At approximately 1:00 a.m. this morning the San Diego County Water Authority experienced a failure in an untreated water pipeline in Mission Trails Regional Park releasing a large quantity of water into the San Diego River.  The failure occurred approximately one-third of a mile north of the intersection of Mission Gorge Road and Jackson Drive. Damage was limited to significant erosion within the park along the Water Authority patrol road and a natural drainage leading to the San Diego River and did not damage any structures.

The  66-inch concrete pipe delivers water to Alvarado, Lower Otay and Perdue water treatment plants in the South County. Because the affected treatment plants can draw water from local reservoirs, it is not expected that the pipeline break will have an impact on consumers.

The Water Authority completed the shut off the flow of untreated water in the pipeline at 4 a.m. and immediately began assessing the damage and implementing emergency repair procedures.

The Water Authority has begun meeting with contractors to select one to complete emergency repairs. The time to complete the repairs, expected to be 7 to 10 days, will be determined once the contractor has assessed the situation.

The Water Authority will also shut down the treated water pipeline adjacent to the damaged pipeline so an internal inspection can be completed to ensure its structural integrity. The treated water pipeline is expected to be back in full operation by Friday.

The Water Authority has notified the operating heads of the affected member agencies, Mission Trails Park staff, Mayor Sander’s office, Councilmember Jim Madaffer’s office and the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board of the situation.