Nearly five years and $352 million later, a project to build a water line from Lakeside to Mira Mesa is complete.
The 11-mile, 8 and a half foot diameter San Vicente Pipeline is designed to improve water flow to the southern half of San Diego County.
It can pump up to 200,000 gallons of water per minute. The San Diego County Water Authority has been trying to improve its ability to locally store and move water in case of emergencies that would affect imported water supplies.
"This is very critical for the economy and the people of San Diego, to plan for these emergencies and shortages in the future," said Michael Hogan with the San Diego County Water Authority.
Emergencies such as drought or earthquakes are common occurances in Southern California.
The San Vicente pipeline is also designed to move large amounts of water into storage during times when water is abundant.
