source: sfwater.org
source: sfwater.org
(BCN Services) -- Newly rehabilitated, the San Andreas Pipeline is back to providing treated drinking water for about one million Peninsula customers, the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) announced Friday.
SFPUC -- a San Francisco department which provides drinking water, clean power and sewer services -- began upgrading a section of the San Andreas Pipeline Number 2 last year, following a major water main break in 2015. The $32 million project involved replacing about 6,500 feet of the lockbar steel pipeline at four locations in San Bruno.
The pipeline began servicing customers and transmitting water this month and final upgrades are expected to be complete in February.
"We pride ourselves on delivering reliable water service to our customers, and this project is a reflection of that commitment," SFPUC Acting General Manager Michael Carlin said in a statement. "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 11-mile long and 92-year-old San Andreas pipeline is part of the Hetch Hetchy Regional Water System, which serves more than 2.7 million customers in the Bay Area, including San Francisco, Santa Clara, San Mateo and Alameda counties.
The pipeline transmits drinking water from the Harry Tracy Water Treatment Plant in San Bruno to about 1 million customers throughout the Peninsula and San Francisco, for retail and wholesale service.
San Andreas Pipeline #2 Replacement Project
SFPUC recently completed improvements to the Lake Merced Pump Station as part of the Water System Improvement Program, which is now about 99% complete. The San Andreas Pipeline Number 2 program is part of SFPUC's larger efforts to maintain water infrastructure.