Next Steps

Construction began on the East County Advanced Water Purification Program in the summer of 2022The Program is schedule to begin distributing water in 2026.

PRoject PAckages

The Project is broken into 5 packages.

  • Package 1 includes the Water Reclamation Facility, the Advanced Water Purification Plant and Solids Handling Facilities.
  • Package 2 includes the 10-mile long purified water pipeline running from the Advanced Water Purification Plant to Lake Jennings in Lakeside.
  • Package 3 includes retrofitting and expanding the capacity of the influent pump station and the East Mission Gorge Pump station. It also includes a 3.5 mile force main, a 3 mile long residuals bypass and a 1.7 million gallon a day lift station.   
  • Package 4 is a joint effort between the JPA and the City of San Diego to install a regional pipeline that will convey brine and centrate created during the Advanced Water Purification process from the East Mission Gorge Pump Station to a connection with the City of San Diego South Mission Valley Trunk Sewer.  
  • Package 5 includes a combined heat and power energy recovery plant that will capture biogas generated from the digestion of biosolids and sludge, use the biogas in combustion engines to generate electricity and use the heat generated to heat the digesters.  

Design Build Contracts have been awarded by the East County Advanced Water Purification Joint Powers of Authority for Packages 1 thru 4. Package 5 proposals are under review.  Click here for more information on the Construction Packages.

Construction proceeding

The bulk of the construction is happening just north of Santee Lakes Recreation Preserve.  Trucks have been hauling in fill dirt, earth moving equipment has been grading and leveling the site, rebar forms for digesters are being tied in and the first concrete has been poured.  Over the next 3 years, much more concrete will be trucked into the site to build out the facility.

Outside of the main construction area, excavation is beginning for the retrofit of the Mission Gorge Pump Station and work has begun at Lake Jennings to start installing the purified water pipeline.  

The best way to keep up to date on where construction is currently happening, is with the Interactive Construction Map.

Graphic of Updated AWP Implementation Schedule