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The Shortcut Pipeline is the primary source of drinking water for the city of Martinez. And it needs fixing.
Built in 1972, the five-mile pipeline carries an average of 13 million gallons of untreated water per day from the Contra Costa Canal in Clyde to the Martinez Reservoir.
The Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday will consider signing a letter to support the Contra Costa Water District’s (CCWD) pursuit of grant funding for the $14 million project.
According to a staff report for Tuesday’s meeting “an inspection in 2018 identified a compromised section of pipeline under the western flood control levee of the Lower Walnut Creek channel … Adding risk, the approximate half-mile section of compromised pipeline is also near the Concord Fault. It has been determined this section of the pipeline is no longer reliable.”
CCWD is pursuing federal funding through the Senate Energy and Water Development Bill (fiscal year 2023) for construction. The district is also seeking outside funding for portions of the project through state and federal implementation, infrastructure, and hazard mitigation grant programs.
The pipeline provides water to residents, businesses, and public safety in Martinez. CCWD has completed three leak repairs since the pipeline was constructed, including one near Walnut Creek and the Concord Fault after the Loma Prieta Earthquake.
Officially the Shortcut Pipeline Phase 3 Improvements Project would install two high density polyethylene pipelines under the Walnut Creek channel and connect them to the existing pipeline to bypass the damaged section of pipe. Dual pipelines ensure sufficient capacity and provides increased redundancy and seismic reliability. The pipelines will be installed by Horizontal Directional Drilling,
CCWD anticipates the project will go to bid February 2023 and construction would run from August 2023 through December 2024.
The Board of Supervisors meets virtually at 9 a.m. Tuesday and can be seen at www.contracosta.ca.gov or https://cccounty-us.zoom.us/j/87344719204.
