San Diego County Grand Jury
• 2013-2014
Don’t Give Me a Break Water Distribution Problems in the City of San Diego
⚠️ Aviso de traducción: Este contenido ha sido traducido automáticamente. El texto original en inglés es la versión oficial. La traducción puede contener errores.
⚠️ Este contenido ha sido traducido automáticamente. El texto original en inglés es la versión oficial. La traducción puede contener errores.
Findings 7 findings
F01
Not all SDPUD first responders are state certified. Fact: The only map the SDPUD supplies its personnel is the Thomas Brothers Guide. Fact: The Thomas Brothers Guide provides no routing information. Fact: GPS devices are readily available, relatively low cost, and generally provide the best routing information to any point in the city. Fact: Emergency Service personnel who wish to use a GPS device must expend their own funds to purchase one.
F02
Emergency Service personnel could frequently get to a disruption of service faster if they possessed department supplied GPS devices. Fact: SDPUD first responders rely on a paper copy of the Water Field Book to locate valves. Fact: Updated editions of the Water Field Book are not published on a regular basis. Fact: Water Field Books used by some first responders are several years out of date. Fact: Up to date information on pipe and valve location is maintained by SDPUD in a computer data base called SPLASH. 8 “City of San Diego Public Utilities Department; Asbestos Cement Water Main Replacement Program; Master Plan (H125808)”, HDR/Schiff, January 2014 /2014 FINAL REPORT (June 26, 2014)
F03
First responders do not have access to the most up to date information, which may slow response time. Fact: SDPUD has a goal of shutting down all breaks within 30 minutes of a report. Fact: SDPUD does not record enough information to determine actual response times, and some of the information it does have is demonstrably inaccurate.
F04
SDPUD is not able to adequately judge its performance with its current record keeping process. Fact: The City has fewer than 80 miles of remaining Cast Iron pipes.
F05
SDPUD is on track to eliminate all remaining Cast Iron pipes. In fact, they are ahead of schedule. Fact: The City has approximately 2,120 miles of remaining asbestos cement pipe. Fact: The City stopped installing asbestos cement pipe approximately 30 years ago. Fact: At a replacement rate of 40 miles/year (far exceeding the current replacement capacity), it would take 53 years to replace the remaining asbestos cement pipe.
F06
In the unlikely event that SDPUD accomplishes a 40 miles/year replacement rate, replacement of even the newest asbestos cement pipe will be scheduled significantly beyond the end of its predicted service life. Fact: AC pipe is currently being replaced strictly on an emergency (i.e., break) basis. Fact: SDPUD is in a very early stage of planning for AC pipe replacement. They have authorized and received a report on the history and potential problems of AC pipe.
F07
SDPUD needs to aggressively speed up its planning for AC pipe replacement.
Recommendations 9
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14-52Page 7Institute a program to ensure that all water distribution operators are
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14-53Page 7Equip all water emergency response vehicles with GPS devices.
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14-54Page 8Equip all emergency first responders with computers and online
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14-55Page 8Replace paper break reports with a modern computer based
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14-56Page 8Verify that any water distribution infrastructure on "As Built"
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14-57Page 8Inspect all street repaving and resurfacing projects upon completion
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14-58Page 8Accelerate the replacement of asbestos cement water mains with PVC.
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14-59Page 8Begin alerting the ratepayers to the probable impact of the asbestos
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14-60Page 8Request an independent performance audit by the San Diego City
No Responses Found 1
Government entities assigned to respond to this report. No response documents have been linked in our database.
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