Pure Water Program

Due to limited local sources, 85 percent of the City of San Diego’s water is imported from the Colorado River and California State Water Project. A lack of control over its own supply makes San Diego vulnerable to drought, seismic events, climate change, and rising water costs.

With San Diego’s existing water system, only 8% of the wastewater leaving homes and businesses is recycled; the rest is treated and discharged into the ocean. A forward-looking community, San Diego saw this as an opportunity to transform the city’s water system into a complete water cycle. The Stantec-led program management team’s services to the City for the multi-billion-dollar Pure Water Program include creating a program-wide delivery strategy and robust program governance structure with procedures, plans (e.g., risk, quality), controls, business processes, and reporting requirements. We developed preliminary designs of all projects in the first phase and provided independent review of final designs, construction planning, and operation and maintenance readiness planning. Our team also provides extensive regulatory support, including coordination with the State Water Board to obtain permits needed for this first-of-its-kind surface water augmentation program.

At full implementation in 2035, the Pure Water Program will provide around one-half (83 MGD) of San Diego’s drinking water supply locally and cut ocean discharges by approximately half.