Upgrades to the Poway Pump Station were necessary in order to reduce reliance on electricity, as was experienced during the 2007 wildfires. The project is located in a remote area of Poway at the foothills of Ramona Lake, surrounded by natural habitat. It required a mile trek on a hiking/access road to the existing Ramona reservoir and pumping station. This pumping facility is a critical source of water for the Ramona area. The project required the installation of a 12 cylinder, 900 hp natural gas powered engine to replace an electric driven pump. 

As a Design-Build project, maximizing usage in a small area was critical, as well as minimizing disturbance to the existing pump manifold. TC Construction designed an MSE wall (Keystone) in lieu of a soil nail retaining wall, in order to create a sufficiently wide pad that would accommodate future pump and engine replacements. Another design challenge was the incorporation of key components, such as the engine building, motor, angle drive and electronics, all of which had to be sourced from separate vendors.