Repairs, Upgrades to City Water System on Area
Streets to Continue through Fall

By Andy Sywak

Apparent to any driver cruising through the streets of the Castro, an ambitious project to improve water transmission systems in the area is underway. Principally concentrated along Noe and Sanchez streets, crews are installing new water mains as the existing infrastructure has been deemed insufficient to provide enough water pressure in the area.

Overseen by the SF Public Utilities Commission (PUC), the construction is part of the overall Water System Improvement Program (WSIP), a regional bond measure approved by voters in 2002 that allocated $4.4 billion to be spent on seismic upgrades and repairs to the aging network of water infrastructure in the Bay Area – including pipelines, tunnels and dams.

The work projects underway in the Castro are part of the Noe Valley Transmission Improvement Project where new water mains and pipes have been installed along Sanchez Street between 15th and 19th streets, at the corner of Market and 15th streets and along Noe Street between 19th and 22nd streets. All the work is strictly aimed to improve the transmission systems for drinking water. While work is in various stages of completion, on some streets work is not slated for completion until late August with final paving to occur in September.

“In some cases, the (water mains) date back to early last century,” said Maureen Barry, who works with the communications director for PUC. “The system really came about after the 1906 earthquake when there was no municipal water system. The bones of the system date that far back.”

Though much of the pipe being replaced is between 80-100 year old, some of the pipes date back to the 1950s when additional work was done.

“In some cases you are living through history,” said Barry. “This only happens once or twice a century.”

There are three phases to the project: (1) bringing in the main that connects to the overall water system; (2) connecting laterals to homes and businesses; and (3) re-paving the streets that have been torn up during the work. The PUC has tried to make the work as unimposing on residents as possible, accelerating the work and parking their vehicles in neighborhood school lots to minimize the impact upon the neighborhood.

Of the 84 water projects that fall under the auspices of the seven-county jurisdiction of the WSIP, 35 of them are located within the City. According to Barry, 80 percent has been completed to date. There are three major water mains in the city, with Noe Valley being one of them.

Starting this fall, work will begin replacing water mains north of Market Street up to Haight Street. The PUC plans on releasing the locations for main replacement by mid-August.

For more information, visit sfwaterdistrict8-9.blogspot.com. PUC is also sponsoring a neighborhood coffee on the second and fourth Fridays of the month between 8:30-9:30 a.m. at the H Café, 3801 17th St. at 17th and Sanchez streets.

Copyright 2009 Castro Courier