Like many San Francisco Bay Area residents, those of us who work at SVCW continue to respond to the myriad challenges facing us.
We’ve been living with – and responding to – the coronavirus pandemic, racial injustice, divisive politics, an uncertain economy, wildfires and more recently, excessive heat. Some SVCW staff live in the Bay Area, while others live beyond it, so many have been impacted by smoke, unhealthy air quality--and in some cases, evacuations.
Through it all, it’s vital for us to remain as calm and centered as possible, and one way to do this is to be prepared. This means have an emergency plan in place and practice your emergency response plans so that the muscle-memory will already be in place should you need to take urgent action.
Another way to prepare for emergencies is to actively engage in practices that support our inner strength and allow us to tap into the brain’s frontal lobes rather than having the amygdala (fight or flight part of the brain) take over. Things like deep breathing, meditation and reasoning are all good practices to bring us to a calmer place. I encourage our staff to participate in stress-reduction techniques, and I recommend it to everyone during these challenging times.
In this edition of the newsletter, you’ll read about some exciting activities and acknowledgements. I am honored and pleased that SVCW was selected as a Utility of the Future by nationally recognized water and wastewater associations, including the U.S. EPA. This is a great honor and I encourage you to read about it. You’ll also read about how SVCW processes solids derived from wastewater (called biosolids) via clean and environmentally sustainable methods. One of the methods is called pyrolysis, which has possibilities to further increase biosolids’ beneficial uses.
I'm proud to say we've accomplished a remarkable feat this month; we’ve gone 592 days without a recordable safety incident as of this publication! Our staff’s dedication to safety and health is truly outstanding.
I hope each and every one of you remains healthy, safe, and centered. Be well. We will get through everything together as a community!
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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!
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.
Now in its fifth year, the Utility of the Future Today Recognition Program seeks to reach deeply into the water sector to form and motivate a community of like-minded water utilities engaged in advancing resource efficiency and recovery, developing proactive relationships with stakeholders, and establishing resilient, sustainable, and livable communities. The Recognition Program, through the aggregation and sharing of utility advancements and experiences, enables participants across a broad continuum of capacities and capabilities to learn from each other and continually grow and sustain their efforts to be, and continually advance the concept of, the Utility of the Future.
Learn more about the award program here.
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SVCW Uses Green Alternative for Treating Biosolids |
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SVCW takes its environmental stewardship responsibilities seriously. A concerning trend in the wastewater treatment world is non-sustainable biosolids disposal. Over the years, options for safely disposing biosolids have diminished. At the same time, safe treatment methods have increased, providing society and the wastewater industry with safe and expanding choices.
In previous newsletters, SVCW discussed its new biosolids treatment processes that involve biological drying followed by pyrolysis. Biological drying uses bacteria to further breakdown and dry the previously digested and dewatered biosolids. Pyrolysis is an extremely efficient and clean process to convert biosolids to biochar.
The pyrolysis unit at SVCW is approved by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District. By combining heat and pressure in a low oxygen environment, the organic materials are transformed by the unit into three products--gas, liquid and solid. The gas and liquid can be transformed into fuels. The solid can be used as a soil amendment, and is a substance that is credited with bringing tropical soils in the Brazilian jungle back to life!
Why is biochar so important? When added to soil, biochar charcoal holds carbon for thousands of years in a stable fashion, improving soil fertility and stimulating plant growth. Healthier plants are able to consume and convert more carbon dioxide (CO2), thus improving air quality. Due to its ability to retain soil nutrients for long periods of time, biochar reduces the need for chemical fertilizers.
For more information on SVCW's use of green energy, go here and here.
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How to Handle Heat and Smoke During COVID-19 |
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Dealing with unhealthy air quality during COVID-19 makes an already challenging fire season more stressful. However, with a few tips, it can be much more manageable.
- Stay home as much as possible to be safe from both smoke and COVID-19. While cloth and surgical masks offer some protection from the virus, it does little for smoke. N95 masks are prioritized for health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, and should only be used for wildfire protection by those who do not have the option to stay indoors.
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Visit www.baaqmd.gov or www.airnow.gov to monitor local air quality. Air quality can change throughout the day, so it is recommended to check several times a day, including forecasts to help plan for the next day. People with respiratory issues should pay particular attention to air quality reports, using the air quality index chart above as a guide. The air quality websites above also provide helpful charts. EnviroFlash allows signups to receive air quality notifications via email when an Air Quality Action Day is declared.
