The County is going out for bids to repair a major water pipeline that feeds water from Santa Margarita Lake into San Luis Obispo.
The Salinas Gravity Pipeline Leak Repair Project would fix a pair of leaks that sit near the start of the 9-mile pipeline near the Salinas Dam, that’s the concrete dam that holds back the Salinas River and created Santa Margarita Lake.
SLO County Flood Control and Water Conservation District maintains and operates the pipeline for SLO as a third party and regional partner.
It was originally built in 1941 and the leaks have been given temporary repairs, but the County now wants a permanent fix so they don’t get any worse.
“This Project,” reads a report from District Supervising Engineer, Anna McKenna, P.E., “will replace the two damaged pipeline sections with new PVC pipe of an equivalent diameter. The Project also includes replacement of two blow-off assemblies and minor drainage improvements to address localized erosion. These repairs correct existing deficiencies and do not expand or alter the function or capacity of the Salinas Pipeline.”
The initial segments of the pipeline deliver the raw lake water to the Santa Margarita pump station, where it is then sent over the hill into SLO’s water treatment plant near Cal Poly.
The Army Corps of Engineers actually owns the entire Salinas River Project, which includes the pipeline and the dam. And the Flood Control District is the overseer and handles maintenance on the reinforced concrete pipe.
The ACOE has already signed off on the repair project and so has the County Environmental Division. The project was deemed to have no environmental impacts. It’s a major piece of SLO’s drinking water infrastructure.
“The City relies on the Salinas Pipeline as a drinking water source and pays all costs associated with operating and maintaining the system,” the report explained.” Work will be coordinated with the City to align with its water demand needs.”
The cost estimate for the project is $261,000 and the City of SLO will reimburse the District through its regular billing.
Bids were to be advertised starting around May 20 and there’s a normal 21-day period to submit a bid. If needed, County Supervisors who sit as the Flood Control District Board have also approved an extension if needed.
Started in 1941 by the War Department in anticipation of WWII’s War in the Pacific and to feed water down to Camp San Luis, the dam was completed in 1942.
The dam is 135-feet high and can hold a maximum capacity of 28,000-acre feet of water in the lake at a maximum depth of 1,300 feet.
The Salinas pipeline and the Cuesta Tunnel that runs through the Santa Lucia Mountains were part of the initial project in 1941.
