POWAY WATER TREATMENT PLANT IS ON TRACK
Construction about 85 percent complete on bypass project
Poway is steps closer to a new water treatment reservoir. Officials said the Clearwell Bypass Project construction is about 85 percent complete.
According to the city’s website, the contractor is completing the last step before the tanks are finished — the roof beam structure of the second temporary tank.
These temporary tanks will be used to store the city’s treated water so the clearwell reservoir can be replaced.
The Clearwell Bypass Project is expected to be completed in July.
The whole project is the largest capital improvement program in the city’s 40-year history. In March, Poway officials received $1 million in federal funding for the venture.
The Lester J. Berglund Water Treatment Plant clearwell, Poway’s 10-million-gallon treated water storage reservoir, was built in 1964. The clearwell is the city’s primary reservoir that stores the water treated at the Berglund Treatment Plant. The reservoir, off Lake Poway Road, has reached the end of its useful life and needs to be replaced, officials have said.
To replace the clearwell, the first step is constructing an intricate $7.3 million bypass system to store treated water before it is delivered to Poway customers.
The $1 million, which was secured through the federal appropriations bill for fiscal year 2022, will be used for the bypass system.
The total cost of the reservoir replacement is about $70 million. Officials said they will spread the costs over future ratepayers, potentially through a bond.
Once the temporary bypass is done, the clearwell can be taken offline and replaced.