OCEANSIDE — After the first of the year businesses and residents in South Oceanside will see new water pipeline going in. Five hundred miles of new waterline will be installed in the south beach neighborhood west of Interstate 5 and east of Coast Highway 101.
New 8-inch pipes will replace undersize 4- to 6-inch pipes that were installed between 1928 and 1950.
“They served their life,” Jason Dafforn, Water Utilities division manager, said.
The upsized pipes will improve the hydraulic capacity of the water system. Businesses and homes will also get new water meters.
City Council approved the $1.89 million project and gave the OK to seek bids on Sept. 24.
The project came in well below the original estimate of $3.29 million that was planned for last year. Funds to pay for the work will come from CIP new project funds, water sales and water meter charges, and the water fixed asset replacement account.
Work is expected to start in January 2015, and will be done in phases. Due to the grid layout of neighborhood streets, there will be minimal impact on traffic. Dafforn said partial street closures would only detour traffic for a block.
The waterline project has been timed to precede street and sidewalk repaving in the neighborhood. When work is completed the neighborhood will have updated pipelines and roadways.
“At the end of the day there will be a curb to curb overlay of streets with new asphalt and pavement,” Dafforn said.
With the green light to begin the project, the Water Utilities Department will start community outreach. Flyers will be distributed to South Oceanside businesses and homes to inform them of the work schedule. The project is expected to be completed within eight months.
