WSIP Update on Repairing and Upgrading Your Water Infrastructure!

https://youtu.be/Fwfnrwvg7h4

It’s Infrastructure Week and here at the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) we have been implementing the Water System Improvement Program (WSIP), a $4.8 billion multi-year capital improvement program, to repair and upgrade our regional and local water system infrastructure to ensure the SFPUC can continue to supply reliable water to 2.6 million people in four Bay Area counties, especially after a major earthquake. 

Check out what the WSIP has been up to over the last year. 

Remember #infrastructurematters!

We are Stronger and Safer Together – National Safety Week

This week is National Safety Week. Which means construction contractors across the country emphasize one of the most important factors of the job -- SAFETY. Right here in Sunol Valley, we have over 150 workers working on projects such as building the replacement Calaveras Dam.

At the Calaveras Dam Replacement Project, crews have worked over 140,000 safe working hours since the beginning of the year, without any recordable safety incidents.  A recordable safety incident is when a worker requires medical treatment beyond first aid and there is a loss time on the job. Our last recordable incident was in October 2014. This is well below the industry average.

Why is this record special? Because our construction crews at the Calaveras Dam Replacement Project work multiple shifts – both day and night – working with huge machinery, excavating earth and rock, on a very complicated job site in challenging conditions. As we continue work to complete the project, we applaud the joint venture of Dragados USA, Flatiron Construction, and Sukut Construction for making safety a priority here at Calaveras Dam during National Safety Week.

Check out our time lapse capturing excavation work since the beginning of the project:

Before sunrise, the Calaveras Dam crews get together for their daily morning safety tailgate 

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

Calaveras Dam Team participates in the US Society on Dams Conference

Some of our Sunol Valley Project team members are visiting Colorado this week. And they are not visiting to see the snow, but taking part in the United States Society on Dams (USSD) 2016 Annual Conference representing the Calaveras Dam Replacement Project.

As you know, the Calaveras Dam Replacement Project is the largest project of the $4.8 billion Water System Improvement Program (WSIP) to repair, replace, and seismically upgrade key components of the Hetch Hetchy Regional Water System. 

Our WSIP Director Dan Wade and Calaveras Dam Project Manager Susan Hou were joined by the members of our SFPUC Engineering Management Bureau at the conference to present on the construction and challenges with the Calaveras Dam Replacement Project.

The completion of the project is important to the water supply for the Bay Area. Calaveras Reservoir, when full, represents nearly half of all the water storage in the Bay Area for the Hetch Hetchy Regional Water System that serves 2.6 million customers. Calaveras Reservoir is a crucial source of water supply during times of drought and when Hetch Hetchy Reservoir supplies are unavailable for any reason. 

Our project construction continues and we have moved over 7 million cubic yards of earth and rock materials to make room for the new dam. We plan to start constructing the replacement dam later this year. The project is over 70% complete.

From L to R: SFPUC Engineering Staff Carman Ng, Tedman Lee, Alisha Reinhardt, USSD President John Wolfhope, Former USSD Executive Director Larry Stephens, SFPUC WSIP Director Dan Wade and Calaveras Dam Project Manager Susan Hou

Come Out to the Sunol Wildflower Festival and Learn How to Protect Our Wildlife!

Sunol Valley is teeming with life from wildflowers to wildlife this spring! As stewards of 36,000 acres in this part of the watershed, we want to share ways that you can protect the plants and animals that call Sunol Valley home. Stop by our booth at the thirteenth annual spring Sunol Wildflower Festival this Saturday, April 9, 2016 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Sunol Regional Wilderness.

Come by our booth to spin the prize wheel and test your Sunol Valley watershed knowledge

In addition to stopping by our booth, make sure to check out the scheduled nature hikes, crafts, live music and nature activities. There will be a variety of other organizations exhibiting nature-themed booths. The festival itself is a production of the East Bay Regional Park District. For more information about the festival, visit their website www.ebparks.org. We hope to see you there!

Calaveras Road Traffic Advisory - Increased Haul Truck Traffic Starting April 4th

Please expect increased truck traffic on Calaveras Road beginning April 4, 2016 through April 29, 2016 during daytime hours. The project will haul materials from 6:00 am to 6:00 pm. Night hauling also continues through June 1st which begins approximately from 6:00 pm to 4:00 am, Monday through Friday.

This affects the portion of Calaveras Road between the I-680 entrance in Sunol to the entrance of the construction site for the Calaveras Dam Replacement Project located south of Geary Road. Commuters may experience periodic delays. Cyclists: please try to avoid this area if at all possible to remain safe.

 

• Calaveras Road remains open to the public
• Increase in haul trucks expected between the hours of 6:00 a.m to 4:00 a.m Monday thru Friday
• Please drive and ride safely on the narrow portions of Calaveras Road and expect delays
• Speed limit is 25mph in construction zones

 

March 2016 Aerial of Calaveras Dam Replacement Project 

24 hour- Answer Line: 866-973-1476
mle@sfwater.org or blauppe@sfwater.org

Throwback Thursday at the Sunol Water Temple

In honor of Throwback Thursday, we thought we’d share an oldie from our archives.

August 1960. This family is clearly enjoying their picnic at the Sunol Water Temple, which was built in 1910 and restored in 2000. 

Construction on the Alameda Creek Watershed Center near the Temple and the nearby Sunol Corporation Yard will begin later in 2016. Future families will once again enjoy picnics below the temple as early as 2019.

See you around Sunol Valley!