The East County Advanced Water Purification (AWP) Joint Powers Authority (JPA) Board of Directors have unanimously approved water and wastewater service agreements, moving the drinking water project one-step closer to reality. These water and wastewater agreements are deemed critical to the JPA’s eligibility for key program financing opportunities.
The East County Advanced Water Purification Program is a regional water and wastewater solution. This program is a collaborative partnership between Padre Dam Municipal Water District, the County of San Diego, the City of El Cajon and Helix Water District. It will create a new, local, sustainable and drought proof drinking water supply using state-of-the-art technology to purify recycled water and diversify East County’s water supply while reducing our dependence on imported water. This Program will provide up to 30 percent of East County’s drinking water demands while reducing wastewater discharge into the Pacific Ocean.
“Approval of these service agreements bring us another step closer to securing this new local water supply source for East County,” said JPA Chair Gary Kendrick. “This innovative and collaborative project has significant water and wastewater benefits for our community and will ensure necessary water reliability for future generations.”
The JPA’s execution of service agreements for wastewater and water supply are a prerequisite to obtaining a credit rating for the JPA, which is required for many financing options. The agreements also provide the necessary financial commitments to ensure long-term security of the JPA’s revenues.
Once complete, the $528 million East County AWP program will generate up to 11.5 million gallons per day of new drinking water. The project uses four advanced water purification steps to produce water that is near-distilled in quality.
After treatment, the purified water will be blended with water in Lake Jennings and treated again at the R.M. Levy Water Treatment Plant before being distributed as drinking water. In addition to providing a new local water supply, the program will eliminate the need to send most of East County’s wastewater to the City of San Diego’s Point Loma Wastewater Treatment Plant, where it is currently treated and then discharged into the ocean.
The procurement process for the East County AWP is well underway. The project has three Progressive-Design-Build packages. The final request for proposals (RFP) have been issued to shortlisted firms for Packages 1 and 2 and statement of qualifications (SOQ) for Package 3 were due on June 1. Additionally, the JPA Board approved the release of the RFP for Owner’s Advisor Services for the Project at its May 21 meeting. The Owner’s Advisor is intended to provide experience and insight through the procurement, design and construction process to ensure a successful project.
For more information about the East County Advanced Water Purification Program, please visit eastcountyawp.com.
