In 2016, the San Elijo Hills Pump Station, which was built to make this water transfer possible, won an Engineering Excellence Award from the American Council of Engineering Companies.  The construction project was highly innovative in regards to protecting the environment. By building the pump station entirely on the footprint of the old Questhaven Road (built in the 1960’s), this avoided the need to remove any native vegetation, protecting the long-term welfare and sustainability of open space and wildlife in the area.

Twin Oaks Reservoirs – Following through on recommendations from its Master Plan, Vallecitos has spent the past 15+ years shoring up service reliability through the construction of the 33-million gallon capacity Twin Oaks Reservoir No. 1 and its neighbor – the 40-million gallon capacity Twin Oaks Reservoir No. 2. Buried underground to better blend with the rural community, the combined 73-million gallons of storage are not seen but their presence is definitely felt. The central location of the pre-stressed concrete structures provide a minimum of five days emergency storage and can easily disperse fresh drinking water anywhere needed in the District’s service area. This emergency water source could be essential if an earthquake or other emergency damaged the aqueduct delivering imported water to the region. Learn more by watching the video below:

North San Diego Water Reuse Coalition -  (Formerly known as the North San Diego Regional Recycled Water Project)
The North San Diego Water Reuse Coalition is a comprehensive, cross-jurisdictional partnership of local water and wastewater agencies with the purpose of matching areas with high recycled water demand to facilities that can produce enough recycled water to meet that demand. Maximizing the use of regional recycled water resources reduces North County's dependence on increasingly scarce and expensive imported water, and helps the agencies to achieve the state-mandated potable water reduction of 20 percent by the year 2020. The participating agencies, which includes Vallecitos, have aggressively pursued grant funding since the partnership was born in 2010.

With boundaries expanding from the coast north to Camp Pendleton, south to Solana Beach and Poway and east to Pauma Valley and Ramona, the coalition could significantly conserve imported water supplies by providing recycled water to be used for irrigation purposes to approximately 750,000 current residents and potentially 1.1 million residents living in the vicinity in the future.

In June of 2016, the Coalition was recognized as a Golden Watchdog finalist in the San Diego County Taxpayers Association’s Annual Golden Watchdog Awards.  

In 2021, the Coalition was awarded a $6.1 million grant from the United States Bureau of Reclamation’s Title XVI program to increase local water supply reliability. Read more....

Encina Wastewater Authority – The Carlsbad facility, partially owned by Vallecitos, processes approximately 22 million gallons of wastewater a day (mgd) onsite. Along with Vallecitos, effluent is also taken from five other local agencies and treated to accepted regulatory standards. A facility upgrade completed in 2009 now allows for the conversion of wastewater solids into environmentally friendly dry pellets for use as an organic fertilizer or as a biofuel capable of powering cement kilns. Currently 100 percent of the pellets are being recycled for these beneficial uses.

Meadowlark Water Reclamation Facility – Vallecitos' Meadowlark facility has been recycling wastewater since 1981, and now after a recent upgrade increasing capacity from 2.25 mgd to 5 mgd, the plant is able to process up to 74 percent of the wastewater Vallecitos customers generate. After final treatment, the recycled water is sold to the City of Carlsbad and Olivenhain Municipal Water District for irrigation purposes.

Solar power - In 2006, the District constructed solar ports over the fleet and employee vehicles to offset energy usage at the headquarter facilities.  This solar power system supplies up to 90% of the electricity used on site each year.  To see a real-time display of the solar energy production at Vallecitos, click on the link below: 

                                         

In 2017, the Vallecitos Board agreed to pursue development of District-wide renewable power sources using existing open space to benefit the District and its ratepayers.  The District worked with solar consultants Terra Verde Renewable Partners to evaluate and study the feasibility of three solar port locations. Two projects moved forward; two arrays at the pair of Vallecitos owned reservoirs in Twin Oaks, and an array at the (sewer) Lift Station #1, located on San Marcos Boulevard.

The projects are structured under a Power Purchase Agreement. A solar provider designs, builds, and maintains systems for 25 years. In turn, the District receives a reduced electricity rate from SDG&E over the 25-year term at the District’s 13 highest use meters. The District will become owners of the solar system after the 25-year maintenance term expires. No capital investment is required from the District. 

Over the 25-year term, the District will benefit from a reduced electrical rate of 7.79 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) at its 13 highest use meters. It will also receive a rebate or credit on its export of power to the electrical grid. Savings to the District over 25 years are estimated at $8.3 million, which ultimately results in reduced water and sewer rates for customers. District staff locked in the maximum federal rebate by launching the project in 2019 and meeting a narrow window for grant funding.  Read the full article or watch the solar project video.

Sustainable Demonstration Garden - In 2010, Vallecitos revamped its front garden to feature California native plants, water features that use water collected in a rain harvesting system and solar power to serve as a demonstration in conservation for visitors to implement at home.