Time to Spring Forward!

It is starting to look a lot like spring on the Peninsula. One of our team members snapped this picture of some Golden Poppies from the Peninsula Pipeline Seismic Upgrade project site in South San Francisco. In addition, it is time to spring forward with Daylight savings time starting this Sunday, March 13, 2016. Don’t forget to turn your clocks forward one hour for more light in the evening and a later sunrise! Hello Spring!

SFPUC Pipeline Repair to Begin at Junipero Serra Park Entrance

Depicted above is the location of pipeline construction and temporary pedestrian access.

Beginning the week of December 7, crews with the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) will begin construction to permanent repairs on the 130 feet of the large water pipeline that ruptured in July of this year. Construction will take place at the entrance to Junipero Serra County Park. While private vehicles will not be able to access the park, pedestrians will be able to access the park from Crystal Springs Road via an alternate pedestrian path. Please pay close attention to directional signage for park access.

What to Expect:

• Construction mobilization and pipeline demolition and replacement activities inside Junipero Serra Park. Please reference the map above.
• Work hours: Monday through Friday, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. through the end of February 2016.
• For safety reasons, the general public will not be able to drive into the park for the duration of construction activities, including over the weekends. 
• Pedestrians entering from Crystal Springs Road will be rerouted to use alternate access, please reference the map above for the exact location. Other pedestrian trails in the park will be mostly unaffected.
• There will be some noise and dust associated construction activities, but environmental monitoring will be in place to ensure these impacts are minimal.

Thank you for your patience as we complete these important pipeline repairs! Questions? Please e-mail blauppe@sfwater.org or miglesias@sfwater.org, or call us toll free at (866) 973-1476.

Neighbors Toured Newly Completed Harry Tracy Water Treatment Plant Upgrades

What better way to meet your neighbors than over coffee, bagels, and water treatment? On the last Saturday in June, more than 50 of our neighbors around the newly-upgraded Harry Tracy Water Treatment Plant accepted our invitation to do just that. The Plant has been under construction for the past four years in order to complete critical seismic and system upgrades as well as build an 11-million-gallon treated water reservoir on the site. It was our chance to show our patient neighbors what the fuss was about, and to say thank you.

Neighbors enjoy the view from the top of the newly completed Treated Water Reservoir.

The Plant treats drinking water that is stored in the Crystal Springs and San Andreas Reservoirs on the Peninsula before delivering it to communities in San Mateo and San Francisco counties. The upgraded Plant can now provide up to 140 million gallons of water per day for 60 days within 24 hours after a major earthquake to the almost 1 million people that it serves.

Project Construction Manger Ryan Cayabyab, Project Manager Calvin Huey, and plant operators Tim Kennedy and Jim Myint showed our guests around the plant. They explained how water is treated at the plant, and highlighted the new features recently installed as part of construction. Check out this time lapse to get a sense of the scale of the project.

The completion of the project is a huge milestone for the Water System Improvement Program (WSIP) and a critical component of a consistent, reliable and high-quality drinking water supply in the Bay Area.

We enjoyed meeting our delightful neighbors, and we look forward to seeing you all around the neighborhood.



A map of the upgrades completed during the Harry Tracy Water Treatment Plant Long-Term Improvements Project.

Millbrae Update: Work on Helen Drive

Beginning on Monday, February 9th, a construction crew with the Harry Tracy Water Treatment Plant project will replace the fence between the plant and the Millbrae Meadows Swim Club on Helen Drive in Millbrae. The work is expected to take approximately two weeks to complete.

Construction materials and vehicles will be staged in the swim club parking lot. Though the swim club is closed for the season, we know that many of our neighbors use this parking lot and nearby areas as a starting point for hikes at Juniperro Serra County Park. Please carefully follow the posted signage and be aware that parking will be more limited when using this lot from February 9th through late February.

Please call us 24 hours with any questions or concerns about this activity, (866) 973-1476.

WSIP Recognizes Construction Project Teams for 7 Million Safe Work Hours

The construction teams working on Water System Improvement Program (WSIP) projects recently achieved a huge and important milestone. Between April 2009 and October 2014, these project teams performed 7 million hours of work on major construction projects, without a single major injury or incident. SFPUC representatives acknowledged this with a formal presentation of a certificate to the active construction management and contractor teams in December.

