New recycled water pipelines to be installed in Encinitas and Carlsbad

Rhea Caoile
·1 min read

ENCINITAS, Calif. (FOX 5/KUSI) — The construction of new recycled water pipelines in North County is expected to begin next week, according to the Olivenhain Municipal Water District.

Thanks in part to about $900,000 in grants from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and the California Department of Water Resources, the district will begin work on extending several underground pipelines in Encinitas and Carlsbad.

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The project is aimed at saving more than 12.5 million gallons of imported drinking water per year.

Recycled water is locally produced wastewater that has been disinfected and is used for irrigation, according to the district. It also costs less than potable water and is drought-resilient.

Starting in April, the construction would include installing 5,600 feet of recycled water pipelines in three different sites, the district said Wednesday.

Work on the first of three phases is expected to begin in Carlsbad along Calle Barcelona, southeast of Rancho Santa Fe Road. Crews will be working Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Some additional work will take place Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to noon for any construction impacting Mission Estancia Elementary School.

The district said it does not anticipate the construction of the new pipelines to impact customers’ drinking water. The first phase of the project is expected to be complete sometime this summer.

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