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The EPA offers tips for reducing smoke exposure during Shelter-In-Place by creating a clean room in the home, which is especially important for those who are sensitive to smoke and can't shelter with family outside of the area due to COVID-19. A clean room is a room where smoke can be prevented from entering, can be filtered and is cool. Learn how to create one here.
- Watch for signs of heat illness, including headache, dizziness or nausea, and consider medical attention. Stay cool by taking cold baths, using cold towels on the body--especially the hands, face and feet--and using a fan. Drink plenty of water and avoid alcohol, large meals and strenuous activities.
- Cooling and clean air centers are available during periods of excessive heat and/or smoke, and are following strict social distancing measures due to the pandemic. These centers can range from community centers to libraries, and can be found on your city or county website.
Most importantly, it's essential to know where you can get emotional support if you need it during fire season and the pandemic. Check out the California state government website for COVID-19 emotional support resources here.
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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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Gravity Pipeline
Contractor partner Barnard-Bessac Joint Venture (BBJV) completed the installation of support equipment platforms, aka gantries, behind the tunnel boring machine (TBM), Salus. By mining ahead a few hundred feet from the previous stopping point, the gantries were installed as Salus took a break from mining. All 17 gantries were installed successfully behind Salus.
Pipe sections that will carry raw wastewater by gravity to the SVCW plant are now arriving at the Inner Bair Island access shaft, and will be installed this month. The carrier pipe will be installed section by section, each section is 20 feet long, within the tunnel that Salus bored through during her first drive. A pipe transporter, which is a custom piece of transportation equipment that was designed and fabricated specifically for this project, also arrived at the Inner Bair Island access shaft. The transporter will carry the heavy (approximately 20,000-30,000 lbs. each!) pipe sections a mile into the first-drive tunnel for assembly with other pipe sections. Prior to this installation however, crews will participate in trainings for safety, proper use of equipment and installation methods.
For more information about the Gravity Pipeline project, go here.
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Lowering gantry into the launch shaft |
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Front of Plant
Our contractor partner, Shea Parsons Joint Venture (SPJV), is constructing the fourth and final lift of the interior stairwell structure walls of the Receiving Lift Station (RLS), which can be seen in the photo to the right. The forms that were placed to support the concrete while the interior walls are curing will be stripped and removed once the concrete is cured.
Safety decks were installed on the third and fourth lift panels to ensure the safety of the crews working inside the stairwells of the RLS. Two stairwells are currently under construction, with the expectation that construction will continue over the next few months.
In addition, SPJV is installing a 48-inch High Density Polyethylene overflow pipe. The overflow pipe will allow wastewater flows from the Headworks Facility to be carried to the sludge drying beds, which serve as a relief basin in an unlikely event that incoming wet weather flows exceed the Headworks Facility’s capacity. This rare scenario was accounted for during the design and construction phases to provide contingency and provision for such an event.
For more information about the Front of Plant project, go here.
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High Density Polyethylene overflow pipe connection to the Headworks Facility
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Pump Station Improvement Project
Shea Parsons Joint Venture (SPJV) is working to complete 100% designs for each pump station. SVCW is currently in the process of reviewing the hydraulic models for average day and peak flow conditions.
SPJV continues to prepare for construction on the Belmont Gravity Pipeline and its connection to the gravity tunnel at the San Carlos pump station. Soil investigation work was completed along the Belmont Gravity Pipeline alignment and inspections were carried out of the existing sewer pipeline that carries flows between the Menlo Park pump station and the Redwood City pump station. SPJV is now planning to move onsite within the next few months.
For more information about the Pump Station Improvement project, go here.
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Coastal Cleanup September 2020 |
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Coastal Cleanup 2020 is the world’s largest cleanup event that will be different this year to keep everyone safe during the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead of participating in large groups, your household or social bubble is encouraged to dedicate one or more Saturdays in September to pick up litter in your neighborhood while following social distancing protocols.
Upcoming Coastal Cleanup dates for September 2020 are:
- Saturday, September 12
- Saturday, September 19
- Saturday, September 26
Learn more and register for a team here. For tips related to neighborhood cleanups, go here.
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