California Construction News staff writer
Officials from Los Angeles and Ventura counties marked the start of construction Tuesday on a $280 million water infrastructure project designed to improve drought resilience for Southern California communities that struggled during the state’s most recent drought.
The Sepulveda Feeder Pump Stations Project will allow the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California to reverse water flows during severe droughts, moving water from the Colorado River and Diamond Valley Lake into parts of northern Los Angeles County and southern Ventura County.
Those areas rely largely on water from the northern Sierra Nevada delivered through the State Water Project. During the 2020–2022 drought — the driest three-year period on record in California — State Water Project deliveries were sharply reduced, leaving some communities without enough water to meet normal demand. Residents and businesses were required to significantly cut back water use.
“Metropolitan had never before imposed such strong reductions in water use on a portion of our service area,” Metropolitan General Manager Shivaji Deshmukh said. “It was an unprecedented situation sparked by the hotter temperatures and more extreme droughts we are facing as the climate changes.”
The project includes construction of two new pump stations that will allow water from the Colorado River and Diamond Valley Lake, Southern California’s largest reservoir, to be pumped uphill through the existing Sepulveda Feeder pipeline, reversing its normal flow when needed.
Once completed, expected in early 2029, the system will be able to deliver up to 22,000 acre-feet of additional water annually to areas dependent on the State Water Project during severe droughts. An acre-foot equals about 326,000 gallons, enough to supply roughly three Southern California households for a year. The pump stations are being designed so they can be expanded in the future, subject to board approval.
“Under normal circumstances, our system largely relies on gravity to deliver water,” Deshmukh said. “Now, we will have the ability to pump more water uphill when needed.”
The project is being delivered using a progressive design-build method, which allows a single firm to handle both design and construction. Metropolitan said the approach enables closer collaboration and faster delivery. It is the agency’s first project to use the method since receiving legislative authority to adopt alternative delivery models.
Metropolitan is also constructing four additional projects that will allow more water from Diamond Valley Lake and the Colorado River to reach communities in the Inland Empire and San Gabriel Valley. Those projects are expected to be completed in 2027.
“When all of these projects are completed, they will deliver water and reliability,” Metropolitan board Vice Chair Nancy Sutley said. “They are a key part of Metropolitan’s climate adaptation strategy.”
