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! 

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! 

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!

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 - 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!

Happy Holidays from the SFPUC

We hope you are having a joyful and restful holiday season!

It doesn't snow very often in the Alameda Watershed, so we had to go way back into the photo archives to find this one from the Calaveras Dam construction site, dated January 9, 1913. The site was so remote at the time that onsite camps housed construction workers.

Calaveras Dam was constructed three times in total. 

• The first dam, started in 1913 and completed in 1918 collapsed under its own weight because of the dam construction method builders used.
• The second dam, which served us for over 90 years, was completed in 1925. 
• The third replacement Calaveras Dam reached its full height in September 2018.

Happy Holidays to you and yours!

See you around the Valley!

Calaveras Dam - The Real 'Shark Tank'

Crews constructing the SFPUC’s new Calaveras Dam in the East Bay uncovered a geologic layer that happened to contain thousands of fossils. Through a cooperative agreement with the University of California Museum of Paleontology (UCMP; Berkeley, CA), those fossils are now being cleaned, analyzed, and catalogued.

“We transferred all of the fossil specimens to UCMP this year,” said JT Mates-Muchin, the SFPUC’s Environmental Compliance Manager who helped broker the agreement. “Fossils are a non-renewable resource. It is important that they are carefully catalogued and preserved for scientific research.”  

 A Megalodon Shark Tooth Being Scanned in the Lab.

The lead researcher and lab manager at UCMP, Cristina Robins, and her team are beginning to tease information out of the fossils.   Fifteen million years ago, the site of Calaveras Reservoir was located at the mouth of a vast inland sea that stretched into the Central Valley.  Just like in the seas of today, there was a lot of plant and animal life throughout. When they died, they left a fossil record.

This included sharks, lots of sharks. More than 2,000 shark teeth have been found from 35 species. These include many from requiem and mako sharks. Some teeth from the 35-foot megalodon shark have turned up as well. What do these shark teeth tell us?

1. The area around Calaveras Dam was once completely submerged by water.
2. The depth of the ocean could have been as deep as 700 to 1,000 meters.
3. The distribution of species is similar to fossil locations as far as way at Gatun, Panama.
4. Calaveras has a higher diversity of sharks than other sites.

At this point the paleontologists have only begun to scratch the surface of the Calaveras fossils, no pun intended.

The teeth from 35 different species of shark have been found at the Calaveras Dam Replacement Project.

We look forward to learning more secrets about the Bay Area’s past through these amazing fossils.

Keep up to date on the Calaveras fossils through the UCMPFacebook Page.

A 30 foot long predator left its tooth at Calaveras Dam. The Megaladon tooth is being analyzed at UCMP.

 See you around the Valley!

Spraying it Green

Most of us don’t give hydroseeding much thought. As it turns out, we at the Calaveras Dam Replacement Project do.

Hydroseeding is, in essence, spreading seeds over an area after the ground has been disturbed by things like the construction of a large dam.  It is an important part of restoration and erosion control.  What is cool is the way we plant these seeds.  What we call hydroseeding was invented in the 1950's and involves mixing mulch, seed, and water together to form a slurry and then literally spraying it on the ground. This mixture increases the likelihood of germination of the plants and it holds firm to sloped areas.

One of the best times to hydroseed is the fall, which is why our teams are spending a lot of time hydroseeding now.  Our hydroseed is a mix of native annual and perennial grasses and forbs that grow quickly and easily from seed. The restoration goals for the project include establishing native plant communities. The vegetation provides habitat for threatened species and helps improve water quality.

Here is a beautiful picture of the recent hydroseeding of Borrow Area B (BAB). The green color is not green grass but a natural dye used so the contractor can track locations where they applied the hydroseed. The color will eventually disappear until the vegetation begins to grow. 






And, here is a picture of the newly hyroseeded dam. You can see the hydroseeder (truck) spraying the hydroseed onto the dam's face.  The thick lines are straw wattles used to prevent erosion on the slope.

Here is a closer picture of one of our workers spraying the hydroseed onto a steep slope.

Now we just need a nice winter's rain to help the hydroseed grow. 

See you around the Valley!

Love Your Local Stilling Basin

We have written a great deal about the spillway at the Calaveras Dam Replacement Project. Completed in 2016, this spillway is the width of a six lane freeway, and the height of a three-story building. The spillway's job is to protect Calaveras Dam by allowing water from Calaveras Reservoir to flow safely around, and away from, the dam in extreme high water events.

We have neglected to highlight an important component of a spillway - the stilling basin. Today, we'd like to generate a little love for stilling basins.  

A stilling basin is a structure that dissipates the energy of the water rushing down the spillway. Without a stilling basin, water coming out of the spillway could scour out the foundation of the dam, the base of the spillway, and nearby creek beds. In short, the stilling basin is a sort of bodyguard for the dam.

Stilling basins come in a variety of types, but generally fall into two categories: a straight drop for lower elevations, or an inclined chute. The stilling basin at the new Calaveras Dam is an example of the latter category. To be specific, it is a United States Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) Type II stilling basin.  Our stilling basin is approximately 200 feet long, 45 feet high and 80 feet wide.    

Water flowing down the new spillway of the new Calaveras Dam will drop 200 feet in elevation before it reaches the stilling basin at the bottom.The stilling basin creates a hydraulic jump to slow down the high velocity water before it slowly, and safely, discharges into Calaveras Creek.

A view of the new stilling basin at the Calaveras Dam Replacement Project

So, let's hear it for the humble stilling basin!

See you around the Valley! 

