Sunol Temple Centennial

Members of the Sunol community recently joined the SFPUC to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Sunol Water Temple near the SFPUC Sunol headquarters in the East Bay.

The 1910 temple, designed by noted architect Willis Polk, was built as a permanent tribute to the convergence of three sources of water serving San Francisco at the time—Alameda Creek, its tributary the Arroyo de La Laguna, and the Pleasanton Well Fields.

SFPUC General Manager Ed Harrington was Master of Ceremonies, and welcomed the crowd of several hundred people. Commission President F.X. Crowley talked on the significance of today’s upgrades to the region’s water facilities under the Water System Improvement Program. He also announced plans to upgrade the Sunol firefighting system, and reiterated the SFPUC’s dedication to the restoration of Alameda Creek. “Today,” he concluded, “we are celebrating a monument to the most precious of resources—our water”

Speakers representing the Sunol community included Alameda County District 2 Supervisor Gail Steele and long-time civic leader Pat Stillman. Stillman hailed the multi-year partnership between community and SFPUC that had produced the day’s celebration, and the temple’s restoration 10 years before. “My hope is to celebrate the water temple not only today, but tomorrow, and for many years to come,” she said. “Long live the water temple!”

Commission Vice President Francesca Vietor thanked the Sunol Planning Committee for its role in the successful day. A new plaque commemorates the temple’s centennial, and new interpretive panels chart Sunol water system history, from its 19th-century beginnings through today.

The current Sunol Valley water system is a critical link between the Sierra/Central Valley portion of today’s 167-mile Hetch Hetchy Regional Water System and the Bay Area’s transmission lines serving more than 2.5 million people. The SFPUC is upgrading all Sunol Region delivery and treatment facilities as part of the SFPUC’s comprehensive $4.6 billion Water System Improvement Program to repair, replace, and seismically upgrade the aging system, which crosses three major and active earthquake faults.

Pipeline Construction on Calaveras Road

The Alameda Siphon No. 4 Project will be installing two large-diameter pipelines across Calaveras Road starting Wednesday, August 25, 2010 through Friday, August 27, 2010.

What this means:
* Through traffic on Calaveras Road will use small temporary bypass roads from the north and south alongside Calaveras Road to accommodate the pipeline installation.
* This area is located on Calaveras Road approximately 2 miles south of Highway I-680.
* The contractor – Steve P. Rados, Inc. will have traffic controls in place and will work to minimize any delays to through traffic. Please plan accordingly.
* Please adhere to the posted speed limits to protect the safety of the public and our workers.
* Those who need to enter and exit from Calaveras Road at this location could also experience delays as they are safely directed into the lane of traffic.

Thank you for your continued patience and support!

Active in the Valley

For those who have driven through the Sunol Valley on Calaveras Road on a weekday, you'll notice a great deal of construction activity.

The Sunol Valley Water Treatment Plant Expansion and Treated Water Reservoir Project has begun, and the contractor, Shimmick, has been moving earth to make way for the new treated water reservoir.

The Alameda Siphon No. 4 Project has begun excavation of the special trench at the Calaveras Fault Crossing as well as micro tunneling underneath Alameda Creek.

The San Antonio Pump Station Project completed all the micropiling work underneath the station, and are working quickly on retrofitting the small pump station.

Alameda Siphon #4 Update

The Alameda Siphon #4 project has just completed the work on Siphon #2, which has been shut down for a matter of months. Siphon #2 should be brought back in service this week.

The Steve P. Rados crew will enjoy a very short break before preparations for the next shutdown begin next week.

San Antonio Pump Station Answer

The answer is:

a. $14,000. The Pump Station was built in 1967. We are working to upgrade it now to make it more reliable in case of an earthquake.

Test Your Sunol Valley Knowledge

What did the average house cost when the San Antonio Pump Station was built?
A. $14,000
B. $100,000
C. $3,000



Stay tuned for the answer!

To give you a hint, here is a photo during the pump station construction.

See you at the Sunol-Ohlone Wildflower Festival

Now is a perfect time to visit the East Bay Regional Park District's Sunol-Ohlone Regional Wilderness Park.

Come by the park this Saturday, March 27th for the Sunol-Ohlone Wildflower Festival, 11 to 4 at the Park headquarters: 1895 Geary Road, (south end of Geary Road off Calavaras)

SFPUC will have a booth there. Drop by and learn the latest about the Water System Improvements, enjoy fun crafts for the kids, and test your watershed knowledge.

See you there!