Aerojet Rocketdyne, a subsidiary of Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: AJRD), Conceived in 2011, the American River Pipeline Conveyance Project (Project) is an example of regional partners coming together to solve water supply reliability issues at a local level.  The Project was developed to provide a replacement water supply for Golden State Water Company’s (Golden State Water) customers in Gold River and parts of the City of Rancho Cordova utilizing existing treatment capacity at Carmichael Water District’s (CWD) Water Treatment Plant.  The project enables CWD to divert and deliver up to 4.5 million gallons of water per day.  The replacement water supply originates from the remediated Aerojet Rocketdyne groundwater discharged to the American River at Buffalo Creek.

Project elements include:

  • Approximately 7,400 feet of 24-inch diameter pipeline crossing the American River.  The river crossing occurred approximately 80 feet below the river bed utilizing a pressure drilling method in order to leave the river bed and channel undisturbed.
  • Existing abandoned water diversion assets dating back to the 1950s were demolished and the river bank was restored to a natural setting.  This included the removal of three concrete intake structures and an existing exposed pipeline crossing the American River.
  • Construction that took place on the northern bank was within an unnamed drainage outlet.  The area was reconstructed with a naturalized channel, culvert, and improved riparian access to the upstream habitat.
  • The project includes pump back capabilities to provide water to CWD from GSWC during emergency conditions.

Longer-term regional benefits include reduced groundwater pumping during wet years, which will help better manage the underlying groundwater basin.  Working with the Regional Water Authority, a portion of the project funding was procured from the State under the Governor’s Water Action Plan (Proposition 84).  The project is one of 17 Sacramento-area projects awarded $9.7 million in California Department of Water Resources grants in 2014 for projects designed to help shore up the area’s water supply reliability during the drought and beyond.  “The American River Pipeline Project and other grant-funded projects in the greater Sacramento region are outstanding examples of DWR’s commitment to addressing California’s water challenges with Integrated Regional Water Management where partnerships, like this one, are formed to work together to develop solutions which will both address drought challenges and long-term water reliability,” said California Department of Water Resources Deputy Director for Integrated Water Management, Gary Bardini.

“This is a great demonstration of Public and Private partnerships coming together to find solutions to achieve benefits for our community,” said CWD’s General Manager Steve Nugent.  The project, spearheaded by CWD, Golden State Water, and Aerojet Rocketdyne, stands as a testimony to the region’s commitment to working together in addressing both short-term drought response and long-term supply reliability planning.

This project adds to an evolving network that ties many of the region’s water providers together via pipes to improve supply reliability for all of us,” said Golden State Water Company Senior Vice President of Regulated Utilities, Denise Kruger.  In times of drought or water supply emergencies, we now have the ability to transport water to neighboring communities or receive additional supplies for our customers in Rancho Cordova and Gold River.”

“Aerojet Rocketdyne was pleased to partner on this valuable project with Carmichael Water District and Golden State Water Company and to see the beneficial reuse of our remediated groundwater,” said Aerojet Rocketdyne Senior Director of Environmental Remediation, Scott Goulart.

For additional information regarding the American River Pipeline Project, please contact Carmichael Water District at (916) 483-2452.