Pasadena Water and Power Completes Year-Long Colorado Boulevard Water Main Replacement Project

Pasadena Water and Power announced it has completed work on replacing an old water main along Colorado Blvd. Between Meredith Ave. and Altadena Drive, part of a plan approved last year to replace about 272 miles of aging water pipes over the next 25 years.

“Our crews recently completed a year-long project of replacing water main along Colorado Blvd. between Meredith Ave. and Altadena Dr. The street has now been repaved and restriped, and the new pipeline is in operation,” PWP said in a post on Facebook Saturday.

Work on the Colorado Blvd. main started around mid-July last year and involved replacing the six-inch main with an eight-inch pipe along the mile-long stretch. PWP said the replacement was necessary to enhance water pressure and quality.

A variety of heavy equipment had to be deployed along the stretch and vehicle traffic was limited to one lane at certain hours of the day for some time. Much of the clutter of equipment had been removed from the site as of Sunday.

PWP’s water supply system consists of approximately 520 miles of pipelines, about half of which are more than 80 years old. The City’s 2020 Water System and Resources Plan (WSRP) involved replacing aging pipes and either replacing or repairing about half of 14 reservoirs used by PWP, and spending up to $430 million in capital improvement costs over 25 years. About $130 million in expenses is anticipated over the first five years according to the plan.

Funding for the project will be provided from a combination of sources, including revenue bonds, federal and state funding programs, pay-go funding from current customers and prudent use of capital reserves, a PWP report said.

The 2020 WSRP updated both the 2002 Water System Master Plan and the 2011 Water Integrated Resources Plan. Development of the plan started in the fall of 2018 and was completed in December 2020. The WSRP prioritizes capital improvements and water resource projects considering budgetary and scheduling constraints and provides guidance for PWP through 2045.

To see what other water supply improvement projects are on the drawing board, Pasadena residents and PWP customers may view the 2020 WSRP online through https://ww5.cityofpasadena.net/water-and-power/wsrp/.