We have a new look! Changes Coming soon

The Greek philosopher Heraclitus has been quoted as saying, “Change is the only constant in life.”

We have seen many changes since the start of our blog on September 2, 2009.  Back then the Water System Improvement Program Projects in the Sunol Valley were just starting.

Today that program is about 97% complete. Together we have upgraded pipelines, constructed new tunnels, built a one of a kind fish ladder, and an entirely new Calaveras Dam. We’ve encountered all kinds of weather and all manner of plants and critters and interesting people along the way. All of which we have chronicled in this blog with you.

As we look forward to the operation of a new Native Plant Nursery, new Sunol Yard, and a future Alameda Creek Watershed Center, we will start using a new platform with which to share these projects with you. https://sfpucnewsroom.com.    

As of July 2019, we will no longer be posting new content here. You will be able to find all the fun and informational stories at the regional section of the SFPUC newsroom at the same link that brought you here: sfwater.org/sunolvalley.

If you would like to continue to track construction projects, please visit us at https://sfwater.org/construction.   

Thank you so much for reading, and will see you at the NewsRoom!

Photo Friday - Rattlesnake Season

Summer is nearly here. Warm temperatures bring out the rodents and all sorts of critters who feed on them, including rattlesnakes.

In California alone, there are seven types of rattlesnakes. Please be careful when you’re hiking in and around Sunol. 

Photo courtesy of Pat Jones, SFPUC Watershed Keeper

Here are some tips to stay safe and avoid coming face to face with our reptilian friend, courtesy of  California’s Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) website:

· Be alert.
· Wear sturdy boots and loose-fitting long pants.
· When hiking, stick to well-used trails.
· Do not step or put your hands under logs or in burrows where you cannot see.
· Do not handle any snake. Call the experts if you need it removed.
· Leash your dog when hiking in snake country.

Remember that rattlesnakes aren't usually aggressive, but they can be provoked if they feel threatened. And when out enjoying nature, you are in their home after all. 

Stay safe out there and see you around the Valley!

Photo Friday: Beyond the New Calaveras Dam

Happy Photo Friday!

Here are some beautiful aerial photos of the New Calaveras Dam and Calaveras Reservoir.  Photos are courtesy of SkyHawk Photography.  

Here is a stunning photo of the Calaveras Reservoir from the south looking north towards the New Calaveras Dam. Calaveras Reservoir helps supply drinking water to 2.7 million Bay Area residents. 

Workers completed the road that leads to the dam.

















We couldn't resist adding a picture of the new intake tower.  
  

The seismically robust New Calaveras Dam is in full operation. It can now hold its historic storage capacity of 96,850 acre feet of water (31 billion gallons).  

The dam was completed in May 2019. The team is finishing up a few minor items at the Dam, but the majority of construction activities are now complete. 

See you around the valley! 

Getting Ready for Fire Season

  

A passerby would have assumed that a huge emergency must have been unfolding at the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission’s (SFPUC) new Sunol Yard on May 30^th.  No less than five separate fire department units were on scene, sharing space with Alameda and Santa Clara County Sheriff’s vehicles, California Highway Patrol, and even the East Bay Regional Park District’s Police helicopter. 

Thankfully, this was merely the East Bay First Responder Liaison Lunch hosted by the SFPUC’s Natural Resources and Lands Management Division each year. More than 70 representatives from all swaths of local law enforcement kindly set aside two hours of their time for coordination and planning for fire season.

 CalFire’s Mike Marcucci (Deputy Chief – State Operations), discusses fire department resource planning.

The SFPUC owns 35,000 acres of watershed lands in Alameda and Santa Clara Counties. Managed by Natural Resources and Lands Management staff, these lands house water infrastructure that is crucial to the drinking water supply of our 2.7 million customers, including two drinking water reservoirs, pump stations, pipelines, and tunnels. These lands have been protected from development as drinking water sources, which also makes them vulnerable to trespass, criminal activity, and fire.

Alameda County Sheriff Ahern, Cal Fire’s Mike Marcucci, and SFPUC's Neal Fujita discuss the specific roles played by first responders and SFPUC during a fire.

It is important that our staff meet these first responding agencies before an emergency. Thus, the Liaison Lunches were born. Over home-made tri-tip and salad, first responders meet SFPUC staff and become familiar with the watershed and the location of entry roads and gates. The goal: to plan for the inevitable eventuality of a fire on or near our watershed.

“Whatever the scale, we will have emergencies again this year on the watersheds – but we’re better prepared because of the hard work to prepare for these gatherings.” said Tim Ramirez, Director of the Natural Resources and Lands Management Division.

