Several engineers will spend the next few weeks 20 feet underground fixing a crack in a large water pipeline that spans almost the entire length of San Diego County.
The San Diego County Water Authority discovered a leak earlier this month in a portion of its 90-inch Pipeline 4, which has carried water since 1966 from the Skinner Water Treatment Plant near Temecula down to the Otay Reservoir near Chula Vista.
“We have very old, aging infrastructure so we’re always keeping tabs on things to make sure we can stay ahead of any failures or issues with our pipe,” said SDCWA Principal Engineer Brent Fountain.
Fountain said keeping those tabs helped them locate a crack inside the pipeline underneath Bonsall. He said they need to fix it before it gets any worse and the pipeline fails.
“You can wash out this entire area,” he warned.
Fountain escorted NBC 7 Reporter Joe Little through a narrow 21-inch opening, 20 feet below Bonsall for a closer look at the crack.
“You can actually see water rushing into the pipe. This is very abnormal,” Fountain said as he ran his fingers over a crack in the gigantic pipe.
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Water from outside the pipe was seeping into the pipe, which has been drained for the repairs. Giant steel bulkheads have been welded into place on both sides of the crack to create a safer environment for engineers to make their repairs. 400 cubic feet of water usually passes through the pipe every second.
“The pipe is trying to move like this,” Fountain demonstrated by moving his arms to the left. “[It’s] trying to make a left turn on us.”
The pipeline was shut off Sept. 16 with the cooperation of the Water Authority's member agencies. Water is still being delivered to San Diego County but not at the rate it was before the crack was discovered.”
The faster we can get this pipeline back to normal use, the better off we’ll all be and feel more comfortable,” he said.
Fountain said engineers will use a carbon fiber liner to patch the crack and reinforce the surrounding area. It attached to the inside of the pipe like wallpaper. He said it’s the quickest fix and will last for years.
“If we were to come in, dig up all this pipe, and put in brand new steel pipe for example, that would be months,” he warned.
