Sowing the Native Acorn

No, it’s not an environmental art work you see next to I 280 at the Trousdale exit on your way south. 

The deftly arranged posts across the open space are actually protective tubes, each carefully inserted above a single acorn that’s been carefully placed into a hole about 2 inches deep. The six-foot tube will safeguard the fragile young Coastal live oak sapling from deer and rodents while ensuring a straight, strong trunk.  

The native acorns were gathered last fall from nearby mature forests. The  future young forest here will be  one of several we're planting at different watershed locations under the Habitat Restoration Program to bring back a total of about 180 acres of native grassland, wetland and woodland. The historic habitats provide essential food and shelter for a variety of native plant, butterfly, bird and other wildlife species, some found nowhere else in California. 

Tree Cutting above Drinking Water Pipeline in Junipero Serra County Park

About 90 to 100 mature trees above a major drinking water pipeline are coming down this month in Junipero Serra County Park and the other side of Crystal Springs Road in San Bruno. The trees have sprouted naturally over the years on top of the SFPUC’s San Andreas Pipeline #2, now 90 years old and urgently in need of replacement.

Since large trees and their roots can damage a pipeline and prevent our crews from accessing it for future repair or maintenance, we will not be planting replacement trees on that corridor. Instead, we’ll hydroseed the disturbed areas and, where possible, replace screening shrubs. New trees will be planted elsewhere in the park at the San Mateo County Parks Department’s direction after the pipeline work is completed.

The work will be on weekdays only, 7:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Traffic control for short periods will be in effect at times along Crystal Springs Road. The park will be open throughout.

The pipeline replacement itself in this area is expected to follow in late spring or early summer, and be complete by late fall. 

Information:  866- 973-1476; mliapes@sfwater.org

Holiday Watch

It was this past New Year's Eve at the Harry Tracy Water Treatment Plant. Operators Mike Evans and Matt Woodward were there through the night until mid-morning the next day—and they were on the job Christmas Eve too. As on any nighttime watch (this team takes four or five a week), they continually monitored the different treatment processes that go on throughout the plant, made the fine adjustments that are frequently needed,  and checked the water quality at regular times in the lab next door.

At least two operators are always on duty at Harry Tracy— including nights and holidays. And even on a quiet holiday night, the high-pitched beeps routinely come in every few minutes.  Those are notifications about levels and conditions throughout the plant—ozone residual, the pH level, turbidity, and any number of others.  A key part of the job is knowing what action to take, says Mike, the senior operator on the team. A 13-year Harry Tracy veteran, he is trained to recognize and deal with the many different issues that could come up, including an earthquake or other natural disaster.  Even heavy rains with the potential for mud slides can affect our water quality, and a contingency plan is always in place.

In short, Mike says, “You have to be ready for anything.  It’s all about protecting the public with safe water 24/7.” 

Mike’s teammate “Woody” Woodworth is just as committed.  “In the water industry, the customer is always the highest priority,” says Woody, now in his second year at Harry Tracy after seven with a smaller utility, the  North Coast County Water District in his home town of Pacifica. The long hours of trenching, manning heavy equipment, and other pipeline repair work could be “grueling,” he remembers, “but we had to get the job done for all those customers."

At Harry Tracy, the long 12-hour shifts have their own challenge, but the junior teammate says he looks forward to every one of them. The customer is still the top priority, and Woody calls his present job  the best he’s ever had.