Arrowhead Tunnels

Concrete is one of the earliest man made ceramics, but still, materials scientists seek to make stronger, more durable building mixtures. The Arrowhead Tunnel Project is a plan to use concrete to create two massive tunnels – each over 30 feet wide – to be laid deep below Southern California’s San Bernardino Mountains.

Through the Arrowhead Tunnel Project, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California hopes to increase water supply reliability, improve the Southland’s drinking water quality, and help Southern California prepare for future weather pattern uncertainties.

The tunnels will ultimately bore through eleven miles of treacherous and unpredictable earth – running right down the San Andreas Fault Zone. The operation is fraught with danger. Miners have no choice but to depend on the strength of their tools for protection against the intense weight pressing down on them. The concrete is fashioned into panels designed to withstand the force of over 600 million gallons of fresh water blasting through the tunnels daily.