What is this Building and What Does it Have to do with Fish?

Despite the recent heavy rains, the crews at the Calaveras Dam Replacement Project have been pouring concrete for an important feature of the future Dam – the stream maintenance building, pictured below.  The new building stands 25 feet tall and is located downstream at the toe of the future replacement dam.

We at the SFPUC will be releasing water from the future Calaveras Dam to support fish in the Southern Alameda Creek Watershed.  What’s that have to do with this building?  A lot, actually.  The stream maintenance structure provides a place for water discharged out of the future Dam to be collected and then discharged in a controlled manner to the nearby Creeks to support fish habitat. Water will flow from the reservoir to the structure via two 30 inch diameter pipes. Water will exit the structure over grouted rip rap to prevent erosion.

The Calaveras Dam Replacement project is more than 80% complete and expected to be completed in mid-2019.

Photo Friday in Sunol Valley

This week we wanted to share a snapshot of construction underway at the
Fish Passage Facilities in Sunol Valley. The photo below shows the new intake structure and conveyance tunnels under construction upstream of the Alameda Creek Diversion Dam. The Fish Passage Facilities Project is located on SFPUC property adjacent to the Sunol Regional Wilderness. Completion of the project will support the restoration of steelhead trout to the Alameda Creek watershed. Happy Friday!

Safety Milestone for the Fish Passage Facilities Project

Since construction began in April 2016, the Fish Passage Facilities Project within the Alameda Creek Watershed celebrated an important safety milestone this month.  As of August 6^th, the construction crews have worked a total of 24,447 hours with no recordable injuries, modified duty or days away from work and the injury rate is well below the national average. 

Major work has included concrete demolition, excavation and drilling work at the site. The Alameda Creek Diversion Dam is located on SFPUC lands adjacent to the Sunol Regional Wilderness Park in Sunol. The project will allow the SFPUC to improve the current facility and to develop fish passage facilities within the Alameda Creek Watershed. This important work will support restoration of steelhead trout to the Alameda Creek watershed. As we continue work to complete the project in late 2018, we applaud Shimmick Construction for making safety a priority every day.

Early morning safety tailgate with the crews 

Work underway at the Fish Passage Facilities Project 

Calaveras Dam Project shows Day Campers how to build their own Dam

It was a hot summer day in the Sunol Regional Wilderness Park. But that did not stop our project teams to meet with a group of energetic kids from the Ridge Runners Nature Day Camp. 

Staff met with the young, curious minds to tell them about the Hetch Hetchy Regional Water System along with what is happening just around the corner at the Calaveras Dam Replacement Project and the Fish Passage Facilities within the Alameda Creek Watershed.

The youth learned about how their drinking water reaches their tap and asked questions about how fish migrate along the fish ladder. The Fish Passage Facilities Project will support the migration of the steelhead trout in Alameda Creek, around the existing Alameda Creek Diversion Dam, when completed in late 2018.

In addition, the kids were able to become hands-on dam builders, designing and constructing their own dams with clay, gravel and sand materials. The soil samples provided will actually be used in the construction of the Calaveras Dam, an earth and rock filled dam, so the campers got to touch the very center of the dam.

Thank you to the Ridge Runners Nature Day Camp for the opportunity to hear about our important projects in the Sunol Valley!

Photo Friday in Sunol Valley: Fish Passage Facilities Underway

Construction on a project that helps fish in Alameda Creek is underway! The Fish Passage Facilities Project within the Alameda Creek Watershed is located on SFPUC property, but accessed through the Sunol Regional Wilderness Park.

Construction crews have been busy preparing the site and shown here constructing a retaining wall.

The project is part of the SFPUC’s $4.8 billion Water System Improvement Program to repair, replace, and seismically upgrade the Hetch Hetchy Regional Water System.  This important work will support restoration of steelhead trout to the Alameda Creek watershed.

What’s New in Sunol Valley?

If you frequent Sunol Regional Wilderness, you may have noticed increased activity in the park. Our crews are kicking off the Fish Passage Facilities within the Alameda Creek Watershed Project. The Alameda Creek Diversion Dam is located on SFPUC lands adjacent to the Sunol Regional Wilderness Park in Sunol and helps collect water in Calaveras Reservoir through a long tunnel. The project will develop fish passage facilities, including a fish ladder and modified screens for steelhead migration into and out of the Alameda Creek Watershed. Alameda Creek has historically supported an impressive diversity of migratory cold water fish, including steelhead trout. This work will help support the restoration of steelhead trout to the Alameda Creek watershed.  Project completion is expected in late 2018.

What to expect during construction:

• Sunol Regional Wilderness remains open during construction
• Park users should anticipate seeing increased construction traffic from the Geary Road entrance and along Camp Ohlone Road, which is the main construction access road
• Temporary Trail Closures will be needed for large vehicle access and for road improvements. Please use alternative trails to Little Yosemite, such as Canyon View Trail, during these times.
• Please pay attention to construction flaggers and park signage
• Construction activity is expected Monday thru Friday from dusk to dawn

Photo of existing Alameda Creek Diversion Dam Facilities

California red-legged frog: Our Newly Famous Sunol Valley Resident

Just a few weeks ago, Governor Jerry Brown signed legislation designating one of our local Sunol Valley animals -- the California red-legged frog -- as the official State Amphibian! Since getting an autograph is out of the question, we thought we’d offer you a reintroduction to our famous resident instead.