We would like to thank our First Responders for being such tremendous partners in keeping our watershed lands and our communities safe. Thank you for your service!

Alameda County Fire Department

Alameda County Sherriff’s Office

Cal Fire

California Department of Fish and Game

California Highway Patrol

East Bay Regional Park District

Fremont Fire Department

Livermore-Pleasanton Fire Department

Santa Clara County Fire Department

Santa Clara County Sherriff’s office

Spring Valley Fire Department

Be Safe Out there! See you around the Valley!

A Family Connection to the Old Calaveras Dam

We at the Calaveras Dam Replacement Project were extremely honored to host a very special guest, Geneva Barrett (Hunt). She was accompanied by her daughter, Debbie and her son-in-law, Randy  of Dublin, California.

Geneva has a special connection to the old Calaveras Dam. Her father, Frank Hunt, worked on the second Calaveras Dam (the first dam slumped under its own weight in 1918). The second Calaveras Dam was built between 1918 and 1925. Frank Hunt was a civil engineer on the project and operated a drag line.  Geneva was born in Sunol in 1927.


Randy and Debbie with Geneva Barrett (Hunt) on far right.




The late Frank Hunt circa 1920's.

After the dam's completion, her father relocated the family to Oregon where he continued to work on dams in and around the the state. Geneva recalls her dad as being very dedicated to his profession and to his family. During those times, her father worked all week at his designated job site and came home during the weekends only. She was one of twelve kids.



Frank and Maude Hunt with their first four children in Sunol.


Geneva told us that seeing the old dam was on her bucket list. We were so pleased to meet her and her family.

See you around the Valley!

Photo Friday: Dedication Celebration

On Friday, May 3, 2019 we were delighted to celebrate the completion of the Calaveras Dam Replacement Project, and dedicate the New Calaveras Dam. Over 300 people joined us on top of the new dam to celebrate this momentous occasion. In attendance were community members as well as industry leaders, and folks that took an active role in the construction of the dam.



A view of the celebration from the left abutment.




Dan Wade, Director of Water Capital Programs thanks team members for their work.




We were honored to formally dedicate the New Calaveras Dam with a plaque. 
Left to right:
Sharon Tapia from DSOD, Dan Wade, Lakeisha Bryant from Congressman Ro Khanna's office, Chad Mathes from Dragados, Harlan L. Kelly Jr. SFPUC General Manager, Commission Vice President Francesca Vietor, Commissioner Tim Paulson, Matt Bedinger from Senator Kamala Harris' Office, Commissioner Anson Moran, BAWSCA Board Chair Barbara Pierce, and Rob Stoker from the Alameda County Building and Trades Council. 




We were honored that Assemblymember Kansen Chu spoke at the event. 
From left to right: Lakeisha Bryant, Tim Paulson, Rob Stoker, Assemblymember Chu, Matt Bedinger, Emily Lam, Director of Legislative Affairs for the SFPUC.



The New Calaveras Dam

It was a joyous and wonderful occasion. See you around the Valley!

Moth Photo Friday

Happy Photo Friday from the Calaveras Dam Replacement Project!

Today we we'd like to draw attention to a special visitor to our trailers. Meet the Hyalophora euryalus moth.  We found this beauty on the doorstep of our trailers.  Lucky for us, our SFPUC photographer, Robin, was onsite to capture these photos.

The Hyalophora euryalus moth is a very large red-brown moth with pale lines and long crescent-shaped hindwing discalspots. This fellow has a broad home range spanning from British Columbia all the way to Baja Mexico. The adults don't eat. But their caterpillars, do, and enjoy a wide range of plants as hosts. 

It somehow found it's way to the Calaveras Dam and we were glad that it stopped by. 

See you around the Valley! 

Fish Passage Facilities Project Reaches a Big Milestone

The team working on the Fish Passage Facilities in the Alameda Creek Watershed Project had reason to celebrate this last week.

The goal of the project is to support the restoration of Steelhead trout to the watershed by providing safe passage around the Alameda Creek Diversion Dam.

Last week the project reached substantial completion. The fish ladder is in full operation and now allows fish to bypass the dam.   So, in honor of all their hard work, the team celebrated with a good old fashioned barbecue.

The team celebrating this accomplishment.

Members of the Watershed Division, Brian Sak and Scott Chenue helped move the project forward and will be managing parts of the project once it's completed. 

The Fish Passage Project even made the news. In case you missed the coverage:

KCBS Radio

KPIX Television 

Thank you to our team and our partners for helping move this project forward.