Calaveras Dam Embankment Celebration- Photo Friday

The replacement Calaveras Dam has reached its full height of 220 feet.

The month of September marked a huge milestone for the Calaveras Dam Replacement Project.  The new replacement earth and rock fill dam has finally reached its full height and is nearly ready to begin impounding water this winter. 

You might have read about it or seen it on the news.  We had many media outlets out at the dam on September, 21, 2018 to cover the occasion.  

Here are some photo highlights in honor of Photo Friday.

San Francisco Public Utilities Commission Vice President Vince Courtney addressing the crowd.

Sharon Tapia, DSOD, Division Chief addressing the crowd.  DSOD or California's Division of Safety of Dams regulate dams in California.  They were a key partner in the construction of Calaveras Dam. 

General Manager Harlan L. Kelly, Jr., was joined by SFPUC Commissioners, SFPUC Deputy General Managers, and representatives from the Bay Area Water Supply and Conservation Agency to make it official with a ribbon cutting. 

Here is the entire Calaveras Dam Replacement Project Team atop the new dam.








The project isn't completed, however. The crew will work on completing the approach channel, constructing access and roadways throughout the site, restoration and revegetation, placing instruments, and installing gates and security systems. 

The overall project is 94% complete and is scheduled to be completed in spring 2019.

See you around the valley!

Calaveras Road Closure Extended through November 2, 2018

The Closure of Calaveras Road to through traffic between Milpitas and Sunol has been extended from September 30, 2018 to Friday, November 2, 2018.

The road will reopen to all traffic, weekdays, weekends, and holidays starting Saturday, November 3, 2018.

Why:

The SFPUC has been working with the appropriate county agencies to secure final approval for renewed public access to the road after a portion of the road was built by the SFPUC to replace a portion undermined by a landslide.

Background:

We have been working since 2011 to replace the 93 year-old Calaveras Dam to increase the reliability of the Hetch Hetchy Regional Water System, which serves 2.7 million people in four Bay Area counties.

The closure of Calaveras Road began in July 2016 to protect public safety on the extremely narrow portions of Calaveras Road while large trucks utilized the road for construction.  

Road Closure Details:

Where: Calaveras Road just south of Geary Road (entrance to Sunol Regional Wilderness) to Oakridge Road near the Alameda /Santa Clara County line.

When: July, 2016 through November 2, 2018. The Road will be open on weekdays, weekends, and holidays starting Saturday, November 3, 2018.

For more information, visit sfwater.org/calaverasroad

Thank you for your continued patience. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Meet the CAT-773

Our work at the Calaveras Dam Replacement Project wouldn’t be possible without the help of heavy equipment. Heavy equipment helps our team complete big tasks like moving 12 million cubic yards of rock and earth. Because of the size and scope of our project, we have the privilege of working with some big and cool heavy equipment on our job site.

On any given day we could have approximately 20 pieces of heavy equipment operating. Today I would like to introduce you to the CAT-773

Here is a picture of some of our equipment.

With a full load it can carry 100 tons of dirt or 200,000 pounds of material. This machine can climb steep roads and is very comfortable for the operator. It has a 12-cylinder engine that can reach 42 miles an hour.

John Rocca, Field Operations Manager in front of a CAT-773.

It’s a real life Tonka truck. We have a total of 10 CAT-773’s on site hauling material and getting the job done.

 This equipment belongs to our Joint Venture (Dragados, Sukut and Flatiron), our partners on this project.

See you around the Valley!

Meet Glen Gorski, Lead Quality Assurance Inspector

As the Calaveras Dam Replacement Project starts to wind down, we'd like to focus on some of the key people that have played a crucial role in the construction of the replacement Dam. 

This week we'd like to introduce you to Glen Gorski. He is the Lead Quality Assurance Inspector for the project. A big part of his job is to ensure that the project is being built correctly. 

He and his team are tasked with observing and reporting that quality control measures are effective, so that the entire dam project is being constructed to the expectation of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission.  He is a wealth of information and insight and he knows every detail of the dam's construction. If you have a question, Glen will always have the correct answer.
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Here is Glen with his team.

Glen has over 40 years of experience in the construction industry. He has quite a resume with two Bachelor of Science degrees in Engineering and Geology from the University of Notre Dame and one Masters of Science in Civil Engineering from Notre Dame and a Masters of Science in Business Administration from the University of Indiana. He started his career as a geotechnical engineer for the Scilts Graves & Associates. 

He says that the biggest lesson learned in his career is the importance of "paying attention to the contract." Paying attention to the contract will save you plenty of headaches in the long run. Out of the plethora of projects he's worked on throughout his career he says that the most interesting one is his work at Snoqualmie Falls where he was refurbishing a hydro electric power plant built in 1895.

When he is not working at the Calaveras Dam Replacement Project, you can find him volunteering at his local Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) group, golfing, leading a Boy Scout troop, or spending time with his grandchildren.



Glen enjoying the great outdoors.

The team at the Calaveras Dam Replacement Project would like to thank Glen for his commitment to excellence. 

See you around the valley!

Photo Friday - Calaveras

Happy Photo Friday

Here are a couple of shots from the Calaveras Dam Replacement Project taken this week.

The dam itself is growing higher and higher on the lower left. A portion of the existing dam is shrinking lower and lower on the center right as crews excavate the approach channels. 

On the new dam itself, crews use large equipment to transport and compact the materials for the earth and rock fill dam, as well do hand work, such as vacuuming the foundation of clay core of the new dam. Why vacuum? To ensure a solid connection between the core and the bedrock and protect the integrity of the new dam.


Have a great weekend, everyone! And see you around the Valley!