San Diego State University broke ground Wednesday on the One Water Laboratory in Mission Valley, a facility dedicated to research on sustainable water management.
The facility is scheduled to be completed next summer adjacent to the river park at SDSU Mission Valley. Once it is up and running, SDSU students will be able to gain experience and learn more about watershed science and hydrological systems.
"Water is central to life, to public health, and to the future of our region," Hala Madanat, vice president of SDSU's Division for Research and Innovation, said in a statement. "The challenges we face with drought, flooding, water quality and sustainable water management are complex, but they are not insurmountable.
"Addressing these challenges requires not only scientific knowledge, but also hands-on experience with the technologies and systems that are shaping the future of water science."
The OWL is funded in part by $2.6 million in grant funding from the San Diego River Conservancy, an independent agency "established to preserve, restore and enhance the San Diego River Area."
When complete, the One Water Laboratory will include a 480-square-foot modular building and outdoor space using bioretention basins located throughout the river park. According to the university, the basins were designed to actively capture and filter stormwater runoff from the surrounding landscape, cleaning it before it flows into the San Diego River and makes its way to the Pacific Ocean.
"This lab is strategically located, as the river park is enclosed by the San Diego River and Murphy Canyon Creek, and nearby is a biofiltration basin where native plants stabilize slopes and clean stormwater," said Natalie Mladenov, SDSU's William E. Leonhard Jr. endowed chair and professor of environmental engineering and principal investigator of the project. "These features provide tremendous opportunities for research and innovation, giving us direct access to a living watershed, an urban river system that is characteristic of San Diego and the region."
OWL's mission is to recognize "surface water, stormwater and wastewater as essential, interconnected resources for mitigating water scarcity, strengthening climate resilience and sustaining critical ecosystems," an SDSU statement read. The lab will also host educational opportunities for local K-12 schools, community members and regional partners.
"The research and training conducted at the One Water Laboratory are intended to impact far beyond SDSU and San Diego," said Madanat. "We will provide crucial solutions and create a skilled workforce to address the complex water challenges facing the region."