See you around the Valley!

Join Us at the Wildflower Festival April 14th!

The flowers are blooming all over Sunol Valley and the East Bay. That's right, it's time for the Wildflower Festival at the Sunol Regional Wilderness.

Hosted by the East Bay Regional Park District, the Wildflower Festival features:

• Guided hikes for all ability levels
• Activity stations
• Educational Booths
• Free Make and Take Crafts
• Live Music
• And so much more!

Sunday, April 14, 2019, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. 

Sunol Regional Wilderness, 1895 Geary Road, Sunol

Overflow parking available along Calaveras Road.

For more information, check out the East Bay Regional Park District’s website, or call

510-544-3249.

Visit us at the SFPUC booth. Make crafts and test your watershed knowledge for prizes!

 We hope to you there!

Women's History Month With Iesha Morris

March is National Women’s History month. In honor of the contribution of hard-working women everywhere, we want to highlight our field laborer, Ieisha Morris. Ieisha has been an integral part of the Calaveras Dam Replacement Project Team for over 3 years.  You can’t miss her at the site.  She’s always on the job site with her Kawasaki mule.

The Calaveras Dam Replacement Project is her first construction job. She came to the project through the Cypress Mandela Training Center.  The Cypress Mandela Training Center is a community based organization that provides pre-apprentice construction and life skills programs. The SFPUC’s Office of Labor Relations works together with the Mandela Cypress Center to help place graduating students of the program at construction jobs. 

Ieisha starts her day early in the morning. She does everything from cleaning up equipment and  managing the garbage and recycling to keeping the onsite water treatment system working and escorting trucks to the job site. In other words, she does just about everything to keep the busy project moving.    

She says the she really enjoys working outdoors. “I learn something new every day on the job site and it has been fascinating to see the dam go from plans on paper to an actual tangible project.”



Ieisha hopes to continue to work in the construction industry after her job is complete at the Calaveras Dam Replacement Project.  When she is not busy working, she likes to hike and spend  quality time with her two sons and her extended family.

On behalf of the Calaveras Team we want to thank Iesha and all the field laborers for all of their incredible work to make the Calaveras Dam Replacement Project a success.

For more information on the Cypress Mandela Training Program: http://cypressmandela.org/

See you around the Valley!

Photo Friday: Sunol Long Term Improvements Project

Happy Photo Friday from the Sunol Long Term Improvements Project.

Construction on a new corporation yard, administration building, and shops buildings for the SFPUC Water operations staff in the East Bay began in February of 2017.  

Crews have made quite a lot of progress since then. 

The new administration building.

New shop buildings at the Corporation Yard.

View from inside the new Administration Building.

SFPUC staff have been temporarily housed at the former Sunol Valley Golf Course property. They hope to be able to move into their new digs sometime in late spring. 

See you around the Valley!

Two Sunol Valley WSIP Construction Projects Bring Home Awards

In February the Northern California Chapter of the American Public Works Association (APWA) bestowed high honors on the Calaveras Dam Replacement Project and Fish Passage Facilities Project.  Both projects are part of the $4.8 Billion Water System Improvement Program (WSIP).

The Calaveras Dam Replacement Project received two awards: Structures Award for Projects more than $75 million and the Contractor of the Year award for Dragados, Flatiron, Sukut, Joint Venture.























Sunol Regional Project Manager, Susan Hou and Manuel Morejon, Dragados-USA, Project Manager accept the Calaveras Dam Replacement Award for Projects more that 75 million.





















The Fish Passage Facilities Project received the Environmental Award for Projects $25 million but less than $75 million.


 

Eric Gee, Project Manager and Sam Gambino of AECOM accept the Environmental Award for Projects $25 million but less that $75 million for the Fish Passage Facilities Project.

The APWA was created in 1937. It’s a non-profit professional organization that serves professionals in all aspects of public works.


















APWA’s Awards Program was established to recognize outstanding individuals, groups and chapters representing the best in the public works profession.

In September all three projects will compete at the national level.

Congratulations to both the Calaveras Dam Replacement Project and the Fish Passage Facilities Teams!

See you around the Valley!

Photo Friday: Calaveras Reservoir

Mother Nature has given the Bay Area a serious drenching during the last couple of weeks.

So much in fact that Calaveras Reservoir has started to fill. The SFPUC lowered the water level in Calaveras Reservoir because of seismic concerns about the old Calaveras Dam.

