San Marcos Vent Project

High above beautiful Lake San Marcos on the top of a hill to the southeast, is a new construction project called the San Marcos Vent Project.   This is part of the Carlsbad Desalination Project which will result in the largest desalination plant in the Western Hemisphere.  So far construction phases for the 50 million gallon a day plant and related water delivery system continue to move forward without delays.  This is keeping us here in Lake San Marcos on pace to have this new, drought-proof source available in early 2016.

Recently the vent project’s work hours have increased to meet the deadline for the remainder of the project which runs between Carlsbad on the coast up to San Elijo. Lake San Marcos is a staging area for the San Diego Water Authority. Here is an update:

Work Hours Extended
This Water Authority water pipeline project is under way in the open space south of Lake San Marcos. The contractor is now working 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Depending on progress excavating in hard rock, the contractor may need to begin working up to 24 hours a day, six days a week through March 26.

The extended hours are necessary to meet a critical deadline in late March when two major drinking water pipelines will be taken out of service for ten days. During this ten-day period, the contractor has confirmed he will work 24 hours a day to make the final pipeline connections.

The project will be complete in May 2014. Water service to homes and business will not be interrupted.
To minimize disruptions to nearby residents, the Water Authority has instructed the contractor to install sound curtains and to direct lights only at the work site. Noise monitoring at three locations in the surrounding residential communities will ensure that the contractor’s noise level stays well below the allowable limits for nighttime construction. The contractor will continue to use San Pablo Drive and La Plaza Drive to access the Water Authority’s access road to the project site.

The San Marcos Vent project will provide new flexibility in operating regional water pipelines for a new supply: seawater desalination from the Carlsbad Desalination Project. For more information, contact the Water Authority at (877) 682-9283 Ext 7009.

Information courtesy of Lake San Marcos Communication Association.