Service now restored on 92-year-old pipeline that delivers treated drinking water

San Francisco, CA –The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) has completed rehabilitation work on a vital pipeline that serves treated drinking water to an estimated 1 million customers in the Peninsula region. 

“We pride ourselves on delivering reliable water service to our customers, and this project is a reflection of that commitment,” said SFPUC Acting General Manager Michael Carlin. “Throughout our regional water system, we have pipes that are nearly a century old, so we must be diligent when it comes to replacing and upgrading these critical pieces of infrastructure. With this investment, our customers on the Peninsula have an extra layer of water reliability.”

The SFPUC began replacing and upgrading this section of the San Andreas Pipeline Number 2 last year, an effort prompted by a major break in the water main in 2015. The 11-mile pipeline is 92 years old and an important part of the Hetch Hetchy Regional Water System, transmitting drinking water from the Harry Tracy Water Treatment Plant in San Bruno to customers throughout the Peninsula and San Francisco.

As part of the work, the SFPUC replaced and rehabilitated about 6,500 feet of the lockbar steel pipeline at four locations within the city of San Bruno. Some of those pipes were among the oldest and most critical components on the regional water system. 

The pipeline was brought into service this month and is now transmitting water. The final touches of the $32 million project—such as aboveground restoration of construction sites—will be completed by February 2021, two months earlier than projected.

The SFPUC’s Hetch Hetchy Regional Water System serves more than 2.7 million customers in the San Francisco Bay Area, including 1 million along portions of the Peninsula. The water is delivered from Hetch Hetchy Reservoir in Yosemite to residential, commercial and industrial customers in the region. Approximately 1/3 of the water is delivered for retail service to San Francisco. The remaining water is transmitted for wholesale service to 27 regional agencies in Alameda, Santa Clara and San Mateo counties.

The SFPUC recently announced the completion of a key segment of the Water System Improvement Program (WSIP), a generational effort to seismically upgrade, replace and repair major components of the regional water system. With the completion of improvements to the Lake Merced Pump Station, the SFPUC officially wrapped up the San Francisco portion of the WSIP. 

One of the most ambitious water infrastructure improvements programs in the nation and one of the largest such initiatives ever undertaken by the City of San Francisco, the WSIP project is now approximately 99 percent completed, with a few initiatives in the region still set to be finished. 

The San Andreas Pipeline No. 2 Project is part of the long-term Water Capital Improvement Program, the SFPUC’s ongoing effort to maintain and upgrade the agency’s water infrastructure following the successful implementation of the WSIP. These water capital projects fulfill a vital part of the SFPUC’s mission to deliver reliable water services and be good stewards of the resources entrusted to the agency’s care.

About the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission
The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) is a department of the City and County of San Francisco. It delivers drinking water to 2.7 million people in the San Francisco Bay Area, collects and treats wastewater for the City and County of San Francisco, and generates clean power for municipal buildings, residential customers, and businesses. Our mission is to provide our customers with high quality, efficient and reliable water, power, and sewer services in a manner that values environmental and community interests and sustains the resources entrusted to our care. Learn more at www.sfwater.org. 

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