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.

Reservoirs are Full--Is the Drought Over?

People have been asking:  Why are the Crystal Springs and San Andreas reservoirs so full in the wake of such a long, continuing drought? That’s because we are constantly managing and adjusting the water levels in our local reservoirs--with some help from local rain runoff.  

Hetch Hetchy water enters the Peninsula segment of the regional water system through Pulgas Tunnel, and surplus is released into the reservoir near Pulgas Water Temple. 

The guiding philosophy is to fill our reservoirs during the rainy season for use in the high-demand summer months—or in case of emergency. For example, if a natural disaster or something else unforeseen should disrupt our Hetch Hetchy supply, we have enough locally stored water to keep serving our customers.

 Also the scenic stockpile allows us to perform regular maintenance on our regional system. For the past several years, we’ve been taking the Hetch Hetchy system offline in January for this routine but critical work. We start keeping the local reservoirs at higher levels during late fall in readiness for having to draw on them in January to supply customer demand.  

In short, the year-round management gives us operational flexibility at all times, and a reliable store of emergency source water.  Normally, about 85% of our tap water comes from Hetch Hetchy, with the rest provided by local rainfall and runoff. 

That said, remember: our statewide drought is still in effect, even in winter. Keep up your good work, and continue reducing your water use by 10%.   

   

Holiday Watch

It was Thanksgiving Day, and Harry Tracy Water Treatment Plant Superintendent Dee Cutino was home enjoying turkey and the trimmings like most people.  But he took time out to pick up the phone and say Happy Thanksgiving to two of his staff—water treatment operators Mike Evans and James Sparks, on duty for the day by themselves at the plant.  “I think these guys would jump through a fire for us if they had to,” he said.

The two-man team will be there on Christmas Eve too, and again on Christmas night, constantly monitoring the treatment processes that are going on throughout the plant—from coagulation through filtration, disinfection and corrosion control. Throughout the shift they’ll keep making necessary adjustments, and checking the water quality regularly 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. They 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, according to senior operator Mike Evans. He and the other nine plant operators are trained to recognize and deal with the many different issues that could come up, including an earthquake or other natural disaster.  

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

 

Mike’s teammate, operator James Sparks, is just as committed. As someone born, raised and living in San Francisco, he takes the promise of safe tap water personally. "It’s for my own family," he says, " my neighbors, and the other million and a half people we serve.”

Thumbs up to Mike, James, and the other men and women who keep watch throughout our water system—24/7, including the Holidays.

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 Project Begins Paving Activities on Courtland Drive Next Week

Please reference this map to access Peninsula High School during the full closure of Courtland Drive.

Beginning as early as Monday, December 14, Courtland Drive will be closed between the San Bruno Chinese Church entrance and Peninsula High School for repaving as part of restoration activities for the Peninsula Pipeline Seismic Upgrade (PPSU) Project. 

Once this work begins, the contractor anticipates paving activities will last two to three days. Please reference the map above for the specific section of roadway that will be repaved. During this closure, all traffic will be detoured to Peninsula High School’s Piedmont Avenue entrance via Madison Avenue and Crestmoor Drive. This section of Courtland Drive is a private road owned by the San Mateo Union High School District. 

Courtland Drive will be closed during the following time period:

· Monday, December 14 through Friday, December 18

The PPSU project includes seismic upgrades to 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 and updates about this closure, please call the 24-hour answering service at (866) 973-1476 or subscribe to this blog to receive project updates. 

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.

Construction Update for Lake Merced Golf Club Site

Beginning as early as Tuesday, December 1, construction activities will increase at the Lake Merced Golf Club Project Site to start building a new well facility. This work will occur Monday through Friday between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. and intermittently on Saturdays from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

 Please reference the map above for the construction limits and location of the new well facility.

During well facility construction, there will be an increase in construction deliveries and traffic.The SFPUC and its contractors 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.

In January 2015, the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) awarded the $42.9 million construction contract for the Regional Groundwater Storage and Recovery Project to Ranger Pipelines, Inc. This Project started pre-construction activities in Spring 2015 and anticipates completion in early 2018. Construction activities at the Lake Merced Golf Club started in September 2015.