Pipeline Updates

March 01, 2023
Project Work is Complete!
The construction work on the Pipeline Replacement Project contract is complete! Thanks to the entirety of our Membership and residents for everyone’s patience, support and participation in this essential update to our neighborhood.

We are now moving into the Close-Out Phase of the Project, completing the accounting work with the contractor, having our permits ‘finaled’ by the County, and tying up any remaining loose ends.

If you have any questions, comments or concerns with the Project’s progress or anything relating the Project to your own property, please call our project manager - David Gurley (415.717.5633).

We will make a final post upon completion of Project Close-Out.

December 12, 2022
NOTICE OF SYSTEM-WIDE SHUT-DOWN - WEDNESDAY, 12.14.2022
The 2022 upgrades to the Michele Mutual Water Company’s Water Distribution System are almost complete! 100% of the new pipeline has been installed, and the vast majority of new services and meters have been installed! Yea! :)

On Wednesday, 12.24.22, the contractor will need to shut down the entire system, in order to connect the new pipes into the system, and to connect them to the segments of pipe that were upgraded previously (cir. 2000).

The entire water system will be shut down at 7:00 a.m. Wednesday morning. Connections (i.e.; tie-ins) will be made at approximately the mid-point of the Mark West Springs/Michele East segment, at the south end of the Lorraine/Michele West segment, the northwest intersection of the Lorraine loop at the Michele West segment, at the northwest extent of the Lorraine segment, and two (2) at the storage tanks.

Restoration of service is expected no later than 5:00 p.m. Wednesday afternoon.

Once the last tie-ins are complete, and service is fully restored, we expect that no additional shut downs will be required thereafter.

November 28, 2022
The work on installing the new pipelines has been completed!

And the installation of new connections and meters has been completed on the Michele Way - East / Mark West Springs leg of the loop!

While County approval has been received for pipeline installation on the Lorraine Loop and Eino Way legs, the contractor is still working with our System Operator to confirm that the new piping on those sections is sanitary and ready for service (they’ve not yet received clearance).

As soon as clearance is received - expected this week - the contractor will proceed with installing the connections and meters for the Lorraine Loop and the southern portion of Eino Way.

The Water Company Board is pressing diligently to complete a sufficient percentage of those connections to begin monitoring carefully the Company-wide daily water usage. This usage data will be used by the Engineers of Record for the Water Tank Replacement Project, which is proceeding concurrent with the Pipeline Project.

November 09, 2022
As promised, the contractor returned to the neighborhood on October 13th, and was able to continue on with - and to complete - the installation of the new pipeline serving Lorraine Way on or about 10.25.22.

The crew then transitioned to the lower portion of Eino Way, completing the last leg of new pipeline installation on Friday, October 28th.

And then the County, and the weather, declined to cooperate - for a week-and-a-half….

Fortunately, both issues resolved today, 11.09.22, and both the sun and the County inspector came out again!

All portions of the Lorraine Way pipeline passed the County pressure-test inspection, so the contractor is cleared for final sanitary testing of the Lorraine loop pipeline, tomorrow.

Also starting tomorrow - Thursday, 11.10.22 - the contractor will begin installation of our new meters and making final connections between the new pipeline and our homes. They will knock on the front door of each home prior to shutting off the water; if no one responds, they will proceed with the tie-in.

PLEASE NOTE: Homeowners along the new Michele East / Mark West Springs pipeline segment (from 1455 MWS Rd, north to Michele Way), will experience brief water outages (+/- 1 Hour) over the next ten (10) days or so (weather dependent).

As soon as the Michele East / Mark West leg tie-ins are complete, the contractor will begin making tie-ins along the Michele West / Lorraine East leg, likely during the latter part of next week (11.15-18.22).

Finally, homes on the Lorraine West portion of the loop will be tied-in. If the gods (and the weather) cooperate, all tie-ins may well be complete by Thanksgiving, 11.24.22. (Yea!)

Please stay tuned for additional updates, regarding any issues that may be encountered, and what to expect as the contractor works to complete the work and demobilize (removing equipment and excess materials) from the neighborhood.

October 12, 2022
On Thursday, September 22nd, the contractor was called to an emergency situation on another project. Unfortunately, they have been occupied with that situation; as a result, no work has been undertaken on the Pipeline Project over the past three weeks.

They are committed, however, to returning to the Pipeline Project as of tomorrow morning, Thursday, 10.13.22.

