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PUC: WESIP is broadly on track though environmental reviews delay some regional projects
Summary
WESIP staff told the commission the Water Enterprise System Improvement Program is generally on schedule and on budget, with $192 million in expenditures to date; environmental-phase delays (including the PEIR and Crystal Springs Bypass Tunnel) explain much of the lag in certain regions.
The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission received a detailed quarterly briefing on the Water Enterprise System Improvement Program (WESIP), in which staff said the program is largely on track though environmental reviews and a few site‑specific issues continue to slow some regional projects.
Julie Levante, WESIP director, told commissioners the program-level earned value and performance indices indicate the program is meeting expectations overall. "Based on what is shown here, the program overall as a whole is on track," Levante said, and staff reported actual expenditures of $192,000,000 as of March, which are below planned expenditures.
Levante highlighted that environmental work (the PEIR and delays on the Crystal Springs Bypass Tunnel) accounts for roughly half of the current lag in the environmental phase. She described corrective measures including re‑forecasting percent plans, hiring additional environmental-planning staff at MEA, and targeted management actions to accelerate affected regional projects.
On the Bay Division Pipeline 3 and 4 seismic upgrade, Senior Project Manager Joanna Wong and project manager Ravi Krishnay described Phase A work (installation of shutoff and crossover valves to isolate Hayward Fault crossings) and Phase B planning; staff reported the project was roughly 70–72% complete and forecast construction NTP dates for later phases. Krishnay said the project overcame neighborhood concerns by redesigning electrical vaults and by concerted outreach. "We were able to implement a buried vault ... and we were able to implement that," Krishnay said of a design change made in response to community feedback.
Levante said the program expects about 70 system shutdowns over the course of the program, many of them compressed into a 3–4 year window, and she emphasized the need for interagency coordination with downstream customers. Staff also reported that earned values exceed actual expenditures at the program and local levels, which staff interpret as efficient spending at this stage.
The commission asked for regular reporting on steering‑committee actions and for a June presentation of a contracted risk assessment (Parsons anticipated to present in June). Levante said budget realignment and a potential program baseline revision are likely later in the year once additional analyses are complete.
Next steps: staff will present the Parsons risk assessment in June, continue re‑forecasting schedule values and return with recommended baseline adjustments as appropriate.
