south of the san luis reservoir complex, the aqueduct steadily gains elevation through a series of massive pumping plants. dos amigos pumping plant is located shortly south of san luis, lifting the water . near kettleman city, the coastal branch splits off from the main california aqueduct. buena vista, teerink and chrisman pumping plants are located on the main aqueduct near the southern end of the san joaquin valley near bakersfield. the aqueduct then reaches a.d. edmonston pumping plant, which lifts the water over the tehachapi mountains that separate the san joaquin valley from southern california. it is the highest pump-lift in the swp, with a capacity of across fourteen units. initial construction of edmonston was completed in 1974, with the last three units installed in the 1980s.