With Autumn here and daylight diminishing, it's important to step up your safety game when walking on sidewalks, streets, and parking lots. This is especially true of annual celebrations like Halloween and Dia de los Muertos. When outside in the evening, wear light or reflective clothing, and use the light on your phones or carry a flashlight so cars can see you.
In addition to nights lengthening, many people are wondering how they can celebrate these holidays safely during the COVID-19 pandemic. The San Mateo County Health website offers great tips here, such as social distancing guidelines and alternative ways to observe the holidays, from online parties or contests to home decorations.
Autumn also brings wetter weather (thankfully!), which means that wastewater agencies like ours must get the treatment facilities ready. We do not have a “combined sewer system,” which means that both sewage and stormwater enters the same pipelines. But there are inevitably small cracks in sewer pipes and even the little holes in manhole covers into which rain water can enter, thus increasing the flows we receive at the treatment plant. Since our wet weather season begins on November 1, we've already completed all the required preventative maintenance tasks, such as emptying tanks, cleaning and repairing them. We do this annually to ensure that when rainstorms come, SVCW is ready to treat the increased flows.
Readying for wet weather has been different this year because of our response to the coronavirus pandemic. SVCW staff are essential workers and during the past eight months, we’ve continued to meet our mission of protecting public health and the environment. I want to thank and give everyone on our team a huge round of applause for their tireless and dedicated service during this time, from the staff working remotely to those whose roles and responsibilities have required them to be onsite. I wish I could say their work--and the efforts of our community--to battle the pandemic are over, but we will be dealing with it for some time to come.
As the San Mateo County Health Officer, Scott Morrow, notes in his latest Health Officer Statement about the pandemic, "This remains far from over. To get out of this situation depends on all of us. Our collective best course of action: NO gatherings outside of immediate households, use facial coverings extensively, and social distancing.” He also recommended getting the flu shot for you and your family.
Please be safe and follow through with the actions needed to keep yourselves and your neighbors safe and healthy.
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Imagine a Day without Water |
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SVCW encourages everyone to take part in the annual Imagine a Day Without Water campiagn on October 21, 2020. This national education campaign invites community members and organizations to highlight how water is one of our most precious resources, and that we must invest in protecting it for our survival.
There are five ways to participate, from engaging on social media and using the hashtag #ValueWater, to hosting a community event, pitching a news story, partnering with a local mayor or public official and educating kids in classrooms.
Learn more about how you can take part here. |
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Last Chance to Register for
2020 U.S. Election
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If you haven't registered to vote in the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election on November 3, there's still time.
In order to vote in this upcoming election, your Voter Registration Form must be submitted online by midnight no later than 15 days before that election. If you are mailing a Voter Registration Form, it must be postmarked no later than 15 days before that election and received by the San Mateo County Registration & Elections Division by the close of the polls on Election Day. Learn more about registration here.
Voting is the fundamental right of every U.S. citizen. Make sure your voice is heard and cast your vote! Learn more about ways to vote here.
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SVCW Earns Utility of the Future Award |
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Silicon Valley Clean Water recently won the 2020 Utility of the Future Today Recognition Program award for our Energy Generation and Recovery program!
By recovering natural gas for energy, SVCW meets up to 70% of the facility's electrical energy needs. And, nearly 100% of the heat needed for plant processes is recovered through cogeneration. This reduces the amount of carbon-based energy we purchase, meaning we save money while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Biosolids are used for compost or converted for other beneficial uses.
The award, presented by the Water Environment Federation, honors forward-thinking, innovative water utilities that are providing resilient value-added service to communities, particularly in community engagement, watershed stewardship, and recovery of resources such as water, energy, and nutrients. It celebrates our efforts to obtain maximum energy efficiency and sustainability in our wastewater treatment system operations, as well as our work to exceed regulatory requirements.
Learn more about the award program here and our award-winning program here.
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SVCW Salutes Staff for California
Water Professionals Week
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Last week SVCW celebrated the fourth annual California Water Professionals Appreciation Week.
The week encourages water and wastewater agencies across the Golden State to educate water customers, elected officials and other key stakeholders on the important role water professionals play in public health.
It's also an opportunity for communities to show gratitude to water professionals for the invaluable service of providing safe, clean water that can be all too easy to take for granted. SVCW salutes its award-winning team for their passion and commitment to their important public health role, and how they've stepped up even more during the COVID-19 pandemic.
If you'd like to show the SVCW team members some love, please engage with us on social media on Facebook or Twitter. We are passionate about what we do, and always appreciate a shout out from our customers!
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We're on track and continuing to make progress on the Regional Environmental Sewer Conveyance Upgrade (RESCU), the rehabilitation and replacement of SVCW's conveyance system. When complete, it will ensure that for many decades to come, SVCW can efficiently, reliably, and safely convey and treat wastewater from its four member agencies. Those include Belmont, San Carlos, Redwood City, and the West Bay Sanitary District (which serves the cities of Menlo Park, Portola Valley, and portions of Atherton, Woodside, East Palo Alto, and unincorporated areas of San Mateo County). |
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Contractor partner Barnard-Bessac Joint Venture (BBJV) oversaw the progress of Salus, the tunnel boring machine (TBM), as it began continuous mining from the launch shaft towards the SVCW plant. This mining took place after a planned stoppage where BBJV disassembled the launch cradle and made modifications to the launch shaft, such as installing a drive unit and continuous muck conveyor system. This system hauls the muck from the face of Salus’ cutting tool and out of the launch shaft. The last thing BBJV installed in preparation for continuous mining was the California Switch (seen to the right), which allows supply rail cars to pass each other in the tunnel to promote efficient movement of supply materials in and out of the tunnel.
Safety is emphasized at all stages of the continuous mining process. BBJV conducts daily tunnel taskforce meetings and works closely with SVCW to monitor ground settlement.
BBJV staff visit stations in the tunnel and on the TBM to monitor the safety equipment, review safety equipment operations, and practice mine safety rescues on a regular basis.
As of October 19, Salus mined 1,470 feet from the launch shaft and built 289 rings.
For more information about the Gravity Pipeline project, go here.
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Front of Plant
Shea Parsons Joint Venture (SPJV), our contractor partner, made great progress on the installation of precast structural concrete beams that support the top deck of the Receiving Lift Station (RLS) shaft. The beams span approximately 66 feet and are about 3 feet wide. They were
installed in pairs to support both the top deck/roof and to provide additional structure support of the RLS shaft.
Work on the RLS roof deck continues this month with installation of structural steel supports between those precast beams and the second pass wall. Reinforcing bars and placing concrete will complete the RLS shaft roof deck.
For more information about the Front of Plant project, go here.
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Pump Station Improvement Project
Shea Parsons Joint Venture (SPJV) is in the final stages of its design work for the Pump Station Improvement (PSI) project. Crews are preparing to mobilize at the various pump station sites to start the improvement work. SPJV will initially prepare the site by setting up trailers, mobilizing equipment to the laydown areas, and installing construction fencing as needed. The PSI team plans to carry out initial mobilization at the Redwood City Pump Station this month, as well as initiate demolition work within the pump station property.
For more information about the Pump Station Improvement project, go here.
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