Holiday Open House in Sunol this Thursday!

Please join us to celebrate the holiday season and hear updates the SFPUC projects in the Sunol Valley. 

WHEN: Thursday December 4, 2014
             4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

WHERE: Elliston Vineyards
               463 Kilkare Road
               Sunol CA 94586

We have been busy this year. Come learn more about:

  The Alameda Creek Watershed Center at the Sunol Water Temple
  Construction Activities at Calaveras Dam 
  New Irvington Tunnel is Nearing Completion

** Light refreshments and activities for kids will be provided. Wine will also be available for purchase (no host bar). **

We hope to see you there! 

- Sunol Regional Team

Update on the Town of Sunol Fire Suppression Project for the weeks of November 24 and December 1, 2014

The majority of the work within the Town has been completed. However, there is some work left to be done.

Construction Currently Underway or Planned for the Next 2 weeks

Pipeline connections at Sunol Glen School

Pipeline connections will be made between the new and old systems at the Sunol Glen School Parking lot the week of December 1st.  We will minimize any impacts to the school. The water supply to the town and school will not be affected. 

Service Connection Upgrades

As part of this project, SFPUC crews, together with our contractor, will inspect selected service connections of SFPUC customers. The service connection consists of the section of pipe between the water meter box and the street main which is maintained by the SFPUC. Should the inspection show the connection needing an upgrade, we will schedule a replacement and notify the property owner.

The connections on Main Street will be first, with inspections starting the week of Thanksgiving. 

Installation of bollards around fire hydrants

In order to protect some of the newly installed hydrants from accidental damage from vehicles, we will install bollards around the more exposed hydrants after the week of December 8th.  These bollards will conform with Alameda County Fire Specifications.

Installation of one of the two replacement tanks on tank hill continues. Work on the tanks on the hill will continue through next summer.

Pavement Restoration 

Once all the construction work within town is complete, we will work with Alameda County inspectors, repair street structural damage caused by the construction, and slurry seal Main Street.

The Jack and Bore work to lay pipe underneath the Union Pacific Railroad on Main Street was

recently completed.

What has been completed to date:

• Installation of approximately 2 miles of transmission mains on Main St, Bond St, Foothill East and West and Kilkare Road.
• Placement of all of the 26 planned fire hydrants.
• Placing pipe across three bridges: Bond, Foothill, and Kilkare
• Removal of two water tanks on Tank Hill.
• Pipeline tie in work at Kilkare Road
• Jack and Bore Crossing of Alameda County Railroad at the intersection of Main Street, Kilkare Road, and West Foothill Road.
• Jack and Bore crossing under the Union Pacific Railroad on Main Street.
• Pipeline Tie in work on Main Street near Bond

What is coming:

• The new hydrants will be charged and ready for use.
• The new water storage tank on Tank Hill will be placed in service during the next 3 months.
• Thereafter, a pair of older water storage tanks will be demolished
• and construction will start on the second water storage tank.

As always, please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions, comments, or concerns.

24-hour Answering Line: 
(866) 973-1476

epowell@sfwater.org
blauppe@sfwater.org

Thank you for your patience!

SFPUC at the Cowboy Hootenany

The SFPUC Sunol Public Outreach team had a fabulous time at the East Bay Regional Park District’s Cowboy Hootenanny Folk Festival this past weekend. 

The cowboys and cowgirls who sidled up to our booth learned ways to be a water saving superhero. They tested their water knowledge and won prizes.  And they geared up appropriately with wonderfully colored super hero masks they made at the booth.

If you did not get the chance to attend, or would like to know more about what we’ve dug up at Calaveras Dam, the future Watershed Center at the Sunol Water Temple, or about any of the important water system improvements underway, please click on the project links to the right.

We will see you around Sunol! 

Cowboy Hootenanny Folk Festival This Saturday!!

Come see us at the Cowboy Hootenanny Folk Festival at the East Bay Regional Park District’s Sunol Ohlone Regional Wilderness this Saturday November 15, 2014 from 11 am to 4 pm. Old timey music, square dancing, a petting zoo, pony rides, and your SFPUC Sunol Valley public outreach team!

Drop by our booth to test your water trivia, win prizes, and enjoy crafts for the whole family. We will also have loads of information about the future Watershed Center at the Sunol Water Temple, recent upgrades to the Hetch Hetchy Regional Water System, and water-saving tips.

