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SFPUC approves real-estate agreements with Daly City for Vista Grande drainage project
Summary
The commission authorized quitclaims and easements and agreed to a 50‑year license for an SFPUC inlet pipeline to enable Daly City’s Vista Grande drainage basin improvements intended to restore hydrology and reduce flooding into Lake Merced.
The commission approved agreements on Dec. 9 that allow Daly City to construct and operate facilities to increase drainage capacity in the Vista Grande basin and to restore a more natural hydrology for Lake Merced.
Dina Brazil, SFPUC right-of-way manager, said the project will reroute stormwater from the Vista Grande Canal through a culvert on Parcel 55, replace upstream canal segments with a collection box, construct a treatment wetland, replace the tunnel with a larger-diameter facility and install a force main and lake outfall so treated stormwater can be directed into Lake Merced. The SFPUC would quitclaim existing tunnel easements to Daly City, convey new easements for facilities the city will own and operate, and issue a 50-year license to allow the SFPUC inlet pipeline that protects lake levels to be built and operated.
Daly City commissioned appraisal work and will pay appraised fair-market value for the rights conveyed, Brazil said. Environmental review for the original project was certified in 2017 and a 2025 addendum was adopted for additional mitigation-site work.
Why it matters: The canal and tunnel have historically diverted watershed flows that previously fed Lake Merced, reducing the lake to a terminal basin dependent on rainfall; the project aims to improve flood capacity and restore some of that hydrology while establishing long-term roles and responsibilities between Daly City and the SFPUC.
Ending: The Commission approved the purchase-and-sale agreement, easement deeds and license amendment by roll call. Staff said Daly City and SFPUC will finalize documents and proceed with project permitting and construction sequencing consistent with the environmental record.
