Water Service Returns to Normal as Pipeline Goes Back Into Service

Water service to 400,000 residents of South and East San Diego County was restored to normal Tuesday after 11 days of severe usage restrictions prompted by the rupture of a major water pipeline.

Voluntary restrictions on outdoor watering were continued Tuesday evening and early today to avoid a large drop in water pressure in the new pipeline, which carries 140 million gallons a day to the Padre Dam, Helix, Riverview, Lakeside and Otay water districts.

The Stage 4 alert, the county’s first, reverted at 8 a.m. today to a Stage 2 level, which was adopted in May by the San Diego County Water Authority in an effort to reduce the county’s water usage by 10%.

Residents in the five affected water districts responded to conservation requests by reducing water usage by up to two-thirds in some areas and at least half in the remaining areas.

“People made an extraordinary effort to do things they have never really had to do before,” water authority spokesman Jim Melton said. “They understood the problem and helped tremendously by conserving water during this crisis.”

The new pipeline in Scripps Ranch was filled with water and repressurized early Tuesday morning, Melton said.

The new section of pipe, which replaced a corroded section that burst Sept. 28, is 40 feet long and 7 feet in diameter.

The cost of repairs was estimated at $200,000.