April 21, 2011
Major elements of the ongoing Water District expansion program are substantially complete and have been put in service.
Four million gallons a day in new capacity in Plant C went into operation in early April. The microfiltration plant can now produce up to 16 million gallons per day (mgd) with product water split between municipal and industrial customers. This expansion brings the total capacity of the District’s treatment plant complex located between Gregory and Ingleside to 30 million gallons per day.
The District’s new primary high service pump station also went into service in April. High efficiency 300 horsepower motors power variable speed pumps which together are designed to deliver 5,000 gallons per minute into drinking water transmission lines 
heading east and west from the treatment complex. A fourth pump powered directly by a diesel engine is being added to the pump station for backup. It is part of a system of components designed to keep water flowing when power from the electric grid is interrupted by storms or other incidents.
This new treatment and pumping capacity will allow the District to take Plant A out of service for a few weeks while upgrades are made to flocculation systems and other equipment which has been in continuous use for decades. Plant A has a capacity of up to 8 million gallons per day. It was built in 1968 and expanded in 1972 and again in 1983. A nearby 3 million gallon ground storage tank completed in 1979 is also being taken out of service briefly for repairs and modifications including installation of a baffle system to increase chemical treatment efficiency.
Final work was completed in March on the new West Portland Pump Station and the adjoining 2 million gallon ground storage tank. The pump station is connected to the District treatment complex by a 24-inch transmission line which also supplies water to Gregory and Portland. The pump station will deliver water to Taft, Odem and two rural water suppliers – Rincon Water Supply Corp. and Seaboard Water Supply Corp.
The 18-inch transmission line connecting the West Portland Station to Taft and part of the Rincon system has been installed and tested.
A contract for construction of a new 12-inch transmission line extending westward to the Odem area is expected to be awarded by the Board of Directors in May.
These pipeline construction projects also include installation of fiber optic cable for communications between the District's control center and remote locations in the western part of the water distribution system.
See a complete update and photos of the $18 million System Expansion Project HERE.
