Reservoirs Are Healthy: Piedmont to Have More Replacement of Old Pipes
Earthquake preparation for water lines –
On Wednesday July 11, 2018, an East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) District Board briefing was held at the EBMUD Administrative Building on 11th Street in downtown Oakland. Present at the meeting were EBMUD Board of Directors for three of the Wards for EBMUD local service areas: Doug Linnet, William B. Patterson, and Marguerite Young. Invited Guests present at the meeting included other EBMUD representatives, elected officials, local media (including PCA), and other community leaders. Director Marguerite Young is the elected representation of Ward 3, the local service area which includes the City of Piedmont.
Much of the briefing focused on many of the general issues that confront the east bay with regards to water and water waste. In terms of the ongoing drought, Director of Operations and Maintenance, Clifford Chan says that the end of year water storage and reservoirs look good and healthy.
Issues included recapping on certain projects in the area, like a 7 million dollar odor reduction operation that was just completed on the water treatment plant beside Interstate Highway 80. This insures a reduction in the strong odors that drift across the highway and into the Target store and other shopping centers in the Emeryville area. This accompanies other projects that EBMUD has taken on.
During the 2017-2018 year EBMUD has begun the process of replacing old transmission pipelines. Several of these pipeline replacements will take place in EBMUD Ward 3 and will have an effect on daily activity in Piedmont. One such case is the replacement of an 88-year-old pipeline that runs beneath Grand Avenue on a stretch between Arroyo Avenue and Oakland Avenue. The construction on Grand Ave will force some lane closures, but EBMUD says it will maintain two way traffic at all times. In case of water service interruption, residents will be notified either in person or with a door hanger.
Several of the replacement projects in Ward 3 will have pipes rebuilt to withstand seismic activity like pipes running through Berkeley and Oakland that are built near or on the Hayward fault line such as a new pipeline that is running by Cal Memorial Stadium and beneath Highway 24, which services water through Berkeley, Oakland, and Piedmont. This line near the fault line will need to be engineered to withstand a large earthquake within a close proximity.
by Joe Creason, Journalism Intern
The Grand Ave main replacement project has been a real NIGHTMARE, especially the daily closure of Lower Grand Ave for most of the year-long construction project. Most days this means no access for all residents. How it came to be necessary that THREE trenches along this narrow one-way street is insane; to say the least! And the end is still a LONG way off! Curb, gutter, sidewalk and street repaving work is yet to begin. We’re HOPING for a Christmas gift! This has been a terrible experience for us all.