Happy Holidays from Hetch Hetchy Regional Water System!

Thank you for being wonderful customers and neighbors throughout construction in 2015. It has been a busy year on the Peninsula, the SFPUC’s Water System Improvement Program (WSIP) celebrated the completion of the Harry Tracy Water Treatment Plant in San Bruno and the last major water transmission pipeline in the Peninsula region coming into service.

While the Water System Improvement Program overall is now 90 percent complete, we still have a long way to go and our crews are hard at work this holiday season. Below are the construction schedules for the Peninsula Pipeline Seismic Upgrade, Regional Groundwater Storage & Recovery Projects and the San Andreas Pipeline #2 at Junipero Serra Park.

• Construction will be suspended Thursday, December 24 through Sunday, December 27.
• Construction will be suspended Thursday, December 31 through Sunday, January 3.
• Regular construction schedules will resume Monday, January 4.

PPSU Completes Construction at Millbrae Project Site

The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission has finished construction at the PPSU Project’s construction area in Millbrae. Construction at this site started in August 2014 and the contractor has successfully replaced and seismically upgraded more than 950 feet of aging pipeline.

The project team is thankful to the community for their continued patience and partnering spirit throughout construction. These upgrades are critical to ensuring a reliable water supply to millions of Bay Area residents, even after an earthquake. We couldn’t have completed it without your support!

While construction is complete in Millbrae, we encourage you to continue your subscription to this blog or call the 24-hour answering service with any questions to stay informed about Hetch Hetchy Regional Water System.

Thank you!

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.

New Interactive Map for Regional Groundwater Storage & Recovery Project

The Regional Groundwater Storage & Recovery (GSR) Project has multiple active sites across five cities: Daly City, South San Francisco, Millbrae, Colma and San Bruno. In an effort to keep you informed about construction activities, detours and other project updates associated with GSR Project’s 13 sites, we have developed a Geographic Information System (GIS) Map.

This GIS map will be located on the project webpage www.sfwater.org/GSR. The map will be updated regularly depending on construction activities. A a snapshot of the GIS map with functionality capabilities is below.

• Click numbers 1 - 13 to review construction site information
• Each site has a box that highlights current status, hours and upcoming work
• The blue area illustrates the construction area limits associated with the site
• Use the navigational + and - sign to zoom in and out of the GSR project map

Holiday Construction Updates from the SFPUC

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.

Happy Holidays from the PPSU Project!

Happy Thanksgiving from the PPSU Project!

The Peninsula Pipeline Seismic Upgrade (PPSU) Project wishes you and your family a Happy Thanksgiving. The contractor, Ranger Pipelines, Inc. will suspend construction activities starting on Thursday, November 27 through Sunday, November 30, 2014. PPSU construction is scheduled to begin again on Monday, December 1 in Millbrae, San Bruno and South San Francisco.

Permitted construction hours:

• Millbrae - Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. 
• South San Francisco - Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• San Bruno - Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The PPSU project is seismically upgrading 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, or subscribe to this blog to receive project updates.

Pipeline Construction Starting Near Ridgewood Drive in Millbrae

On Wednesday, November 5, the project contractor, Ranger Pipelines, Inc., will begin removing and replacing approximately 900 feet of an aging water pipeline between 1100 and 1094 Ridgewood Drive in Millbrae. The contractor will start this work by digging trenches, removing the old pipe and replacing it, and then welding the new pipe segments together before closing up the trench.

Permitted construction hours are currently Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Construction activities at this location are expected to last through November 30, 2014. Please keep an eye out for intermittent lane closures and traffic changes on Ridgewood Drive.

What to Expect?
The contractor will work to minimize noise, dust and traffic impacts, but some disruptions are expected due to the nature of construction. Every effort will be made to keep these impacts to a minimum.
The contractor has implemented noise and vibration monitoring activities for this work including installing sound walls to help minimize noise. Dust control measures also include spraying water on the site and using tree chippings in the staging area to keep the dirt from stirring up into the air.

For more information or if you have questions, please subscribe to this blog to receive project updates or call (866) 973-1476.

