In an update on Aug. 15, the city said the pipe repair is now complete and the hole has been backfilled. Sidewalk and roadway restoration remains to be done.
EBMUD said in an email on Friday that, starting Saturday, Aug. 12, traffic would be affected near El Cerrito and Magnolia avenues as the utility works to repair a ‘”serious” leak in a critical water pipeline.
The city says the problem was first discovered in late July, after receiving reports of a water leak at El Cerrito and Magnolia. Public Works crews removed a street tree above the leak location in order to allow EBMUD to investigate the issue.
Portions of El Cerrito and Magnolia avenues immediately around the leak will be closed to traffic while crews excavate the intersection:
• Magnolia Avenue will be closed to traffic at El Cerrito Avenue. Traffic will be detoured onto El Cerrito Avenue and San Carlos Avenue.
• El Cerrito Avenue westbound will be closed immediately adjacent to the El Cerrito/Magnolia intersection. Traffic on El Cerrito Avenue between Oakland and Magnolia avenues will be detoured to San Carlos and Hillside avenues.
According to EBMUD, the Sequoia Aqueduct pipeline supplies water to the southern part of its service area, from Oakland down to Castro Valley. The aqueduct was built in 1928 after the completion of the Pardee Dam. At 48 inches in diameter, it is one of the largest pipes in EBMUD’s service system.
The city says it will post updates on this project on its website HERE.
From the Aug. 11 EBMUD email:
We’re reaching out to notify you of an upcoming repair project in the vicinity of El Cerrito Avenue and Magnolia Avenue in Piedmont.
In late July, EBMUD became aware of a serious leak on our *Sequoia Aqueduct, located beneath El Cerrito Avenue and Magnolia Avenue in Piedmont. On Saturday, August 12, 2023, from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., EBMUD will excavate the leak site beneath the intersection of El Cerrito Avenue and Magnolia Avenue to assess the damage. Both Magnolia Avenue and El Cerrito Avenue will be closed intermittently throughout the day, and we ask that you avoid the area. Traffic detours will be in place in the vicinity of the excavation site. Additionally, the excavation area will be fenced during the repair, and the traffic lane will remain closed until the repair is completed.
Repair work on the Aqueduct will begin on Monday, August 14, within the excavated pit between 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. EBMUD tentatively expects this work to take approximately 2-3 weeks to complete. Traffic will be single-laned through this area with a fence around the excavated pit.
EBMUD does not anticipate any water service outages during this project, however, this could change during construction. Please check your email for updates.
*The Sequoia Aqueduct is a critical pipeline that supplies water to the southern part of the service area, from Oakland down to Castro Valley. The aqueduct was built in 1928 after the completion of the Pardee Dam. At 48 inches in diameter, it is one of the largest pipes in our service system. EBMUD will strive to complete this repair as safely and quickly as possible.
For any questions or concerns about this project, please to contact construction-east@ebmud.com or by phone at 510-287-2053.
To ensure everyone has the latest information, please encourage your neighbors to sign up for notifications at ebmud.com/subscriptions.