Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Bayview Digesters topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Bayview residents press SFPUC for digesters and relief from persistent sewage odor
Summary
Residents from Bayview Hunters Point told the SFPUC the neighborhood has suffered chronic sewage odors for years and urged immediate placement of digesters, clearer project timelines, and direct community participation; staff committed to produce a proposed timeline at the next meeting.
San Francisco — Multiple Bayview Hunters Point residents told the Public Utilities Commission at its July meeting that chronic sewage odors tied to the city’s wastewater infrastructure are harming health and quality of life and demanded faster action on digesters and stronger community involvement.
Mister DeCosta opened the public-comment sequence urging commissioners to clarify how the Bayview community will participate in future projects and asking, "Does the asset PUC pander to big corporations?" He asked why residents who conserve water should be penalized and called for plain-language online timelines and locations for digester installations.
Sala Hakuia Chandler said she toured the Southeast Treatment Plant and alleged one digester was broken; she linked the persistent stench to chemicals and respiratory problems, saying the community had "been smelling it for all these years" and called for urgent action, including legal remedies if necessary.
"It's a disgrace and a shame for this to have been allowed all these years," she said, and handed staff a written breakdown of chemicals and odors she described as evidence of long-term exposure.
Other residents, including Espinosa Jackson and Dedria Smith, recounted years of smelling sewage and urged the commission to stop holding workshops and start implementing the solutions they have been promised. Jackson told the panel she had supported prior bonds to improve water infrastructure but said Bayview had not seen promised benefits.
General Manager Ed Harrington responded to the public comments by saying staff would collect the input and return to the commission on August 28 with a proposed timeline for the digester project and options to accelerate work. "We'll take all the comments and come back to you on the August 28 meeting, and we'd be happy to come up with a proposed timeline for the digester project," he said.
What’s next: residents said they will monitor the August follow-up and community members asked staff to provide a written response to specific questions contained in submitted handouts.