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Millbrae Neighbors Tour Construction at the PPSU Project Site

Millbrae neighbors living near the Peninsula Pipeline Seismic Upgrade project toured the construction site last week. This site tour helped create a visual depiction of construction activities behind neighbors’ homes, to show how the contractor is working to minimize impacts and to give neighbors an opportunity to ask the project team questions about construction. 

This tour occurred two days before Ranger Pipelines, Inc. started removing and replacing 900 feet of vulnerable pipe near Ridgewood Drive and Banbury Lane. Permitted construction hours are Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. These construction activities are expected to last through November 2014. Please keep an eye out for intermittent lane closures and traffic changes on Ridgewood Drive. 

For more information, please subscribe to this blog to receive project updates or call (866) 973-1476.

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Pipeline Construction Begins in Millbrae This Week

On Saturday, October 18, the project contractor, Ranger Pipelines, Inc., will begin removing and replacing approximately 900 feet of aged pipeline at the Millbrae site near Ridgewood Drive and Banbury Lane. Permitted construction hours are Monday through Saturday from 7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. These construction activities are expected to last through November 2014. Please keep an eye out for intermittent lane closures and traffic changes on Ridgewood Drive.

What to Expect? How the contractor is preparing for noise and dust impacts

The contractor will work to minimize noise, dust and traffic impacts, but some disruptions are expected due to the nature of construction. Every effort will be made to minimize these impacts.

The contractor has implemented a noise monitoring plan, and sound walls have been installed to minimize noise. Dust control measures also include spraying water on dirt and using tree chippings in the staging area to keep dirt from stirring up. Traffic control measures will be in place to address lane closures and detours in the work zone.

For more information, please subscribe to this blog to receive project updates or call (866) 973-1476.

Pipeline construction will occur inside the outlined region.

This is an example of sound walls the contractor has installed to minimize noise and dust.

PPSU Pipeline Deliveries Begin in Millbrae This Week

On Thursday, September 18, the project contractor, Ranger Pipelines, Inc., will begin delivering and staging pipeline materials at the Millbrae site. Pipeline deliveries will occur Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. These activities are expected to last through October 2014. During this time period, please keep an eye out for intermittent lane closures and traffic changes on Ridgewood Drive.

Pipeline deliveries in Millbrae will be similar to the activity shown above.

The PPSU project includes seismically upgrading 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 subscribe to this blog to receive project updates or call (866) 973-1476.

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.

WSIP’s Last Pipeline Project Begins August 2014!

The Peninsula Pipelines Seismic Upgrade (PPSU) is starting construction! The construction contract was awarded to Ranger Pipelines, Inc. Pre-construction work is already underway with construction activities scheduled to begin in August 2014.

The PPSU project consists of seismic upgrades to three critical water delivery pipelines in Northern San Mateo County. These upgrades are needed to ensure drinking water delivery to our customers following an earthquake. We will replace segments of the pipeline, open-trench construction, surface restoration and installing structural support within an existing tunnel.

The PPSU project spans six improvement components in four different cities on the San Francisco Peninsula within San Mateo County: Millbrae, South San Francisco, San Bruno and Colma. For more details, view the project fact sheet here.

This pipeline project is one of more than 80 water improvement projects that are part of the Hetch Hetchy Water System Improvement Program (WSIP). The PPSU project is the final pipeline replacement project in the WSIP program.

To kick off construction, the PPSU project team will host an open house event on Thursday, July 24 at the City of Millbrae Public Library (1 Library Avenue, Millbrae, CA, 94030). The public is invited to talk with the project team about upcoming construction activities between 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. To receive project updates, please subscribe to this blog or visit our project web page www.sfwater.org/PPSU.

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.

Town of Millbrae: Water Treatment Plant Upgrades

Water Treatment Plant Upgrades (Millbrae) - Last week of March:

Construction preparation work will be starting for 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.

All work for this project will take place within the SFPUC property.

Residents near the northern end of Sycamore Drive and Crestview Drive in Millbrae may see some ground-clearing as the grounds within the Plant property are prepared for construction trailers. A visual and sound reduction fence will also be placed to maintain privacy for adjacent homeowners.

Questions or concerns:

If there are any questions that arise during this activity, please contact us!

Alison Kastama, SFPUC Communications (415) 554-0712 or akastama@sfwater.org