For more information visit the District's website: Cowboy Hootenanny Folk Festival 

Hope to see you there!

Join us and water-saving Mikey at the Cowboy Hootenanny Folk Festival!

Construction Advisory: New Irvington Tunnel Project

Dear Neighbor:
We wanted to inform you of some very important construction activity affecting your neighborhood at the Irvington Portal site off Mission Boulveard.

 

Irvington Portal work starting November 2, 2014: As part of the process of preparing the tunnel to be brought into service, we will need to provide additional tunnel ventilation to our construction crews at the Irvington Portal site. The equipment will begin mobilizing in the area on November 2, 2014, and work should be complete in approximately one week. The ventilation equipment, which includes a fan and generator, will operate 24 hours a day. Cooling air is needed for crews who are lining the tunnel with a cement mortar to prepare it for being put into service. The sound barrier walls will keep the noise to a minimum and the contractor will install additional noise reduction measure.

Project Background: The New Irvington Tunnel Project is part of the $4.6 billion Water System Improvement Program (WSIP) to repair, replace, and upgrade our system’s aging pipelines, tunnels, and dams. The new 3.5 mile long tunnel will provide a seismically-designed connection between water supplies from the Sierra Nevada Mountains and the Alameda Watershed to Bay Area water distribution systems.  Final construction is expected to be complete in 2015.

Questions / Concerns? We greatly appreciate your patience. Please call our 24-Hour Answer Line at 866-973-1476 or email mle@sfwater.org or blauppe@sfwater.org if you have any questions. Follow us online at sfwater.org/sunolvalley.

Calaveras Dam: Grouting in Numbers

What is grout? 

Most folks are likely familiar with using household grout for bathroom tiling work. Grout is a construction material commonly used to connect sections of concrete, fill voids, and seal joints. Grout is generally a mixture of water, cement, sand, and sometimes fine gravel.

How does it work for the dam?

The grouting operations are extremely important for the construction of the new replacement Calaveras Dam. Underneath the dam, we have designed a “grout curtain”. A grout curtain is a barrier that protects the foundation of a dam from water seepage and is used to strengthen the foundation of the dam. Essentially, the grout curtain fills cracks and fissures in the rock and works to control seepage and water flow. Our crews mix the grout onsite and inject the grout holes of the dam foundation. Holes are three inches in diameter and can reach up to a depth of 164 feet. Depending on the rock formation, the amount of injected grout used may differ.

Grouting Numbers Today

Over 589 holes have been grouted in the foundation. We have drilled almost 13 miles of grout holes. We have injected over 2.9 million pounds of cement grout into the foundation of the new dam.. How much grout is that? It is equivalent to approximately the same weight as 1,600 1967 model Volkswagen Beetles!

Grouting Operation taking place on the left abutment of the dam

Diagram of Grout Curtain – Calaveras Dam Replacement Project

Sunol Valley: Getting Prepared – Seismic Upgrade Work Continues

Much has already been done as mentioned in our last post, but more important work lies ahead in Sunol Valley.  Our teams continue critical work to seismically upgrade our infrastructure. As we remember the Loma Prieta earthquake this week, here are some highlights on our ongoing projects:

New Irvington Tunnel Project
The new tunnel will provide a seismically upgraded connection between water supplies from the Sierra Nevada Mountains and the Alameda Watershed to Bay Area customers. It will extend 3.5 miles and have an internal diameter of approximately 8.5 feet. Final completion is expected in mid-2015.

Calaveras Dam Replacement Project
Work continues to build a replacement dam that will be seismically safe and restore the Calaveras reservoir to its historic capacity. The reservoir provides half of the Hetch Hetchy Regional Water System’s local Bay Area water storage. To date, over 5 million cubic yards of materials have been excavated and major work is being done on the new spillway. Final completion is expected end of 2018. 

San Antonio Backup Pipeline Project

The San Antonio Backup Pipeline (SABPL) project will include several new facilities and improvements in the Sunol Valley to help provide for the reliable movement of Hetch Hetchy water for planned and emergency discharges under future conditions. Completion is expected in March 2015.

We are extremely proud of our hard working teams in Sunol Valley, helping all of us become better prepared for the next earthquake. For more info, please contact us at our 24 hour answer line 866-973-1476.