Across San Francisco, aging pipelines are being upgraded to ensure reliable water service to San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) customers. Another 2.5 miles of new water mains have recently been installed as part of the Diamond Heights Water Main Replacement Project, which wrapped up construction in July 2024.
The two-year project installed new ductile iron water pipelines on both the east and west side of the Diamond Heights neighborhood, which replaced old cast iron pipes that were between 60 and 100 years old. Age and material are a factor in water main breaks that occur across the City so the importance of upgrading these pipelines couldn’t be greater.
Ryan Freeborn, the Project Manager, explains how these improvements will ensure future safety and quality. “The SFPUC identified this neighborhood as a high priority for water main replacement due to a history of main breaks in recent years. This work will improve water service reliability along with providing additional fire protection by increasing fire flow in the Diamond Heights area,” he said.
Known for its picturesque views of downtown San Francisco, Diamond Heights is also a neighborhood comprised of hills and concrete streets, which made the final street restoration that followed the main installation a bit more complicated on some blocks. As opposed to asphalt, concrete restoration requires up to 10 days for the concrete to cure before cars are allowed to drive on it so crews had to break up each block into small sections to avoid impacting driveway access to too many residents at once.
Asphalt streets within the project area were already plagued with rough road conditions prior to the project as well, but at the completion, residents were very pleased with the final outcome. “Our cars can now drive on smooth asphalt to our houses. And we can safely walk across the street without tripping on uneven pavement and potholes,” explained a Diamond Heights resident.
While the Diamond Heights Water Main Replacement Project is now complete, seven additional projects are currently underway across the City as part of the SFPUC’s Linear Asset Management Program, with another seven slated to begin between now and the end of the fiscal year.