Mesa Water Receives Prestigious Award for Pipeline Integrity Program

COSTA MESA, Calif.; July 29, 2020 – Mesa Water District (Mesa Water®) received a first place award for its state-of-the-art Pipeline Integrity Program (PiP) in the 2020 CMUA Resource Efficiency & Community Service Awards. The annual awards by the California Municipal Utilities Association (CMUA) highlight best practices and innovative ideas in California’s electric and water industries.

Mesa Water is among eight publicly-owned agencies and utilities that received top honors. The award categories include: Energy Programs; Water Programs; and Community Service Programs. Mesa Water received first place in the Medium-size Utility Water Programs category.

“This award reflects Mesa Water’s commitment and dedication to operational efficiency with economical, effective, and timely pipeline repairs and replacement,” says Mesa Water Board President Shawn Dewane. “Mesa Water’s Pipeline Integrity Program is a proactive, innovative approach to investing in and maintaining our water system, which directly benefits our community.”

The PiP, which has received numerous accolades and has been published in top industry publications, was implemented by Mesa Water to creatively and successfully address the industrywide issue of renewing and replacing water system pipelines in an efficient manner. The program aims to keep in service the pipelines that are in good condition and identify those that need replacing. Further, the program involves extensive system analysis, including non-destructive and destructive testing, to better estimate the system’s remaining useful life of pipelines.

This critical information helps Mesa Water make near-term renewal decisions and develop more prudent long-term infrastructure budgetary determinations. As one of Orange County’s most efficient water agencies, Mesa Water expects to save an estimated $230 million via the program over the next 30 years.

Each nominated project was judged on overall concept and implementation; originality, creativity and innovativeness; promotion of efficient use of natural resources and/or serving local community needs; and, benefits to customers and/or the community. For a complete list of honorees, visit the CMUA website.