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.
A Look Back in History: Water Rights Dispute Resolved in Spring Valley Water Company’s FavorJanuary 27, 2020What follows is an interesting bit of correspondence regarding water rights to Locks Creek, a 1.9-mile-long stream in San Mateo County, California. It is the largest tributary of Frenchmans Creek, a ...
A Look Back in History: The First Drink of Pulgas WaterJanuary 23, 2020In 1932, Franklin D. Roosevelt asked Secretary of the Interior Harold L. Ickes to work on his presidential campaign. After Roosevelt won the Presidency, he appointed Ickes as Secretary of the ...
Beyond Hetch Hetchy – Understanding San Francisco’s Water SystemJanuary 21, 2020Many people may be familiar with Hetch Hetchy, San Francisco’s major water source that lies within Yosemite National Park. The water at Hetch Hetchy contains spring snowmelt flowing down the ...
A Look Back in History: Gate, InterruptedJanuary 17, 20201910 was the year that the Water Temple was brought online in Sunol. The Sunol Water Temple was built between 1906 and 1910. But the gate to the property wasn’t built until 1910. Gateway to the Sunol ...
A Look Back in History: Health and Recreation at Crystal SpringsJanuary 14, 2020By June 1946, World War II had been over for more than six months. But many veterans were still convalescing. Some of those were cared for at the Letterman General Hospital in the Presidio of San ...
Fish Getting Much Needed Help in the Alameda Creek WatershedJanuary 8, 2020Protecting the quality of San Francisco’s drinking water starts with protecting the ecosystem and native wildlife around the SFPUC’s reservoirs and watersheds. To address that issue, the SFPUC built ...
A Look Back in History: Searsville and Searvsille DamJanuary 7, 2020In 1887 Spring Valley Water Works (SVWW) acquired land in San Mateo County for the purpose of impounding Corte Madera Creek. The land included the town of Searsville. SVWW began work on Searsville ...
Meet Biologist Tammy Egger, Who Has Multi-generational Ties with the SFPUCJanuary 3, 2020As a Biologist in the Natural Resources and Lands Management Division, Tammy Egger plays an integral role in monitoring the quality of San Francisco’s drinking water. As a woman in the Science, ...
A Look Back in History: Proposed La Honda ReservoirDecember 31, 2019The following map features La Honda Creek running through some partially occupied land. While the map is undated, it is representing a proposed reservoir. The blue boundary of the featured land is ...
A Look Back in History: Dreams of RevivalDecember 26, 2019Construction on the original Moccasin Powerhouse, which was built as a component of the Hetch Hetchy Project system, started in fall 1921. The facility was completed and began generating power on ...
A Look Back in History: Mayor Rolph and the Passing of the Raker ActDecember 20, 2019Mayor James Rolph took office in early 1912, at which time the city did not yet have permission to construct the Hetch Hetchy reservoir. Rolph, having cited water as one of his campaign priorities, ...
A Look Back in History: Hetchy Hetchy RailroadDecember 19, 2019The Hetch Hetchy Railroad, built by San Francisco to provide high-capacity and all-weather form of transportation to move heavy machinery, bulk materials and supplies, and workers into the mountains ...
Why One SFPUC Hydrologist Believes STEM and Weather Go Hand in HandDecember 18, 2019“It’s always fun to talk about the weather, streams, floods, droughts, and how we measure them,” said Harrison Forrester, SFPUC Hydrologist based in Moccasin. For Forrester, his education ...
Meet David Vilcherrez, Who Gives Insight and Mentors Future Scientists and EngineersDecember 16, 2019By day, David Vilcherrez is an Assistant Engineer for the SFPUC’s Water Quality Division based in Mocassin. His typical day involves responding to emails from various work groups, checking ...
Just a Typical Day at the Office: Confined Spaces, Big Machines and Picturesque Peaks and ValleysDecember 10, 2019Going into a dark and tight space, venturing into an active construction zone, or climbing through one of the SFPUC’s watersheds is just a normal day’s work for SFPUC Photographer Robin ...
For Madelyn Rubin, STEM Education is Important No Matter What the Future HoldsDecember 9, 2019“The world is changing so fast these days, from technology to climate to energy to politics; we don’t really know what challenges the next generation will face and what tools will exist to help ...
Why Does the SFPUC Celebrate a New (Water) Year in October?December 5, 2019For the SFPUC’s Water Resource Engineers, October is the first month of the year – the Water Year, that is. Every year on October 1, the engineers reset and start tracking water data ...
“Rushing” Native Plant Restoration at Lower Crystal Springs DamDecember 3, 2019“This is a big deal for us,” said Mia Ingolia, SFPUC Senior Biologist. Like proud parents, SFPUC Natural Resources and Lands Management staff gazed down upon hundreds of newly-planted green shoots on ...
Why Measurements and Numbers Matter to Ted StandersDecember 3, 2019For SFPUC Engineering Associate Ted Standers, a typical day includes creating and maintaining CAD drawings that support engineering designs related to the Hetch Hetchy Water and Power System. But ...
A Look Back in History: Mocassin PowerhouseDecember 2, 2019Board of Public Works, Moccasin Creek penstocks and vicinity; Looking east Construction of the original Moccasin Powerhouse began in the fall of 1921. The facility began generating power on August ...