The California red-legged frog is the largest native frog in the state and was first made famous in Mark Twain’s The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County. According to the National Wildlife Federation, true to its name, they have reddish coloring on the underside of their legs and belly. They dine on anything they can catch and fit into their mouths. Mostly insects, but the occasional amphibian or small mammal might also become dinner. Speaking of dinner, California red-legged frogs were once a popular dinner cuisine during the Gold Rush era.

Contra Costa and Alameda Counties contain the majority of known observations of California red-legged frogs in the San Francisco Bay Area (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 2002). Today, their existence is threatened due to loss of habitat, particularly near urban communities and development. Thankfully, the 36,000 acres of Southern Alameda Creek Watershed lands owned by the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission has been protected and is a haven for our famous residents.

Our primary goal as watershed stewards is to protect existing populations, control non-native predators, and protect habitat for the red-legged frogs. As we make progress on our Water System Improvement Program in Sunol Valley, our Environmental Compliance teams work side by side with construction contractors to ensure our newly-designated Official State Amphibian is safe from harm.

Photos courtesy of Bill Stagnaro, Environmental Inspector
with the Calaveras Dam Replacement Project

What’s on Tap for the Sunol Valley in 2014?

A few weeks into the New Year, our Sunol Valley Project teams are already very busy with the important work to seismically upgrade facilities which deliver drinking water to 2.6 million Bay Area customers as part of the Water System Improvement Program (WSIP) and other ongoing projects. Here’s a quick snapshot of the anticipated activities of the year to come. Please visit us often on our blog to stay up to date and learn more!

New Irvington Tunnel
In October 2013, we completed excavation of the new tunnel.  Recently, the project team began installing the inner lining for the tunnel. These are 50-foot-long, 8½ foot in diameter steel pipes that are inserted into the tunnel on a special train. Once in place, these pipe segments are welded together from the inside.  On average, seven pipe sections are installed daily.  Project completion is anticipated for 2015.

50 ft. pipe being prepared for installation at New Irvington Tunnel

Calaveras Dam Replacement Project

The largest project in the Sunol Valley continues with ongoing major excavation as well as drill and blast activities to stockpile materials in preparation for the construction of the replacement dam.  We are still clearing out loose soil and rock materials in the area to make room for the new dam. In the coming weeks, the project will begin construction of the new 1,550-foot-longspillway, all the while dealing with the continuing challenges of the site’s complex geology. Grouting work on the left abutment of the new dam will also begin soon.  As construction progresses, the environmental team continues to find and catalogue interesting fossils at the site. Projected completion is anticipated in 2017.

Aerial view of upper Left Abutment for Replacement Dam
(left side of valley when looking downstream)

San Antonio Backup Pipeline

Construction of the San Antonio Backup Pipeline, which will add operational flexibility to our Sunol Valley Water transmission system, has been moving forward towards completion in March of 2015.  The majority of the new pipeline has been installed and is in the ground.  The new slurry wall was also completed last year.  This year the project team will focus on construction of the small above-ground structures and discharge pumps at the quarry storage pond at the north end of the site.

Workers excavating and shaping the hillside in preparation
for the outfall structure that will be going into Pond F3-east

Town of Sunol Fire Suppression System Project

2014 will see the start of construction of this important public safety project in the Town of Sunol.  The SFPUC will upgrade the water distribution system for the Town of Sunol since the current system is inadequate.  The SFPUC will add additional fire hydrants in commercial and residential areas of the Town of Sunol, replace pipelines on County roads to improve the flows from the fire hydrants, and also replace two to four of the Town's existing water storage tanks on the hill.  Construction for this project is anticipated to start spring/summer of this year.

Alameda Creek Watershed Center and Sunol Yard Upgrade

Plans are underway to design and construct the Alameda Creek Watershed Center located near the Sunol Water Temple, as part of its efforts to improve the existing facilities in the Sunol Yard. The proposed Watershed Center would provide a place for people to gather and learn about the Alameda Creek Watershed, its natural resources and its role as part of the SFPUC water supply system as well as connect with the history of the Sunol Valley.  This project is in its early planning and design stages with construction anticipated to begin in 2015. 

Bioregional Habitat Restoration
Construction activities for the Bioregional Habitat Restoration (BHR) program will start winding down this year. We will, however, continue to monitor the success of these projects through 2024. The projects that are nearly completed within the Sunol Valley  -- Goldfish Pond Restoration at the southern end of Calaveras Road, San Antonio Creek Restoration, Sheep Camp Creek and Goat Rock – have restored or enhanced a combined total greater than 1,500 acres of sycamore and oak riparian woodland, oak woodland and savannah, and serpentine and annual grasslands.

This project includes restoring 5,000 feet of the existing Sheep Camp Creek.

Completed Projects

As we start 2014, we can also continue to celebrate the completion of the Sunol Valley Water Treatment Plant Expansion and Treated Water Reservoir project in September 2013. This water treatment plant now enables us to filter and provide 160 million gallons of water per day to our Bay Area customers for up to two months should our Hetch Hetchy Reservoir supplies become unavailable due to an earthquake or other emergency.

We look forward to working with you this year and all the good things to come to Sunol Valley!

Alameda Creek Bridge Crossing - Then and Now

While poking around our archives, we stumbled upon some fun photos. Enjoy!





The Bridge Crossing Alameda Creek in 1953.





The new bridge crossing Alameda Creek constructed by the New Irvington Tunnel Team,

shown here in 2011.