The WSIP projects have significantly lower rates of recordable injuries and lost work time compared to the national industry averages. The safety successes are a result of a robust safety program that has been embraced by the construction management teams as well as the project contractors. This milestone is evidence of the project teams’ outstanding commitment to the Think Safety, Work Safely approach, ensuring the program’s construction sites are safe places to work.

Harry Tracy Water Treatment Plant Project: SFPUC Team and Kiewit Infrastructure West

Peninsula Pipeline Seismic Upgrade Project: SFPUC Team and Ranger Pipelines, Inc.

PPSU Construction Begins in Millbrae Next Week

On Monday, August 4, the PPSU project contractor, Ranger Pipelines, Inc., will begin construction activities inside the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC)’s right of way in Millbrae. The contractor will remove materials, set up the construction staging area, construct a new access and install construction fences along the SFPUC right of way to indicate the limits of construction. Please keep an eye out for intermittent sidewalk closures and detours on the eastside of Ridgewood Drive.

On Monday, August 11 in Millbrae, the contractor will begin removing trees inside the SFPUC right of way to prepare for construction. Tree removal will last for a few weeks and we anticipate chipping tree debris on site and hauling large trunks off site.

The PPSU project includes the seismic upgrades of three Hetch Hetchy regional water delivery pipelines located in Northern San Mateo County. This project will ensure the pipelines can continue to deliver water to customers after an emergency. For more information, please call the 24-hour answering service at 866-973-1476, email miglesias@sfwater.org or subscribe to this blog to receive project updates.

The WSIP Turns 10!

This year the Water System Improvement Program (WSIP) turns 10! One of the largest infrastructure projects in the nation, the WSIP is repairing, replacing and upgrading our aging water infrastructure to ensure we can deliver water to customers following an earthquake. We’ve gotten a little nostalgic about how far we’ve come in the last 10 years, and we would like to share this video with you.



Now 80 percent complete, the WSIP has already provided increased reliability to the water supply for customers as a result of the completion of some of the program’s major projects. The program has created over 6 million construction craft hours to date, employing more than 11,000 workers since 2007. Nearly half of those workers live in our four-county service area.

Harry Tracy Water Treatment Plant Upgrades

Starting July 7th, contractor, Kiewit Infrastructure West, Inc. will begin pile-driving activities at our Harry Tracy Water Treatment Plant (near 280 and Crystal Springs Road). This plant treats drinking water from the Crystal Springs Reservoir System (Upper and Lower Crystal Springs Reservoirs and San Andreas Lake) for delivery to northern San Mateo County and San Francisco.

Pile-driving is necessary to form the foundation of our new seismically upgraded treated water reservoir. The first phase of this activity is expected to last no longer than 3 weeks (approximately the end of July).

All work for this project will take place within our property.

Additional noise may be audible to adjacent areas during construction activity. Noise levels will be monitored and maintained within permitted limits.

Vibrations are not expected to impact adjacent areas.

Residents may see additional truck traffic along Crystal Springs Road, as materials are delivered and removed from the site.

Harry Tracy Water Treatment Plant Upgrades Beginning

Starting in late April 2011, the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) will begin upgrades to the Harry Tracy Water Treatment Plant. This plant treats drinking water from the Crystal Springs Reservoir System (Upper and Lower Crystal Springs Reservoirs and San Andreas Lake) for delivery to northern San Mateo County
and San Francisco.

This work is part of the Water System Improvement Program to upgrade the Hetch Hetchy Regional Water System which serves 2.5 million residents in the San Francisco Bay Area. This work will address seismic and capacity upgrades to ensure water
delivery following a major earthquake.

All work for this project will take place within the SFPUC property. Residents may see additional truck traffic along Crystal Springs Road, as materials are delivered and removed from the site.

The SFPUC will make every effort to minimize construction impacts to the adjacent residential neighborhood.

Questions or concerns:
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us!
Alison Kastama, SFPUC Communications (415) 554-0712 or akastama@sfwater.org