Regional Groundwater Project Celebrates One Year in Construction

In April 2015, the Regional Groundwater Storage and Recovery project kicked off construction at the Linear Park site in South San Francisco. Only one year later, the project is more than 32 percent complete and overcoming construction challenges to reach the finish line.


Workers install steel rebar to prepare for the wall pours at the Linear Park well station in July 2015. On the right is the completed exterior of the Linear Park well station in March 2016.


In November 2015, the project started well drilling activities at the Treasure Island site in South San Francisco. The project completed drilling all wells apart of this contract in early 2016.


Construction crews finished installing new pipeline on South Spruce Avenue in South San Francisco in March 2016.

With these milestones successfully complete, the project team knows there is still a lot of work to be done before completion in October 2017.

SFPCU Construction Notice: Lane Closure Planned on S. Spruce Avenue between Huntington Avenue and Centennial Trail

Beginning as early as Monday, March 28, the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission’s (SFPUC’s) Regional Groundwater Storage & Recovery Project will begin installing a new pipeline along S. Spruce Avenue between Huntington Avenue and the Centennial Way Trail in South San Francisco. 

• The SFPUC will install an eight inch diameter pipeline along S. Spruce Avenue.
• During pipeline construction, one eastbound lane will remain open to traffic from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. All eastbound lanes on S. Spruce Avenue will reopen at the end of each work day.
• Flaggers will be at the intersection of Huntington Avenue and S. Spruce Avenue to guide traffic during construction.
• During lane closures, access to businesses and homes will be maintained at all times.
• Construction activities are anticipated to last for approximately two weeks. 
• This Project will provide additional sources of water supply to our Peninsula customers in times of drought.

Tree Removal along El Camino Real between Southwood Drive and Orange Avenue

Beginning in late January, the Regional Groundwater Storage & Recovery (GSR) Project will begin removing approximately 26 trees on the SFPUC’s right of way to prepare for pipe installation along El Camino Real between Southwood Drive and Orange Avenue.

Along El Camino Real, the Project will install an eight inch diameter pipeline Real to connect our regional water customers with emergency water supply wells nearby. Our biologists carefully evaluated these trees, and determined the trees would suffer more damage to their roots and foundation if we were to leave them, causing a safety hazard. Due these factors, their age and health they cannot be saved and need to be removed prior to pipeline construction.

The SFPUC is working closely with the City of South San Francisco’s Park and Recreation Department to replace the trees with new vegetation along the right of way in accordance with the SFPUC’s vegetation management policy. The project team has marked the trees to be removed with ribbons.

Above are examples of the trees to be removed.

During tree removal and pipeline construction, the sidewalk and parking lane along southbound El Camino Real between Southwood Drive and W Orange Avenue will be closed Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. 

Indicated above are the locations of the trees to be removed, the sidewalk detour route and parking lane closure details.