification Program will involve expanding Padre Dam’s recycled water facility and producing advanced treated water for delivery to the Padre Dam and Helix service areas. Padre Dam, the City of El Cajon, and the San Diego County Sanitation District currently collect approximately 15 million gallons per day (mgd) of wastewater in East County, but only about 2 mgd are treated for water reuse at the Padre Dam facility in Santee while approximately 13 mgd are conveyed to the City of San Diego treatment plant in Point Loma before being discharged into the ocean.
The East County Advanced Water Purification Program would expand the Padre Dam recycling facility to an ultimate capacity of 21 mgd. In September 2014 the sanitation district approved a Memorandum of Understanding with the City of El Cajon and the Padre Dam and Helix districts to participate in the East County Regional Water Reuse Program Feasibility Study. The feasibility study was completed in January 2016, and the program is expected not only to increase water supply but also to reduce costs since less wastewater would be processed through the City of San Diego system. A second Memorandum of Understanding approved by the sanitation district in November 2016 addressed technical studies along with cost contributions. The technical studies were completed in April 2019 and demonstrated the operational and economic viability of the program while identifying recommended governance, financing, and operational structures for the program.
The final program development tasks include final engineering studies, pre-design documents, environmental compliance and project permitting, geotechnical studies and surveying, permitting and regulatory coordination, financial support, analysis, modeling, development of project delivery and procurement details, development of the governance structure and approval of the agreements, stakeholder outreach, and management and administrative support.
“We’re securing a reliable source for customers,” Jacob said. “Establishing a reliable drinking water source is a big advantage.”
The governance portion includes the creation of a Joint Powers Authority with the sanitation district, El Cajon, Padre Dam, and Helix. Under the agreement a contractor will build the facilities while Padre Dam will be responsible for operation and maintenance.
The estimated total cost for design and construction of the East County Advanced Water Purification Program is $500 million. Padre Dam has already secured nearly $73 million in grants and has worked with the State Water Resources Control Board on a State Revolving Fund loan which would provide more than $100 million to be repaid at a low interest rate. On July 10 the county supervisors voted 5-0 to authorize the sanitation district’s $2,350,000 share for the final program development costs.