Waste Water Treatment Plants in SF will cease to operate as salt water invades systems.

San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) has the responsibility to maintain and see that the 3 Waste Water Treatment Plants we have in San Francisco are in operation at all times.

The last time some drastic upgrades were made were around 1972 when the Federal government gave us the money and we had no choice but to follow the mandates.

We have 3 Waste Water Treatment Plants one near the San Francisco Zoo that takes in 20% of City's Waste Water and Run Off because we do have a dual system that accomodates both.

The second one is a smaller Waste Water Treatment Plant by Bay Street very close to Pier 39. The Waste Water Plant is opertional mostly during the rainy season. At other times the waste water is pumped to the Phelps Raw Sewage Treatment Plant situated in the Bayview - and in the middle of a residential area.

The Waste Water Plant situated in the Bayview takes in 80% of the sewage and run off from the whole City. Plus all the waste water from Daly City, Brisbane, Colma, and Burlingame.

Most people do not know this but this is a fact. Over 260 million gallons of secondary effluents are pumped by Pier 80 off 3rd Street and near the new built Illinois Bridge - every single day.

We have two huge outfalls one by Pier 80 and the other by SF Zoo at Ocean Beach. These outfalls are over 40 years old and need urgent repair.

Most people wonder why it stinks day and night as they pass by Cargo Street on 3rd Street. It is because of the Phelps Raw Sewage Treatment Plant.

It simply was not built to take in too much waste water and especially during the rainy season many times - half-treated raw sewage in dumped into the Bay by Islais Creek.

The Raw Sewage Treatment Plant at Phelps is in very bad shape and has been for the last 20 year. One of the lids on one of the huge tanks has collasped. Mosquitoes breed and are found in this area in plenty.

Do not be surprised if the Nile Virus and other serious diseases originate from this source.

Global Warming is here to stay and the United States contributes to over 25% of the Global Warming according to the experts.

At the International Meetings to stop Global Warming the United States has REFUSED to curtail emission into the atmosphere that causes Global Warming.

Delegates from the U.S. have walked out and have been booed in South Africa, Brazil, and at a number of other conferences round the world.

The SFPUC some years ago were give a lot of money from a BOND MEASURE over $2 Billion to fix both the Waste Water and the Clean Water system.

The constituents of San Francisco mandated the SFPUC to fix the Clean Water System - we know it as the Hetch Hetchy system.

It also mandated the SFPUC to fix the Waste Water System. The SFPUC chose NOT to fix the Waste Water System known to many of us as the Raw Sewage Treatment System.

San Francisco has about 1900 miles of Clean Water pipes that are over 70 years old and in need of urgent repair.

San Francisco has about 900 miles of Waste Water Pipes and they are in need of repair.

Millions of waste and clean water leak through the pipes. The Millions of Gallons of Water pollute the Watershed. This is a shame.

If dangerous toxins enter the pipes further away from the treated water they can cause great Health and Safety issues. This has been told to Susan Leal but she cannot figure out the consequences.

The SFPUC has had workshops on this issue.

The SFPU Commission Meetings are very long and full of speeches made by Richard Skylar and Susan Leal especially - but at the end of the meetings they have no plan with timelines and very clear objectives.

The SFPU Commission does not allow a full 3 minutes Public Speaking. Some time they will give you a minute and at other times two minutes with constant interuption from the Chair.

For sure by 2010 the Waste Water Plants will NOT be in sound operation unless something is done very soon.

When this happens there will be - very serious Health and Safety issues, that the City and County of San Francisco will face. SFPUC are of course responsible for San Francisco but also for the other counties - some 2.4 million rate payers are serviced by SFPUC when it comes to the Clean Water System - one affects the other.

Our City Attorney knows about this disaster in the making but has chosen NOT to address the facts and the issues that will follow.

Mayor Gavin Newsom knows about it too but has chosen to have Susan Leal who is not an Engineer to lead SFPUC deeper into a cesspool and a mess of her own violation.

Time is running out and the SFPUC is waiting to put another BOND MEASURE before the voters and ask them some $3 billion to do a job that we already passed a Bond Measure the last time around in 2000 for.

Francisco Da Costa
Director
Environmental Justice Advocacy