Pure Water San Diego Reaches 90% Milestone for 30 MGD Miramar Delivery as New Terminal 1 Nears Debut

Phase 1 Commissioning Delivers 30 Million Gallons Daily of Locally Sourced Water

SAN DIEGO, California — Marking a decisive triumph in municipal climate resilience and water independence, the City of San Diego Public Utilities Department announced in October 2026 that Phase 1 of the multi-billion-dollar Pure Water San Diego program has surpassed 90 percent total completion. Engineering teams entered final testing and integrated systems commissioning across water purification facilities, setting the stage to begin delivering 30 million gallons per day (MGD) of purified drinking water to Miramar Reservoir by late 2026.

The landmark water recycling initiative utilizes an advanced multi-stage purification process—including ozonation, biological activated carbon filters, membrane filtration, reverse osmosis, and ultraviolet advanced oxidation—to produce drinking water meeting or exceeding all federal and state potable standards. Once blended in Miramar Reservoir and given final treatment, the purified water will supply approximately half of northern San Diego's daily residential and commercial drinking water needs.

Subaqueous Pipeline and North City Purification Plant Form Resilient Water Loop

Major civil milestones finalized in recent months include the completion of the 8-mile North City Pure Water Pipeline and the intricate subaqueous pipeline laid along the bed of Miramar Reservoir. The pipeline connects the newly expanded North City Water Purification Facility near University City directly to the water distribution system, drastically diminishing the city's reliance on imported water from Northern California and the drought-stressed Colorado River.

City environmental coordinators reaffirmed that Pure Water San Diego remains fully on track toward its overarching 2035 target, when completed Phase 2 facilities will produce nearly half of the entire city's drinking water locally through recycled wastewater purification.

New Terminal 1 at San Diego International Airport Prepares for First Passenger Arrivals

Along San Diego Bay, the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority reached final operational readiness milestones for the first phase of the brand-new $3.4 billion New Terminal 1 at SAN. The new facility will open 19 spacious passenger gates, state-of-the-art security checkpoints, and an elevated multimodal roadway system. Regional transportation planners praised the simultaneous milestones, emphasizing that San Diego is fortifying its vital drinking water grid and global aviation infrastructure in tandem.