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SFPUC updates Sewer System Improvement Program, highlights green pilot projects and biosolids plans
Summary
SFPUC reported 33 SSIP projects in planning or design and two in construction; staff emphasized EIPs, condition assessments with robotics, climate inundation mapping, Southeast Plant integration, and biosolids technology selection, and described workforce-development internships tied to the program.
At its June 25 meeting the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission received a quarterly update on the Sewer System Improvement Program (SSIP). Karen Kubik, Director of the Wastewater Capital Improvement Program, told commissioners the program now shows 33 projects in planning and design and two in construction, and highlighted early implementation projects (EIPs) designed to capture the first three-quarters of an inch of rain with green infrastructure components.
Kubik described using a triple-bottom-line evaluation to compare alternatives for EIPs and said some projects — including the Wiggle green-street work on Fell and Oak — will enter construction next month with opportunities to engage local contractors and workforce programs. She said the program will beta-test a triple-bottom-line approach on treatment-plant projects and return to the commission this fall with a more detailed review focused on green infrastructure and financing options.
Staff reported progress on several fronts: a condition-assessment program for aging tunnels and transport/storage assets using robotics, sonar and video; inundation mapping showing potential permanent 36-inch sea-level-rise scenarios for Bayside and Westside planning; coordination with other city departments on siting and adaptation; and a Southeast Plant integration task order to stage multiple overlapping plant projects while maintaining operations.
Kubik also briefed the commission on biosolids work, noting the team is evaluating technologies and will move into environmental review once a recommendation is settled with executive management. Commissioners asked when detailed technology recommendations would come to the commission; staff said they planned a full meeting later in the year focused on biosolids.
Workforce and community engagement were part of the update. The SSIP internship program is in its third year (21 students enrolled), and a contractors assistance center has helped connect local primes and subcontractors through training and networking sessions. Public commenters — including program interns and community development representatives — praised the workforce component and announced a capstone presentation in August.
Next steps: staff will present a fall briefing on green infrastructure triple-bottom-line results, circulate biosolids technology recommendations when ready and continue condition-assessment reporting. Commissioners requested continued attention to performance monitoring for EIPs and ongoing public engagement in Southeast neighborhoods.
