San Dieguito Water District approves $846,975 package to finish air‑release and blow‑off valve replacements on 36‑inch transmission main

The San Dieguito Water District Board of Directors voted unanimously to award a construction contract to Bertec Pipeline Incorporated and adopt a budget amendment to finish replacement of air‑release and blow‑off valves on the district’s 36‑inch transmission main.

Senior Engineer Elmer Alex told the board the project — listed as CW23X — will complete seven remaining sites on the 36‑inch transmission main along El Camino Del Norte and Rancho Santa Fe Road after an original contract left work unfinished. "The air release valves release air pockets in the pipeline to ensure smooth flow," Alex said, explaining that failed valves can reduce efficiency and accelerate corrosion.

The board approved executing a contract for $736,500 plus a contingency of $110,475, for a total not to exceed $846,975. Staff also asked the board to adopt a resolution amending the fiscal‑year budget by transferring $382,500 from project CW23D (transmission line maintenance) and $382,500 from project CW23C (water infrastructure improvements) to fund the work.

Alex reviewed the project history: the transmission main was constructed in 1982; the original scope covered 15 valve sites. The original contractor completed eight sites but did not finish the remaining seven. When the district activated the 36‑inch main to meet summer demand, staff found leaks at Site 4 (along Rancho Santa Fe Road north of Encinitas Boulevard) and Site 12 (near the reservoir). The district declared an emergency and hired an emergency contractor to make urgent repairs; staff said the emergency contractor is familiar with the work and has been the district’s emergency contractor for several years.

Alex said the district will not rebid the remaining work because, in staff’s assessment, bifurcating the project and using the emergency contractor provides better continuity and avoids losing the advantage of that contractor’s on‑site familiarity. The board was told the emergency contractor performed the previously authorized emergency repairs and that the district is pursuing legal action against the original contractor for failing to finish the work.

A member of the public, John Smith, who identified himself as a former San Dieguito Water District employee, urged the board to consider replacing plug valves on the same pipeline segment because, he said, plug valves can be problematic during leak events. "I hope they keep that in mind when they do this project to even replace the plug valves because they are problematic," Smith said. General Manager (name not specified in the transcript) replied, "We will evaluate whatever was mentioned in here by our operation crews so that we can address it on future projects." Those remarks were made during the public‑comment portion of the same agenda item.

Board members asked finance and schedule questions. Staff said previous contract and change‑order amounts left a value of work not completed of roughly $367,123; emergency repairs were valued at about $190,000. Staff estimated the new work would start and be completed before the next summer high‑demand season, though they did not provide specific start and completion dates.

The board moved and seconded approval of the contract and budget amendment; the motion carried unanimously. Staff said it will execute the contract with the selected contractor and proceed with the valve replacements and related work.

The board handled the vote during the meeting’s action items; there were no additional informational items on the agenda and the meeting was then adjourned.