Upon their return, they will begin with the replacement of the final leg of 4” supply line, not replaced previously, between the well/pump house and the south side of Lorraine Way.

As soon as that leg is replaced, sanitized and inspected, a brief shut-down of the well will be necessary to cut over to the new line. The Board will provide advance notice of any shut-down, with the additional comment that no notable impact on water flow out of the tanks may be noticeable, since the tanks will be filled as much as possible, prior to shutting down the flow from the well into the storage tanks.

Once complete, the crew will complete the final revised leg of the pipeline replacement along the northwest portion of Lorraine Way, when a final sanitation, testing and inspection will occur. Again, a brief shut-down will be required, which will affect water flow to the Lorraine Way water loop, while the new line is connected to the system.

September 08, 2022
The Board has been able to determine that the mysterious outage and drain-down of the water storage tanks yesterday.

It appears that Tuesday’s extraordinary temperatures affected the power feed from PG&E to the electrical controls that monitor water levels in the tanks and run commands to the well pump to start up, and to shut-down when the pumps are filled.

The controls have been recalibrated and the software updated, which should return the system to normal operation, as temperatures return to more normal temperatures.

September 07, 2022
The members of the MMWC have encountered an additional outage today, which is, we believe, completely separate and apart from the scheduled system-wide shut-down yesterday, 9.06.22.

The Board and the Pipeline Project contractor have verified - and confirmed - that all valves closed during the 9.06.22 shut-down have been returned to normal operating status.

Unfortunately, it’s been determined that the tanks have been drawn down today to a near-empty state. Refilling the tanks seems to have been affected by the 115+ degree heat, yesterday (9.06.22) and today. The Board is hopeful that the tanks are refilling, now that temperatures have dropped to the +/- 70 degree range - well within normal operating temperature for the well pump.

The Board will continue to research the issue tomorrow, 9.08.22, to finally assess and identify the issue(s) with the electrical supply to the well pump. In the interim, please minimize water use however possible. Updates will be posted here, as efforts to identify the cause of today’s outage continue.

September 06, 2022
Today’s shut-down began on-schedule at 7:30 a.m. The Nunley Engineering, Inc. crew went to work on the extremely and precariously steep section of trench near the end of the Lorraine Cul-de-Sac, and was able to complete the trench and the installation of the new pipe by about 10:30 a.m. Without any mishaps or damages. Water service to the System was restored by about 11:00 a.m.

The Board, and the contractor, very much appreciate the support and participation of the membership. Thank you, Every One!

September 03, 2022
The excavation/installation of the new water distribution main for the Lorraine Way leg of the pipeline is ongoing.

A system-wide shut-down is being called for Tuesday, 9.06.22, from 7:30a.m. to 4:30p.m.

Please plan ahead for this precautionary shut-down. The Board is hopeful that the shut-down will require a shorter period, and may not impose system-wide impacts, however, in order to ensure that all are a) notified and b) prepared, we are posting this notice to all members.

A separate email will be mailed to the membership containing the above information, and a follow-up email will be distributed upon completion of the work.

August 19, 2022
The excavation and installation of the new water distribution main has been completed for Mark West Springs Road/Michele Way leg of the water line, and is set for pressure testing, sanitization and inspection next week (approx. August 24th & 25th, 2022).

Upon successful testing, cleaning and inspection, the crew will begin setting the individual connection hardware for each property. Connection hardware will generally include the water stop and shut-off, a new water meter and the necessary connection to the water service to each property (for those that have already connected to the Water Distribution System (WDS)).

Please Note: While the connections are being made, brief water outages, on a house-by-house basis, will be required. The Board and the contractor will try to make contact with each homeowner prior to each outage; PLEASE be sure to update your contact information - via the link on this site, if necessary.

Work on the Lorraine Way leg of the WDS also began this week (8.17.22), and will continue through and beyond next week, from the lower extent (near Eino Way) up the hill to the Lorraine cul-de-sac and along the Lorraine-Michele Way easement to the water tanks.

Thus far, the crew is making good progress, and currently is on-schedule for completion by mid-November (pending unforeseen conditions).

Please call or email David Gurley with Project-related questions, comments or concerns. Questions raised will be posted to this page for the benefit of all Company Members.
415.717.5633 or windwardknolls@gmail.com

August 02, 2022
The excavation crew has made good progress over the past week, excavating the trench from the tanks compound downhill (north) to Lorraine Way, and east to - and across - Michele Way.

