Happy Fourth of July!

On behalf of all of us here at the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, we want to wish you a happy and enjoyable Independence Day!

As you prepare for the holiday weekend, we want to take this opportunity to update you on our holiday schedules for two important construction projects in the Peninsula.

Bioregional Habitat Restoration on the Peninsula:

• Sawyer Camp Trail will be completely open starting the morning of Saturday, July 2 through the entire month of July.  
• The partial trail closure will be back in place starting Monday, August 1 it the same location for ongoing habitat restoration.

Regional Groundwater Storage & Recovery (GSR) Project: 

• No construction activity at any of the sites on Monday, July 4 in honor of the holiday
• Normal construction will resume on Tuesday, July 5

Northern Section of Sawyer Camp Trail Closed on Wednesday night, June 29th through Friday, July 1st

A northern portion of Sawyer Camp Trail will be closed from the Hillcrest Gate entrance in Millbrae to the 4.5 mile marker beginning this Wednesday, June 29th at 5 p.m. The closure will be in effect through Friday, July 1st. When the trail reopens, please use caution as a metal plate will be located on the trail near the San Andreas Dam (approximately 1 mile south of the Hillcrest entrance).

The southern trailhead at Skyline Blvd. and Crystal Springs Rd. will be open as usual, but hikers will need to turn around by the 4.5 mile marker. No through traffic will be permitted. If you frequent the northern section of Sawyer Camp, you may have noticed lots of construction activity! Crews are seismically upgrading the Hetch Hetchy Regional Water System -- ongoing work in the Peninsula Watershed is to enhance the reliability of San Mateo County’s emergency water supply.

Additional closures planned in July not related to the construction project:

July 11th: Cal-Fire tentatively plans to do seasonal fire prevention on Monday morning July 11th, and may close the northern trailhead at the Hillcrest Gate for a few hours.

July 12th – 14th: San Mateo County Parks will close the entire trail for three days (Tuesday through Thursday) to do required seasonal maintenance.

Please subscribe for automatic updates on trail closures on the blog: www.sfwater.org/SCT

Construction Update at Peninsula Watershed Reservoirs

Silt curtains to protect species and water quality

delivered to San Andreas Lake: May 10, 2011

Barge and Dive Boat Launching at San Andreas Lake:

Does the water level appear low to you at San Andreas Lake? It will continue to get slightly lower to accommodate upcoming underwater seismic improvements. You may also see our crew transporting large marine equipment near the trailhead to San Andreas Trail and the northern entrance to the Sawyer Camp Trail.

The construction team must use the Hillcrest Gate entrance for water craft and other large equipment, which may cause delays on Hillcrest Blvd. (near Skyline in Millbrae, just west of 280). Large deliveries are expected over the next couple of weeks, with work in the reservoir taking place all summer.

If you frequently access Sawyer Camp Trail from Millbrae’s northern trailhead, the trail will remain open! Follow us on Twitter for real-time updates about activities: http://www.Twitter.com/SawyerCampTrail.

Pulgas Water Temple Temporary Closure:

Further south in the Peninsula Watershed (along Cañada Road), the Pulgas Water Temple is closed as of Monday, May 23^rd and is expected to reopen in mid-summer 2011. Please subscribe (see right) in order to receive an email when the temple reopens.