The Spring Valley Water Company (SVWC) had envisioned a large reservoir in the East Bay as early as 1875. They started acquiring land and water rights in Alameda County at this time. The first land they bought was in the Calaveras Valley and at the Vallejo Mills properties near Niles. This was the beginning of…
Category: Regional
Read the latest news and stories of the Hetch Hetchy Regional Water System on the Peninsula, in the East Bay, and beyond.
Learn about the SFPUC’s system, the staff who operate and maintain it, and the Agency’s ongoing efforts to support the communities we serve.
Track individual construction projects at the SFPUC construction page.
Construction on the Alameda Creek Watershed Center in Sunol Resumes
The SFPUC has resumed construction on an interpretive center on our watershed lands in unincorporated Alameda County. Located adjacent to the Sunol Water Temple in the East Bay at the historic confluence of two creeks, the Alameda Creek Watershed Center will explore the confluence of people and nature and the significance of water in sustaining…
A Look Back in History: Eagle-Eyeing San Andreas Reservoir from the Ground
The following is an excerpt from History of San Mateo County California by Roy W. Cloud published in 1928. This chapter in turn was written by George A. Elliott, Vice President and Chief Engineer of Spring Valley Water Company at the time of its original publication in 1925: The year 1864 is notable in Spring…
A Look Back in History: Spring Valley Water Company Agriculture in Pleasanton
Pleasanton is located in the Amador Valley in eastern Alameda County. It is bounded by the Diablo Range foothills on the north and south, the coastal Pleasanton Ridge on the west, and the adjacent Livermore Valley on the east. Major water courses consist of the Arroyo del Valle and Arroyo de la Laguna. Both are…
A Look Back in History: Pescadero Creek Riparian Rights Offer
Filed under “Coast Streams” with a subject heading of “Riparian Rights,” this short internal memo from Peninsula Supervisor W.B. Lawrence to Spring Valley Water Company General Manager S.P Eastman advocates the acceptance of an offer. Hayward apparently offered up the riparian rights to his property on Pescadero Creek “on several occasions.” This was about 20…
Pile Burning on Peninsula Reduces the Risk of Fire
Fires smoldered at several locations on the SFPUC’s watershed lands the week of April 3. The SFPUC’s watershed staff could not have been happier. The SFPUC owns approximately 23,000 acres of watershed land in the San Mateo Creek Watershed on the Peninsula. Although these lands support high concentrations of rare and endangered species of plants…