South SF Water Control Plant Wins Plant Of the Year Honor

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, CA — The City of South San Francisco-San Bruno Water Quality Control Plant (WQCP) has won the 2019 Medium-Size Plant of the Year Award for the California Water Environment Association (CWEA) San Francisco Bay Section. Representatives from the WQCP were on hand to accept the award during the section's 70th Annual Awards banquet held on January 24 in Alamo, Calif. Agencies representing San Francisco, northern San Mateo County, Alameda County, and Contra Costa County were in attendance.

"Our Water Quality Control Plant staff maintain the highest standards of service and transparency with our customers, our business partners, and with each other, so for them to receive this kind of recognition reinforces their dedication in how they operate on a daily basis," said South San Francisco Mayor Rich Garbarino.

"We are extremely proud of the work our CWEA members routinely perform to protect the health of our communities and the San Francisco Bay," said Gary Warren, past president of the CWEA San Francisco Bay Section. "This award pays a special tribute to the City of South San Francisco and their staff for their efforts meeting CWEA's goal."

The 2019 Medium-Size Plant of the Year Award honors exceptional treatment plants and is based on the following criteria:

• Accomplishments in operations, maintenance, environmental, and laboratory compliance;
• Innovative practices, management systems, and cost-effectiveness;
• Employee professional development; and
• Superior plant performance.

"Earning the Plant of the Year Award is an extraordinary accomplishment for our City, partnering cities, and community and it couldn't have been done without the hard work, professionalism, and dedication of our plant staff," said WQCP Plant Superintendent Brian Schumacker."

One of the many components plants are judged on is that of energy efficiency. The WQCP is continuously modernizing its infrastructure by investing in more energy-efficient and cost-effective equipment, all while maintaining a smaller, greener footprint. Recently, the WQCP invested 60 million dollars into a capital improvement project (CIP) to enhance its conservation and recovery energy infrastructure. One element of the project includes replacing two of its conventional digesters with one high solids digester, which not only reduces WQCP's infrastructure footprint, it provides a higher solids production, providing more biogas availability. Biogas generation recovers waste materials that would otherwise pollute landfills; prevents the use of toxic chemicals in sewage treatment plants, and saves money, energy, and material by treating waste on-site.

Also included in the WQCP's 60 million dollar CIP upgrade is the 100 percent self-containment of the 21-acre facility, and capturing all stormwater runoff drains. The stormwater will be treated through the WQCP's biological treatment process, eliminating polluted stormwater from previously entering the Colma Creek and San Francisco Bay.

The WQCP provides wastewater treatment for the cities of South San Francisco, San Bruno, Millbrae, Burlingame, the San Francisco International Airport, and minor portions of Daly City and the Town of Colma. On average, the dry weather flow through the facility of nine million gallons per day. During peak wet weather, flows can exceed 60 million gallons per day.

This press release was produced by the City of South San Francisco. The views expressed here are the author’s own.