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How a Small Agency Manages a Mega Pipeline Project — A Success Story

Hollenbeck, John R. / Trott, Thomas C.

Infrastructure projects designed to meet the growing demands of a water district do not need to be limited in size just because a small public agency manages the district. Case history of the Nacimiento Water Project proves this point. The Nacimiento Water Project (Project) consists of a sloping multi-port intake facility and pump station, two intermediate pump stations, three storage tanks, control center, and approximately 45 miles of transmission pipeline ranging in diameter from 36-inches to 12-inches, with the goal of delivering 15,750 acre-feet of raw water to communities spread across the county. The $176-million Project is owned, managed, and will be operated by the San Luis Obispo County Flood Control and Water Conservation District (District) located within the central coast of California, and is staffed full-time by only two county employees. Despite limited management resources, the District has produced a pipeline project that will successfully meet the growing water demands of San Luis Obispo County. This paper discusses the District's undertaking of the Project. Specifically addressed is how the District made this regional Project successful by overcoming existing political obstacles and mending community relationships, recognizing its limitations as a small agency, establishing strategies and setting goals, staffing the Project with an "army" of consultants, attending to the details of design through pipeline optimization and value engineering, and positioning the Project for successful bidding and bond financing.