During any given year, average rainfall in the Victor Valley of Southern California is approximately 5 inches. But 2010 wasn’t an average year. Five storms in December 2010 dropped one year’s worth of rain — more than 5 inches — in just one week, unleashing a chain of events that overwhelmed systems and wreaked havoc throughout the area.

Pushed beyond the limits of its banks, the Mojave River gushed at more than 36 cubic feet per second in the Upper Mojave Narrows. The main sewer interceptor beneath the river became dislodged, causing raw sewage to spill over its banks and onto the Mojave Desert. It was an environmental catastrophe and declared a federal emergency by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. And it required immediate attention.

Victor Valley Water Reclamation Authority (VVWRA) called in the local Xylem team to address the immediate need and get a temporary bypass in place as quickly as possible. Xylem was on site first thing the following morning with necessary equipment and personnel to get the project started. After a quick assessment, pumps, piping and corresponding accessories were mobilized on the job site. Working 24/7, the complete bypass was designed and installed, and the team was able to stop the flow of raw sewage nine days later.

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