Nacimiento pipeline temporarily shut down due to leaks
Water pooling alerted officials to leaks under Nacimiento River
The Nacimiento Water Project pipeline was shut down earlier this summer after leaks were discovered in the system. The cause of the leaks are being investigated after officials were alerted to leaks in more than 1,000 feet of pipeline under the Nacimiento River when a wet spot was discovered along the access road near the lake. San Luis Obispo County Public Works Deputy Director Mark Hutchinson said that an expert is coming out to forensically test the pipe at that location to find out the cause.
“We don’t know why those pipes failed,” Hutchinson said. “We never lost pressure; it never showed up in the gauges. … It’s important to find out why it’s leaking to make sure it’s not going to get worse.” The leak was discovered at the end of June and caused the pipeline, which supplies supplemental water to the communities of Atascadero, parts of Cayucos, Paso Robles, San Luis Obispo and Templeton, to be shut down since then.
“We think we can get it up and running by mid-September at the latest,” Hutchinson said. “It will have some minor leaks, but nothing that will keep it from flowing.”
While the fix will be temporary, to get the pipeline flowing into the communities, Hutchinson said a permanent solution will be developed. At the time that the pipeline was shut down, it was delivering the requested amounts to each of the cities.
Hutchinson noted previous leaks in Santa Margarita that were between joints, and another leak due to a piped that was cracked during installation.
