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SFPUC says its water system remained intact after San Bruno blast, flags PG&E easements for inspection
Summary
SFPUC staff told commissioners that its crews were first on scene after the San Bruno pipeline explosion, confirmed SFPUC system integrity, provided mutual‑aid water deliveries and will inspect PG&E pipelines crossing PUC lands (700 easements reviewed; 12 pipelines ≥12 inches prioritized).
David Briggs, head of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission’s Water Supply and Treatment Division, told the commission that PUC staff were among the first responders after the Sept. 9 San Bruno pipeline explosion and that the agency quickly verified its own transmission and treatment system remained intact. "Our first issue was making sure San Bruno had water," Briggs said, describing deliveries by truck and temporary operations to support firefighting and recovery.
Briggs said PUC crews dewatered the explosion crater to aid the National Transportation Safety Board and PG&E investigations and provided plumbing crews and other recovery support on Friday. He said the PUC had rapid situational awareness because staff live and work near the affected area and that system pressures and flows showed no ripple effects in San Francisco’s supply network.
The presentation then turned to PG&E infrastructure that crosses PUC lands. Briggs said agency records list roughly 700 easements or permits where PG&E facilities cross PUC property in San Mateo, Santa Clara and Alameda counties. "We’ve narrowed that to 12 crossings that are 12‑inch diameter pipelines or larger," he said, and staff will begin a targeted inspection program to assess construction quality, condition and contractual access rights. Briggs estimated results should be available within about a week.
Commissioners pressed staff about the PUC’s authority to require inspections and whether existing easements allow excavation or third‑party checks. Briggs said legal rights are generally defined by individual easement terms and that PUC can review construction records and, in some places, physically inspect or excavate to verify pipe condition. He also noted the California PUC had asked PG&E to prioritize inspections regionally.
Briggs outlined the PUC’s internal asset management work — regular inspections, corrosion programs and integration of deficiencies into the capital improvement program — and told commissioners the PUC would make itself available for further mutual aid or technical assistance to San Bruno during long‑term recovery. "We’re very much on top of things," he said.
The commission did not vote on policy at this meeting; commissioners requested follow‑up information on easement terms and legal options for accelerating inspections.
