Rainbow awards contract for Olive Hill pipeline

T.E. Roberts Inc. will construct the Rainbow Municipal Water District transmission line, which will serve Olive Hills Estates.

Michael Mack and Helene Brazier were not able to participate in the April 28 Rainbow board meeting, but the other three directors voted to award the contract to T.E. Roberts for the Orange company’s bid of $1,128,075. The action also found the work within existing right of way to be categorically exempt from California Environmental Quality Act review.

“We’re working on the project to install a section of pipeline,” Tom Kennedy, Rainbow general manager, said. “It’s kind of a missing link in our pipeline network.”

A pipeline in that area had been taken out of service before Kennedy joining Rainbow’s staff.

“This just restores that capacity,” he said.

Rainbow had been researching opportunities to increase flow from the northern Metropolitan Water District of Southern California aqueduct connections to Rainbow’s south pressure zone, or Hutton Zone.

“There were some pipeline capacity issues, especially related to Water Authority shutdowns,” Kennedy said.

The San Diego Aqueduct between MWD’s Colorado River Aqueduct and the San Vicente Reservoir in Lakeside was built in the 1940s, before the 1953 creation of the Rainbow Municipal Water District. MWD and the San Diego County Water Authority split the cost equally, so the delivery point at which the SDCWA takes over ownership, operations, and maintenance is 6 miles south of the Riverside County line.

Four of Rainbow’s connections to the San Diego Aqueduct are to the MWD section of the aqueduct while four others are along the CWA section. Both MWD and the CWA have planned shutdowns for inspections and maintenance, as does Rainbow, and unplanned failures can also lead to shutdowns.

Rainbow hired HDR as a consultant to determine how to increase flow and provide Hutton Zone customers with a reliable supply during a shutdown. HDR along with Rainbow staff determined that constructing a new 14-inch transmission line within Olive Hills Estates would help Rainbow meet southern zone demands during shutdowns.

The work will construct approximately 2,550 feet of 14-inch diameter ductile iron pipe along with fittings and approximately 30 feet of 12-inch diameter ductile iron pipe between Olive Hill Road west of state Route 76 and Via Caballero.

The portions along Olive Hill Road and along Triple Crown Drive are within public right of way, so that part will require excavation and traffic control permits from the county’s Department of Public Works. The work not within the public right of way is within an existing Rainbow public easement through the Olive Hill Estates community.

Rainbow staff prepared a bid package and sent that document electronically to Rainbow’s list of prequalified contractors. Five bids were received by the March 13 deadline. The bid opening took place April 1 by Zoom teleconference. The T.E. Roberts of $1,128,075 was the lowest. Ortiz Corporation of National City had the second-lowest bid at $1,282,157. The engineer’s estimate was $1,300,000. The bids were evaluated and no irregularities were found. The T.E. Roberts bid was found to be complete, and all required licenses and bonding are in place.

The schedule calls for completion within 150 working days, or approximately 200 calendar days.

Joe Naiman can be reached by email at [email protected].