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PUC receives mixed progress report on Water System Improvement Program; groundwater and Westside recycled-water projects face delays
Summary
The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission heard a quarterly WESIP briefing on March 9, 2010 that highlighted steady construction progress overall but flagged a 14‑month delay and $11.8 million forecasted increase for the regional groundwater storage project and a four‑month, $16 million increase for the Westside recycled‑water project, largely tied to environmental‑review and scope changes.
Julie Labonte, director of the Water System Improvement Program, told the commission the program is shifting into a heavy construction phase with roughly $417 million in construction work moving to bid and award in the next months and the program approaching $1 billion in projects reaching construction. Labonte said 23 local projects are complete and construction is now the dominant program activity.
Labonte identified several project‑level risks that could affect schedule or budget. She said interagency permitting and higher‑level approvals at state and federal agencies sometimes delay final permits; local planning‑department mitigation requirements have increased since the program PEIR, and the PUC is negotiating to avoid duplicative requirements. She also flagged right‑of‑way agreements that cannot proceed until CEQA certification and concerns about supplier quality, noting the PUC’s vendor QA program has caught issues early.
On specific projects, Labonte said the regional groundwater storage and recovery project faces a 14‑month delay and an $11.8 million increase in forecasted cost. She attributed the schedule slip to new, more advanced environmental‑modeling requirements imposed during review and to a decision by the City of Colma to require that test‑well drilling be included in the project EIR rather than handled separately, which prevents drilling from proceeding in parallel with design and forced a re‑sequencing of the work.
Labonte also reported the San Francisco Westside recycled‑water project is forecast to be about four months behind schedule and about $16 million over the target budget (roughly 13% higher). The scope changes reflect additional site design, landscaping, and architectural features — including a small visitor center and a green roof — added to gain public acceptance and satisfy Recreation & Park Department siting concerns as part of the CEQA process.
Commissioners pressed staff for clearer schedule and budget visibility in the quarterly report. Commissioner Kane asked that future reports include a project‑level Gantt chart showing planned versus actual progress and money spent, and Labonte said the June report will include a longer format with that information. Labonte said she has called meetings to perform value engineering on the water‑supply projects and will follow up on outstanding variances in the next quarterly report.
The presentation also reviewed other programs and milestones: the Irvington tunnel was out to bid with bids due April 1 and tracking about six months behind; construction on the Crystal Springs tunnel was just over 50% complete; and the San Joaquin pipeline system had 23 land acquisitions under way. Labonte said the independent review panel had generally been supportive of the PUC’s systems and procedures but cautioned that attention to shutdowns, permitting and mitigation cost increases remains essential.
The commission did not take action on policy at the meeting but asked staff to return with the expanded June report and follow up on value engineering and schedules for the projects that have shown variances.
