SVCW celebrated 404 days without a recordable safety incident today. This is no small feat as our employees work in an industrial facility with inherent risks, always giving rise to possibilities for accidents. SVCW employees embrace and embody a culture of safety, and the proof lies in the results. I can’t even begin to express how proud I am of our employees.
We’ll continue to emphasize safety and striving for excellence. Some of this year’s goals and expectations include:
- 0 accidents in 2020, including recordable and first aid;
- Increase safety drills and training for emergency response;
- Submit and win awards from local and state organizations to recognize excellence in safety;
- Most importantly, have everyone go home to their loved ones whole and healthy every single day of the year.
Thank you for following the work we’re doing and, please, be safe.
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SVCW Makes a Splash in Regional and State Awards Programs
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We're excited to announce that SVCW earned recognition for excellence in engineering, research and safety from regional and state awards programs!
The Santa Clara Valley section of the California Water Environment Association
engineering projects and research. Read more about the award
here
.
The California Sanitation Risk Management Authority (CSRMA) gave SVCW high marks for safety with a 2019 Workers’ Compensation Excellence Award—an honor bestowed on only three regional water districts across the state. The award recognizes agencies which have successfully implemented soft tissue/strain related injury prevention efforts. As mentioned above, the SVCW team has maintained an impeccable safety record, recording no incidents in well over a year. For more about the Workers' Compensation Excellence Award, go
here
.
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Celebrating African American Environmentalists for Black History Month
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In honor of Black History Month, SVCW salutes the many African American environmentalists who've helped fight for issues like clean air, transportation and water. They've helped pave the way for agencies like ours to do the work we do.
One of these pioneers was the "father of the environmental justice movement," Dr. Robert Bullard. Named in 2008 by Newsweek as one of the top 13 "Environmental Leaders of the Century," and winner of the 2013 Sierra Club John Muir Award, Bullard has authored many books that address everything from urban land use, industrial siting and housing to transportation, climate justice and more.
Dr. Bullard is famous for saying that if you live on this earth and breathe this air, then you are an environmentalist. We couldn't agree more. That's why we are always inviting our community to help us with our mission by not allowing pollutants like hazardous chemicals, pesticides, medications and grease down their sinks, toilets or storm drains.
Read more about prominent African American environmentalists
here. For more about SVCW's work in technology innovation at the treatment plant, go
here.
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We're on track and continuing to make progress on the Regional Environmental Sewer Conveyance Upgrade (RESCU), the rehabilitation and replacement of SVCW's conveyance system. When complete, it will ensure that for many decades to come, SVCW can efficiently, reliably, and safely convey and treat wastewater from its four member agencies. Those include Belmont, San Carlos, Redwood City, and the West Bay Sanitary District (which serves the cities of Menlo Park, Portola Valley, and portions of Atherton, Woodside, East Palo Alto, and unincorporated areas of San Mateo County).
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Front of Plant Physical Design Package Complete and Headworks Facility Construction Underway
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Artist rendering of SVCW logo on north-facing wall of the Headworks facility wall
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In recent weeks, we reached an important milestone for the Front of Plant (FoP) project. Shea/Parsons Joint Venture (SPJV) completed the physical design package, which describes all equipment, facilities, and structures that will be built and installed in the coming months. We also began working on the operations control narrative--using the same progressive design/build approach we used with the FoP--to document the critical operating steps for the entire FoP system. These operations will be automated, with experienced SVCW staff providing oversight.
In February, the placement of all first level wall panels for the Headworks facility was completed by SPJV. As work on the second level deck continues, the SVCW logo will be imprinted on the north side wall in conjunction with forming and placing concrete. Also this month, coordination meetings between the Front of Plant (FoP) and Gravity Pipeline (GP) project teams resumed to coordinate construction elements at the projects' connection points, like the strength of the break-in panel for the Surge and Flow Splitter (SFS) shaft. To ensure Salus, the tunnel boring machine (TBM), breaks through smoothly into the SFS shaft, teams will coordinate panel thickness and concrete strength with other necessary construction elements in the SFS shaft.
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Gravity Pipeline in Final Stages of Installation in Shaft
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This month we are in the final stages of installing the necessary equipment for Salus to begin tunneling towards the Bair Island Shaft in April 2020
, including the remaining trailing gear (gantries) and the continuous conveyor belt. The conveyor belt will transport muck, or materials excavated by the TBM, to the onsite muck transfer basin located at the TBM launch site.
Rails installed on the tunnel floor will allow Barnard-Bessac Joint Venture (BBJV) to transport personnel and supplies through the completed portions of the tunnel to Salus. To allow efficient movement of staff and materials within the tunnel as mining proceeds, a rail switch, a.k.a. "California Switch," was installed. Now, the two different tracks can be used interchangeably up to the TBM gantries. SVCW and BBJV are preparing the Bair Island Shaft for Salus’ breakthrough by installing a steel frame, or cradle, to support the TBM in the shaft. This will support Salus’ heavy machinery and prevent damages to the TBM during breakthrough. After arriving at the Bair Island shaft, Salus will be dismantled and returned to the launch shaft located at Shoreway Road and Holly Street to start its second tunneling drive towards the SVCW treatment plant.
Part of the Gravity Pipeline construction includes installing a raw wastewater carrier pipe in the tunnel that flows to the treatment plant. A batch of fiberglass reinforced polymer (FRP) pipes were manufactured in Jakarta, Indonesia, and shipped to the Port of Stockton, California. The pipes are now at a storage yard in Sunol, California. A second batch of pipes are being manufactured, and the shipment is expected to arrive in mid-April 2020.
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Pump Station Improvement Design and Construction Plans
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SPJV is refining design and construction phasing plans for the Menlo Park Pump Station and Belmont Gravity Pipeline which will guide SVCW and SPJV staff as the new pump station assets are commissioned and brought online.
The partners developed a communications and public outreach plan to ensure the community is aware of upcoming construction and the steps we've taken to ensure no or minimal public impact. Over the last few months, SVCW reached out to notify neighboring businesses about activities within their immediate vicinity. Outreach efforts and regular communication with the public will continue throughout the duration of the project.
For more information about the Pump Station Improvements projects, go
here
.
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