With the award of a $7.3 million contract for the clearwell bypass project at the July 20 City Council meeting, Poway took the first step in a series of projects designed to increase the reliability of drinking water for water customers now and generations to come.
Poway’s 10 million gallon treated water storage reservoir, called a clearwell, was built in 1964 and has reached the end of its useful life. In order to replace it, the City needs to bypass it by creating a temporary bypass system.
After evaluating all the options, the site that was determined to best meet the criteria for the temporary bypass system was the ballfield at Lake Poway. The ballfield is immediately adjacent to the water treatment plant and has a graded pad to accommodate the temporary tanks. No other location provided the space, proximity and required hydraulics without major modifications.
The ballfield will be used for temporary water storage tanks and likely unavailable for use through Fall 2024. The parking lot adjacent to the volleyball courts at the lake will be used as a staging area and also will be closed through Fall 2024. This will reduce overall parking capacity by 30 spots.
Construction is expected to begin in late September/early October and finish in July 2022. City Council awarded the contract for construction to G.S.E. Construction Company, Inc.