Sewer
Protecting public health and the environment.
Annual Report for the Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 2011
Since the Gold Rush, the City of San Francisco has had a public sewer system to protect
the health and safety of residents, businesses, and visitors. Today, we maintain the
San Francisco Combined Sewer System – 1,000 miles of combined sewer lines, pump
stations, and treatment plants that treat wastewater from homes and businesses,
as well as local stormwater and street runoff.
Our upcoming Sewer System Improvement Program – a comprehensive 30-year program
of infrastructure upgrades – will soon lead the way in addressing City-wide concerns
of seismic reliability, sea level rise, urban flooding, and odor controls, while ensuring
benefits to our community and the environment.
2010-11 Milestones
High-Tech Mapping of Sewer Weak Spots
Some of San Francisco’s sewer lines have been in
operation since the 1860’s. Utilizing modern GIS mapping
technology, we are identifying the system’s weakest
spots and prioritizing replacement needs as part of
our Sewer System Improvement Program.
Future Tunnel to Reduce Flooding
This year construction began on a 4,000-foot-long
auxiliary sewer tunnel in San Francisco’s Sunnydale
area. The new Sunnydale Tunnel will provide extra
system capacity and help reduce flooding in
Visitacion Valley during intense rainstorms.
Ridding Neighborhoods of the Smell
At the Channel Pump Station on the edge of Mission
Creek, new carbon odor control units now keep
odors from escaping into neighboring areas.
City Partnership for Neighborhood Enhancement
In partnership with the Department of Public Works,
the Planning Department, and the Municipal
Transportation Agency, work began on the Cesar
Chavez Sewer Improvement Project and streetscape
upgrades. This project implements low-impactdesign features along Cesar Chavez – a wider street
median, more trees, corner bulbouts for safer
pedestrian crossings, pervious paving, and new
stormwater planters for green landscaping. These
upgrades will enhance the neighborhood while
reducing stormwater flow into our combined sewer.
Harvesting Rainwater in City Schools
In collaboration with the San Francisco Unified School
District, we initiated “Tap the Sky.” This innovative
educational program teaches City youth to irrigate
with rainwater. Rainwater harvesting conserves
precious drinking water and diverts stormwater
from San Francisco’s aging sewer system.
New Ordinance Solving the Grease Problem
Each year, discharged fats, oils and grease (FOG)
clog our sewer pipes and cost the City more than
$3.5 million a year to clear. In February 2011,
the San Francisco Board of Supervisors adopted
our FOG Control Ordinance, which outlines grease
capturing requirements for restaurants to reduce
sewer blockages.
Fifteenth Consecutive National Award
For the 15th consecutive year, the Oceanside
Water Pollution Control Plant received the National
Association of Clean Water Agencies Platinum
Award for complete and consistent compliance
with all National Pollutant Discharge Elimination
System requirements.
Feature:
A Research Team
for Purification
Pilot Study on New Agent for Wastewater Purification
Staff at our Southeast Wastewater
Treatment Plant and NASA Ames
Research Center are investigating the
use of freshwater algae for additional
purification of treated wastewater.
In 2011, the two organizations launched
the 18-month OMEGA project to grow
the algae strain chlorella vulgaris
with the aid of treated wastewater
and certain treatment byproducts,
such as flue gas, inside specially
manufactured photobioreactors at
the Plant.
The team is assessing the feasibility
of using algae to extract trace heavy
metals and nutrients, such as phosphorus,
from wastewater effluent. NASA is also
examining the viability of this algal
biomass as a feedstock for aviation
biofuel production.
“The San Francisco Public Utilities
Commission’s Oceanside Wastewater
Treatment Plant has earned NACWA’s
Platinum Peak Performance honors –
CONGRATULATIONS!”
— Ken Kirk, Executive Director
National Association of Clean Water Agencies
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