SFPUC updates commission on Sewer System Improvement Program and stormwater ordinance progress

SFPUC staff briefed the commission on the Sewer System Improvement Program (SSIP) and Urban Watershed Management work, describing active wastewater capital projects, community engagement, and pilot early implementation projects intended to reduce combined sewer discharges and neighborhood impacts.

Karen Kubik, Director of the Sewer System Improvement Program, told commissioners the enterprise currently has about $50 million in active wastewater capital work, including an oxygen-plant replacement and dewatering work at the Southeast Treatment Plant, and noted emergency stabilization work to keep digesters operating while the new digester is planned. Kubik said staff are conducting biosolids market and biogas lifecycle studies to determine best reuse options and to inform environmental review.

Kubik described urban watershed assessments underway for multiple watersheds (Central Bayside/North Shore/Central Channel) and outlined early implementation projects (EIPs) such as the Wiggle, Chinatown Green Alley, Sunset, Richmond Green Street, Lake Merced, Sunnydale Watershed and Upper Yosemite Creek. She said public outreach has included open houses and an online Metroquest tool (which attracted several hundred visits), and that the first public charrette is scheduled for June 1 at the Spur office.

Sarah Minnick, representing the Urban Watershed Management program, summarized results of the stormwater management ordinance (enacted 2010): about 70 private-sector projects have been reviewed, representing roughly 56 acres that would remove about 7.2 million gallons per year from the collection system once complete, and program projections estimate a 150 million gallon/year CSD reduction over 20 years with implementation across larger redevelopment areas.

Commissioners and community speakers raised two recurring concerns: outreach and equitable inclusion of local nonprofits and non-English speakers (notably in Bayview Hunters Point/ZIP 94124), and the state of aging pipes and near-term maintenance needs. Staff acknowledged outreach gaps and said they used multilingual flyers and neighborhood canvassing, but commissioners asked for clearer timelines and more staffing: Minnick said project-review staff are currently at capacity and proposed staffing and professional services requests in the next budget cycle.

On monitoring and performance, staff said over 100 hydraulic monitors are in the system and that models and relocatable monitors will support design decisions; commissioners asked for a dedicated technical presentation on hydraulic modeling and for ongoing work to track job creation and maintenance requirements for green infrastructure.

The commission directed staff to calendar the Hetch Hetchy quarterly report as an action item in the next quarterly cycle to allow fuller discussion of progress and outstanding issues.

The discussion underscored community demand for both immediate pipe/maintenance actions and longer-term capital investments that integrate green infrastructure, monitoring and local hiring commitments.