Bahia Hydropneumatic System Replacement

Background
The District’s Novato system contains 30 gravity storage tanks and 25 pump stations that serve the majority of our customers. However, customers located at higher elevations cannot be adequately served by gravity tanks alone. For this reason, the District also has seven (7) hydropneumatic systems that provide normal water pressure to customers at higher elevations. Several of these systems are reaching the end of their design life and the District is planning to replace them with modern infrastructure.

Project Scope
In 2022, the District conducted an engineering assessment of each hydropneumatic system and the Bahia system was identified as the top candidate for replacement. The Bahia system includes an existing underground pressure tank and pump station, each located on Laguna Vista Drive. The project will decommission and replace both of those facilities with new above-ground pressure tanks and a pump station located at the District’s nearby Crest Tank site.

Construction is scheduled to begin in Summer 2026 and is expected to be completed by the end of the year. Traffic impacts will comply with the City of Novato’s requirements, and every effort will be made to minimize impact on the nearby community.

Alignment with Strategic Plan

The District’s Strategic Plan is a roadmap that guides decisions and investments towards our mission to meet the expectations of our customers in providing potable water service that is reliable, high-quality, environmentally responsible, and reasonably priced.

View the 2025-2030 Strategic Plan here:nmwd.com/strategic-plan-2025-2030/

Goal 1: Strengthen Infrastructure Resilience

• Action 1.1 Replace aging infrastructure using a phased approach.
  • – This project will construct a new facility to replace a pump station that was functionally obsolete, beyond its design life, and eliminates a confined space entry.
• Action 1.2 Implement system redundancy as part of the overall CIP.
  • This project creates redundancy by installing three pumps sized such that one pump can be offline and the remaining two can provide 100 percent of the demand.
• Action 1.5 Strengthen seismic and rural resilience.
  • This project will include a building that meets current code and includes seismic fittings to ensure the pump station has the best chances of remaining operational after an earthquake.

For more information about this project, please contact CIP@nmwd.com