It’s the only one of its kind in Southern California and no one will see it again for years.
“It’s a giant upside-down cone with some pipes,” said Jeff Pasek. “It’s a strange looking device.”
It’s a strange looking device called a Speece Cone that’s expected to improve the water quality at Hodges Reservoir near Escondido.
“It’s not going to be seen again for a number of years because it’s 70 feet deep in the reservoir,” said Pasek, a Project Officer with the City of San Diego’s Public Utilities Department.
The $3.4 million project will constantly inject oxygen into the reservoir which will reduce the nutrients that algae feed on, Pasek said.
“There’s quite a bit of runoff captured in Hodges Reservoir that we could use more efficiently if the water quality were improved,” he said. “The problem with the water quality in Hodges is that it grows a lot of algae.”
“This is the first one to be installed in Southern California,” Pasek added.
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Hodges Reservoir can hold enough water for 60,000 families for an entire year. That water is shared between the city of San Diego, the San Dieguito Water District, and the Santa Fe Irrigation District.
