A new report gave California’s infrastructure a grade of C-, which means it requires attention despite being better than the country's average.
The report by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) said California’s infrastructure is average when graded in 17 categories, including aviation, roads, transit, drinking water, and more.
The annual infrastructure report card talked about the progress San Diego has made and where the city needs to improve.
The report found that the San Diego International Airport may need to think ahead. ASCE said the airport needs to start preparing for a possible sea-level rise and for what would happen in the event of an earthquake.
It reported that a 6.9-magnitude earthquake would substantially weaken the soil around the airport, so much so it would “act like a liquid” -- known as soil liquefaction.
The report additionally discovered California’s drinking water infrastructure is aging.
It reported that the City of San Diego Public Utilities Department operates over 3,000 miles of pipelines. The cast-iron mains, which are almost 100-years-old, are only ten percent of the system but are to blame for around 75 percent of water main breaks.
Local
The report card gave an average grade to California’s mass transit system and new water sources which include seawater desalination.
This includes the construction of the Mid-Coast Trolley project, which is half-way finished. This project will extend the Blue Line Trolley by nine-stops connecting Old Town to University City.
The San Diego County Water Authority currently serves drinking water to residents of San Diego County thanks to the construction of its 40 billion gallon seawater desalination facility, said the report.
Some of the solutions mentioned in this report have increased public awareness and increased state and local funding.
Here is a breakdown of how California scored in the various categories considered in the report:
C+: Aviation, Ports, Wastewater
C: Rail, Drinking Water, Schools
C-: Dams, Bridges, Solid Waste, Hazardous Waste, Transit
D+: Public Parks, Stormwater
D: Roads, Inland Waterways, Levees
D-: Energy
To view the full report please visit ASCE’s website.
