SFPUC RECEIVES $2.9 MILLION FEMA GRANT

By Laurie Isola, Bay City News Service

February 7, 2006

SAN FRANCISCO (BCN) - The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission has received a $2.9 million hazard mitigation grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for two water pipeline projects.

Funds from the Pre-Disaster Mitigation competitive grant program will support a project to protect a critical utility system for the San Francisco Bay Area by installing isolation valves on two water pipelines on either side of the Hayward Fault, the federal agency reported today.

According to the agency, the pipelines are an essential link in the commission's water delivery system, which serves San Francisco and 29 neighboring cities.

The new design automatically senses fault ruptures and pipe breaks and initiates rapid closure of the isolation valves to prevent leaks.

FEMA's grant funds state, tribal and local government pre-disaster mitigation plans and projects. All applications are reviewed, then ranked and evaluated by a national panel.

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