A huge segment of the $4.6-billion Hetch Hetchy Water System Improvement Program (WSIP) is about to head in a downhill direction. The San Joaquin Pipeline System (SJPS), part of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission’s WSIP to repair, replace and seismically upgrade the aging Hetch Hetchy Water System, has reached several major milestones over the last several months.According to officials at the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC), notices to proceed were issued this quarter for the eastern segment contract, which involves the construction of a new pipeline from the Oakdale Portal to a new connection point 6.7 miles from the

The $452-million Lodi Energy Center (LEC) natural gas power plant project is progressing well and is on track for completion in June 2012, according to sources at the Northern California Power Agency (NCPA), a joint‐action agency serving public power entities in Northern and Central California. The project, which is under construction on 4.4 acres of land in Lodi, will generate 280 megawatts of power once complete.“We’ve experienced a few challenges with suppliers, but we are working around those,” said Ed Warner, project manager, NCPA. “We are 50 percent done with construction and over 70 percent complete with the overall project,