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Water Temple closed until mid-summer

by Caitlin Moyles

The Pulgas Water Temple has been closed temporarily due to water system construction in the entrance and parking lot areas, blocking access to the temple grounds and portable restrooms.

The temple, located on Canada Road in Redwood City, closed May 23 and is expected to re-open in mid-summer, according to the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission.

The work is part of the $4.6 billion Water System Improvement Program to repair, replace and seismically upgrade the Hetch Hetchy Regional Water System.

The work around the temple is related to a dechloramination facility, which insures that the water running through the reservoir system has an appropriate pH balance, said Alison Kastama, a spokesperson for the commission.

The temple and its surrounding facilities are a key component of the Hetch Hetchy water system and the Crystal Springs Reservoir System, which provides supplementary water supply to San Mateo and San Francisco counties. The temple was built in 1934 to mark the location where the waters from the Sierra Nevada Mountains reach the Peninsula.

Ms. Kastama said the commission has known about the construction for about a year, so it will not interfere with weddings or other events at the site.

Visit sfwater.org/SCT for more information and to receive email notification when the temple reopens.