The SFPUC built a new dam, which reached its full height in September. This means we are ready to allow the reservoir to start filling with local Alameda Creek Watershed runoff.

And fill it did.


This photo was taken in January 2019. The remnants of the old dam are seen on the right, where the reservoir begins to fill. The new dam is on the left.



This photo was taken last week. The reservoir has filled the entire space between the old and new dams.

Calaveras Reservoir helps supply drinking water to 2.7 million residents in four Bay Area counties.

The Calaveras Dam Replacement Project is 98 percent and is scheduled to be completed in spring 2019.

See you around the Valley!

Willow Branches Everywhere

Biologist Aaron Sunshine planting Willows

Fully-Grown Arroyo Willow

The recent rains have done wonders for our reservoirs and watersheds. It also happens to be the ideal time for putting plants in the ground for environmental restoration of our Alameda Watershed Lands. 

Of late, our Calaveras Dam Replacement Project biologists have devoted themselves to willows. A total of 36 willows have been planted by the downsteam building of the newly-constructed Replacement Calaveras Dam alongside Calaveras Creek. The types of willows planted were red willows (Salix laevigata), Arroyo Willows (Salix lasiolepis) and Narrowleaf or sandbar willows (Salix exigua). All are native to California and to our watershed. 

There are approximately 400 species of willows worldwide. You don’t have to look far to find them, all you need is a good water source. That’s because willows like their roots to be very wet, and they prefer year-round moisture.

The interesting part of willows is that they are easy to propagate. An entire willow tree can grow from a single branch.

The best time of the year to cut and plant is during the winter, preferably in January. Our Calaveras Dam Replacement Project biologists harvested branches from willows within the watershed and planted them along Calaveras Creek as part of the project's restoration plan.

The willows will be monitored annually for the next five years to ensure that they are growing and thriving. 

Once fully grown, our willow trees will provide good nesting for songbirds such a as the Woodwarblers, Song Sparrows, and the California Towhees. The new trees and will also be a good foraging habitat and cover from predators for many species too.

See you around the valley!





Fully-grown narrow-leaf willow.

Photo Friday - Let it snow!

Calaveras Reservoir view from S. Calaveras Road

Snow is a a rarity among these parts of California.  This week the mountains and the valleys in Sunol were covered in it.  Here are some photos shared by our intrepid Watershed Keepers.

Photo courtesy of Kevin Woolen 

Taking a minute to enjoy the beautiful scenery.

Photo courtesy of Kevin Woolen

Our grazing tenants (cows) do their work against the rare backdrop of a snow-capped mountain.

Stay warm out there, and see you around the Valley!

Photo Friday - Newts!

Happy Photo Friday from the Calaveras Dam Replacement Project!

Even though the Replacement Calaveras Dam has reached its full height, our crews are still busy out there. And whenever our crews are working, so are our biologists. They are always on the lookout for critters who might have wandered onto the site.

Our intrepid team found this fellow recently climbing the wall of the dam’s spillway.

This is a California newt. Excellent climbers and land dwellers, these California natives are active during the day. They dine on small invertebrates like earthworms, snails, slugs, and crickets. They have few natural predators because they produce a potent neurotoxin in their skin (the same as pufferfish).  This is dangerous only if you eat them, however (predators take note).

Our biologists think this fellow was traveling to or from a body of water for breeding. The team placed it out of harm’s way in moist grass nearby, where he continued on his journey.

Lucky for us they had their camera handy.

Have a great weekend, and see you around the Valley!

Calaveras Road Reopens January 3, 2019

We are pleased to inform you that Calaveras Road between Geary Road and Felter Road will reopen to all traffic, weekdays, weekends, and holidays starting Thursday, January 3, 2019 at 10:00 a.m. 

Please note construction trucks and large vehicles will still be using the road, so please drive and ride with caution.

Background:

The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC), owner and operator of the Hetch Hetchy Regional Water System, is completing construction of a new dam to replace the former 93-year-old Dam at Calaveras Reservoir in the Sunol Valley.

Restoring Calaveras Reservoir is one of the most important projects of the $4.8 billion Water System Improvement Program. Calaveras Reservoir is the Hetch Hetchy Regional Water System’s largest Bay Area reservoir when it is full. Restoring its historic levels is crucial for water supply to 2.7 million people in the Bay Area in times of drought and emergencies. Construction on the earth and rock fill dam began in 2011.  Construction is scheduled to be complete in spring 2019.

Contacts:

Email onunez@sfwater.org or blauppe@sfwater.org

For more information, visit sfwater.org/calaverasroad

We thank you for your patience!