FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 17, 2022
SFPUC Completes Seismic Projects to Ensure our Sewer System is Better Prepared for the Next Big Earthquake
Upgrades and innovations across the entire system ensure the reliability of San Francisco’s sewer system and treatment plants for generations to come
SAN FRANCISCO – On the anniversary of the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake, the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) announces the completion of three major sewer system upgrades enhancing the seismic reliability of critical infrastructure, all crucial milestones in the citywide efforts to prepare for the next big earthquake. The completed Sewer System Improvement Projects (SSIP) include the newly upgraded North Shore Force Main along the Embarcadero, Mariposa Pump Station in Mission Bay, and the Primary Sedimentation Building at the Southeast Treatment Plant in Bayview-Hunters Point.
Upgrading our aging combined sewer system and incorporating seismic redundancy into our infrastructure is essential to ensuring our system continues to protect public health and our environment. Our goal is to ensure our system can safely perform essential sewer service within 72 hours after a major earthquake.
“This is earthquake country,” said SFPUC General Manager Dennis Herrera. “The completion of these critical seismic projects is a key development that will help keep our infrastructure resilient and able to withstand inevitable earthquakes. This also underscores the importance of upgrading our systems, which are vital to public health. The anniversary of the Loma Prieta Earthquake is a reminder that we must always be prepared in San Francisco.”
The SFPUC has worked for more than two decades to repair, replace, and seismically upgrade our crucial water and wastewater infrastructure. The $4.8 billion Water System Improvement Program broke ground in 2004. Since then, more than 80 projects spanning seven counties have been completed. The SFPUC continues major upgrades to critical water facilities, the largest of which is the Mountain Tunnel Improvements Project. Crews also replace 12 miles of water transmission pipeline in San Francisco each year.
Today, almost a decade has passed since the start of the Sewer System Improvement Program, a multi-billion-dollar citywide investment to ensure a reliable, resilient, and sustainable sewer system. This work is essential to ensure our critical systems continues to do the amazing and mostly invisible work for all who live, work and play in San Francisco.
Key Completed Seismic Improvements to our Infrastructure
The Force Main Rehabilitation at Embarcadero and Jackson Improvements Project (FMEJ) overhauled the North Shore Force Main (NSFM) which serves more than 350,000 residents and businesses by transporting combined wastewater and stormwater from northeast San Francisco to the Southeast Treatment Plant. The NSFM, which is almost always in use, was at the end of its useful life and underwent emergency repairs in both 2008 and 2012. The improvement provide redundancy against disruption of service and sewage overflows to the Bay, protecting the environment.
The project constructed a redundant force main and new valve which allowed SFPUC to rehabilitate approximately 190 linear feet of the force main. Other upgrades included mechanical and electrical components. Close collaboration with other City departments, the San Francisco Port and the community was essential to minimize disruption to the high-traffic Embarcadero area.
The Mariposa Pump Station Improvement Project transformed the existing pump station into an all-weather pump station capable of better serving the growing community of Mission Bay, Potrero Hill, and Dogpatch neighborhoods, including the new Chase Arena. Originally built in 1954, the Mariposa Pump Station (MSP) was a dry-weather pump station responsible for pumping wastewater from the surrounding area to the Southeast Treatment Plant for treatment. The newly constructed modern pump station built at the same location, is capable of handling the additional wastewater flows due to population growth and now meets seismic and sea-level rise requirements.
The Primary Sedimentation Building Seismic Retrofit and Rehabilitation Project at the Southeast Treatment Plant, our largest facility located in the Bayview neighborhood, upgraded and modernized these critical facilities to withstand a 7.8 earthquake on the San Andres Fault. This facility is responsible for separating wastewater into liquids and solids before undergoing subsequent treatments and is a crucial step in the wastewater treatment process. In addition to the seismic upgrade, the project added safety, mechanical and electrical components.
More Improvements Planned
We have developed an adaptable, sustainable process to prioritize our limited resources as part of our rolling 2-year budget and 10-year planning cycles. At the same time, as we invest in our physical infrastructure, we’re also investing in our communities by providing training and contracting resources and opportunities to local residents and small businesses.
While many sewer projects have been completed, there is still a lot of work left to upgrade our sewer system. To learn more about the progress of SFPUC’s infrastructure projects, please visit sfpuc.org/construction-contracts/construction-projects.
Stay prepared by visiting sfpuc.org/beprepared to learn about how to properly store and treat water, as well as how to shut down the home water supply for when the next major earthquake hits.
The Sewer System Improvement Program
Every day, over one million residents, businesses, and visitors rely on our combined sewer system to protect public health and the environment. The Sewer System Improvement Program (SSIP) is a multi-billion-dollar investment to upgrade and modernize San Francisco’s critical sewer infrastructure with new technologies to improve operations, reduce odors, better manage stormwater, and safeguard against climate impacts, like sea level rise. Projects across the City range from neighborhood green infrastructure like rain gardens that collect and clean stormwater, to extensive treatment plant upgrades. sfpuc.org/ssip
About the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission
The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission is a department of the City and County of San Francisco. It delivers drinking water to 2.7 million people in the San Francisco Bay Area, collects and treats wastewater for the City and County of San Francisco, and meets over 70 percent of the electricity demand in San Francisco. Our mission is to provide our customers with high quality, efficient and reliable water, power, and sewer services in a manner that values environmental and community interests and sustains the resources entrusted to our care. Learn more at www.sfpuc.org.