Anyone turning downhill on Michele Way has driven across the ‘cut’ in the asphalt, which is scheduled to be patched back this week.

The crew will be excavating from Michele Way to the east side easement (serving homes facing Mark West Springs Road and those facing the east side of Michele Way) over the course of this week, and next, so please be aware that you may have guys and machines in your back yard (along the easement) starting at 8:00 a.m. each day.

As mentioned, they will excavate first, lay in the new (N) blue, C-900 PVC water pipe, and install the (N) service stubs onto the (N) pipe. They will wait until a sufficient run of (N) pipe is installed, to sanitize the pipe and have it tested and inspected, before making the actual connection of the (N) to the existing (E) line. We will do our best to post notices here of impending interruptions to service. Please stay tuned.

Also, during the excavation from the tanks compound, it was determined that the 4” supply/filler line (which runs from the well/pump to the redwood tank) has previously been replaced, however, the crew is trying to determine whether (N) supply/filler line was installed over only a portion of, or over the entirety of the run. This and other previously undocumented variations from the project documents are under consideration by the Board, and being researched by the crew, as we write. We will post updates here as they become apparent.

As previously requested, please report any comments, concerns or questions to David Gurley - windwardknolls@gmail.com and/or 415.717.5633.

July 25, 2022
Excavation began today for the new (N) 6” main distribution line from the tank compound downhill, to the north, towards Lorraine Way. Approximately 250LF of trench excavation was completed successfully, circumnavigating two (2) evergreen trees along the path, where hand excavation was used to trench beneath the major root structures, leaving them intact and maximizing both trees’ chances for long-term success.

The trench was marked for safety using pylons and cones until work resumes tomorrow morning.

July 23, 2022
Work on the Pipeline Project is now confirmed to begin on Monday, July 25th! The work is currently expected to be complete early December.

The work will begin Monday, adjacent to the Water Storage Tanks, and progress downhill to the north, towards Lorraine Way. As mentioned previously (see below), it will then proceed east to and across Michele Way, and then south along the MMWC Easement serving homes facing Mark West Springs Road, and the east side of Michele Way. When that leg is complete, the crew will return to the area adjacent to the Water Storage Tanks, and work south and around the Lorraine Way pipeline loop.

The general approach is as follows:

Excavate new (N) trench as close to the existing (E) pipe line as possible,
Lay in (N) C-900 PVC pipe for a reasonable distance (100’-400’/run),
Cut in Service Ts, valves and other accessories on each run for a complete, *not-yet-connected* run,
Chlorinate and test and inspect the run and accessories,
Tie in the run to the (E) pipe line and restore services associated with that (N) pipe segment.

Please note: The crew does not expect to fully obstruct passage on either Michele or Lorraine Ways at any time, however, some traffic control and one-way lane controls may be required, from time to time. Please be on the lookout for the crews, and please respect their work on our Water System.

Also, please take the time necessary to clear any personal belongings or improvements from the MMWC easement across your parcel(s) - for the duration of the Project. The Water Company and its contractors will remove such obstructions from the easement as necessary to access and install the new water line, but are not responsible for restoring them when the work is complete. In some locations, the Easement is the sole access path, so the crew may need to use the Easement for materials or equipment, even after your new segment of the line has been installed.

July 5, 2022
Excerpted from David Gurley’s email:

Next week – during the week of July 11th – excavation work will begin on the Pipeline Replacement Project. The work is currently slated to begin at the water tanks, and progress downhill to the north, to Lorraine Way, and then across Michele Way and down the waterline easement between the properties on the east side of Michele Way and Mark West Springs Road.

When that leg is complete, the excavation crew will return to the water tanks, and begin excavating the line to the south, along the easement between the properties on the west side of Michele Way and those along Lorraine Way.

The final leg is anticipated to run back up the west side of Lorraine Way and connect back to the (newly-installed) main line just south of the tanks.

Project Map

The Pipeline Replacement work is expected to be complete by about November 15th, pending weather, fires and other unforeseen conditions that may impact the construction schedule. The Board asks everyone’s consideration and patience; inconveniences during construction are inevitable, however, both the Board and the contractor will continue to work diligently to improve the pipeline for continued efficient delivery of water to each of our members for decades to come.