Water Utilities Projects

The Water Utilities Department is dedicated to ensure a safe, reliable and efficient water and wastewater distribution system for all its water and wastewater customers. The City continually strives to maintain and improve public infrastructure to help safeguard the vitality of our economy and quality of life.

For Fiscal Year 2019-20, the Water Utilities Department has a very robust Capital Improvement Program (CIP) planned. The total budget for Water and Sewer Utilities CIP for Fiscal Year 2019-20 is over $150 million. Here is a list of proposed Water and Sewer CIP Projects for FY19-23.

Pure Water Oceanside

Pure Water Oceanside is a forward-thinking project that will purify recycled water to create a new, local source of high-quality drinking water that is clean, safe, drought-proof and environmentally sound. Scheduled to be complete by the end of 2021, more than 30% of the city’s water supply will be produced through this project.

Watch a Video and Take a Tour

Everyone is invited to learn more about Pure Water Oceanside! Visit www.PureWaterOceanside.org to watch a video and sign up for a tour. Tours include visiting the San Luis Rey Water Reclamation Facility and Mission Basin Groundwater Purification Facility.

Oceanside’s New Source of Water

View the Interactive Construction Map

New Oceanside Blvd. Sewer Lift Station Coming

The City of Oceanside operates and maintains 34 sewer lift stations throughout the City. The sewer lift stations pump wastewater. The Oceanside Boulevard lift station, originally constructed in 1953, is nearing the end of its useful life and needs replacement. Due to site congestion at the original pump station, co-located with the Best Western Hotel on Oceanside Boulevard, the new lift station will be constructed just west of the former Fresh & Easy store at Vine Street and Oceanside Boulevard. The construction is anticipated to begin in February 2020 and be complete in December 2021. A traffic lane may be intermittently closed in the area to allow for construction.

Downtown Water and Sewer Phase 2

The City of Oceanside is replacing aged water and sewer pipelines in the downtown area. Many of the pipelines in downtown were installed in the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s and are in need of replacement or are undersized to meet the area’s needs. The city has identified pipelines in need of replacing from inspections and computer modeling of the systems to determine which lines are most critical to replace. Construction is planned to begin early 2020 and be complete in one year.

Henie Hills and JP Steiger Reservoirs

Seismic Retrofit and Rehabilitation

Two of the city’s twelve water storage tanks need repairs to ensure they survive earthquakes: these are the Henie Hills reservoir in the Henie Hills neighborhood and the JP Steiger reservoir located near El Camino High School off of Rancho Del Oro Dr. These reservoirs will have a complete overhaul to ensure our city’s drinking water storage meets today’s standards. Work will include structural upgrades of the tanks as well as an exterior facelift. Construction is planned to begin late 2019 and take two years to complete.

Recycled Water Distribution Expansion

The expansion to the Recycled Water Distribution System has been divided into an Upper and Lower System. The Lower System, located south of the 76 and west of Rancho Del Oro Dr., will include 9 miles of pipeline from the San Luis Rey Water Reclamation Facility (SLRWRF) south to the Fire Mountain area and a 2.2 million gallon storage tank and pump station at the Fire Mountain Tank site. The Upper System will include 11 miles of pipeline from SLRWRF to South Morro Hills and a 3 million gallon storage tank and pump station in South Morro Hills. Construction of the Lower System is scheduled to begin late 2019 with the Upper System starting late 2020. Both projects are anticipated to take two years to construct.

Pilgrim Creek Lift Station  

The City of Oceanside operates and maintains 34 sewer lift stations throughout the City.  The purpose of a lift station is to pump waste4water from the surrounding residences and related activities for the Pilgrim Creek Sewer Lift Station. The Pilgrim Creek Lift Station has reached the end of its designed life and rehabilitation is required to keep the lift station operating effectively. The Pilgrim Creek Lift Station is located on Douglas across from Reynolds Elementary School. Construction is scheduled to start in December 2022 and includes replacing portions of the sewer pipeline and manholes on Douglas Drive as well as necessary improvements to the lift station. Construction on Douglas Drive is expected to be complete by February 2023. Construction work occurring on Douglas Drive will require traffic control and occurring from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. to reduce commuter traffic impacts. Regular work hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.