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This Bendable Pipe Is Shaking Up Earthquake Safety

This Bendable Pipe Is Shaking Up Earthquake Safety
  • Betsy Lauppe Rhodes

At the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC), we are upgrading some of our oldest water pipelines using state-of-the-art technology to protect our vulnerable residents after an earthquake.  SFPUC crews have begun installing a special type of pipe in the water distribution system that serves Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, among other customers.  Manufactured by the Japanese company Kubota, this innovative pipe has flexible joints that bend during an earthquake but do not break. This allows crucial water supplies to continue flowing to customers when they need it most.

San Francisco’s College Hill Reservoir and the water pipelines that serve it are some of the oldest in our system. The reservoir itself was constructed in 1870, and some of its connecting pipeline's date back to 1896. 

Coso and Precita pipe installation.

A few years ago, we launched a series of five construction projects to create a seismically reliable connection between College Hill Reservoir and Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital. To date, two of those projects have been completed, while three are in construction. One of those projects recently started installing this special pipe, just in time for the anniversary of the 1906 Earthquake and fire. 

This month, construction crews for the Coso and Precita Avenues Utility Upgrade Project started installing over 3,200 feet of 16-inch and 24-inch diameter Earthquake Resistant Ductile Iron Pipe. These pipeline segments are so specialized, in fact, that representatives from Kubota traveled to the project site to train crews on how to properly place the pipeline segments. A Kubota representative will remain on site to monitor pipeline installation. 

The SFPUC has installed more than 17,000 feet of earthquake resistant ductile iron pipe at key points in the San Francisco water distribution system. This not only helps those neighborhoods served by these pipes but also benefits all our San Francisco ratepayers. SFPUC crews will be available to respond more quickly to restore water service in other areas of the City after an earthquake.

Katie Miller, Water Capital Program Director for the SFPUC shared, “In Japan, over 40,000 miles of this pipe has been installed since 1974 with zero documented leaks or breaks following major earthquakes. We want to build a similar level of seismic resilience for San Francisco.”

Investing in earthquake resistant pipe is yet another example of how the SFPUC invests in water, sewer, and power systems today so they will be here for us tomorrow. Learn more about our work to be quake ready at our construction homepage.