So much has occurred over the past month: we have a new U.S. President in office; the number of Covid-19 cases is decreasing, while new strains are showing up in California; and we’ve actually begun to get some rain in the San Francisco Bay Area.
While all this change is going on in the world, one of the things that remains the same is the dedicated focus of our SVCW team ensuring our community's wastewater is conveyed and treated safely and reliably. When I’m onsite at our treatment facility I can look out my window and always see the steam rising off of the BioForceTech pyrolysis unit, which provides SVCW with a sustainable and ecologically friendly manner in which to manage our biosolids. I also see the SAF-MBR pilot facility, a collaboration with Stanford University and othe innovators to provide treatment concepts and technology that could catapult the wastewater industry light years ahead of where we are today. This collaboration is one example of a myriad number of SVCW efforts to explore low-cost wastewater treatment, water recycling, low-energy solids drying and beneficial biosolids production--including biodegradable plastics, food waste to energy digestion, and battery storage in support of renewable off-grid power supplies.
While a lot of uncertainty is going on in the world, it's reassuring to know that day in/and day out we have maintained an incident-free safety record, and can focus on solutions that help protect public and environmental health. It's gratifying that we can partner with innovators, from entrepreneurs to universitites, and even front-line staff, to keep looking for new ways of doing things that make our community a better, safer place to live.
A final shout-out for our continuing safety record… we are now at 762 days! Our focus remains on our staff's safety; our robust safety culture lives on!
You can read more about our safey efforts here, and innovations here. |
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Celebrate Black History Month |
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In honor of Black History Month, SVCW would like to share ideas of how to celebrate.
Black History Month takes place every February to coincide with the birthdays of Frederick Douglass, a famed abolitionist who escaped from slavery, and President Abraham Lincoln, who formally abolished slavery. This year's theme is "The Black Family: Representation, Identity, and Diversity," which explores the diasporic nature of the African family, whose members are spread out across the globe.
Locally, the San Mateo County Libraries is hosting a variety of virtual events, from watch parties to art shows.
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Every month SVCW shares an insider's glimpse behind the scenes into cool, innovative technologies and processes we're using that are transforming the water treatment industry. |
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As mentioned above, SAF-MBR is one of our new innovative technologies used at the wastewater treatment plant. Pronouned "Safe" M.B.R., it stands for Staged Anaerobic Fluidized bed-Membrane Bioreactor and combines two technologies into one process. SAF-MBR uses anaerobic microbes, a type of bacteria, to help purify water instead of using their aerobic cousins that demand high electricity use to treat wastewater.
This anaerobic process uses different, slower-growing microbes that don't need oxygen and produce greater amounts of methane as a byproduct, which can be used for energy or new biodegradable materials. By using a carbon filter where anaerobic microbes can attach themselves, the efficiency with which they grow and consume organic matter is increased. The water is then filtered using an ultrafiltration Membrane Bioreator (MBR), creating high-quality water suitable for non-potable reuse.
To read more about the SAF-MBR pilot project, go 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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Tunneling progress of Salus' second drive is progressing consistently, monitored by Barnard-Bessac Joint Venture (BBJV).
This month, BBJV started preparations at the Front of Plant for Salus' planned second break through at the Surge-Flow Splitter (SFS) shaft. The preliminary site preparation includes establishing the laydown area that will be used to control subsurface water movement.
Salus will mine through this "grout plug" as the tunnel boring machine) approaches the outside surface of the SFS shaft wall. The grout plug will prevent unwanted water from entering the SFS shaft from the outside when Salus tunnels through the shaft wall. The laydown area will accommodate heavy equipment movement and storage that will be onsite prior to Salus' arrival at the SFS shaft.
As two of SVCW's contractor partners are occupying the same space concurrently, coordination and communication between the contractors are of the highest priority for safety and effective progress of work for both the gravity pipeline and front of plant teams.
BBJV completed about 50% of the Fiberglass Reinforced Plastic (FRP) carrier pipe installation within the completed tunnel from Salus' first tunneling drive.
Read more about the Gravity Pipeline project here.
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Pump discharge pipe supports on west side of the Headworks structure. |
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In February, SVCW's contractor partner Shea Parsons Joint Venture (SPJV) is proceeding with architectural work at the Headworks Facility. This includes installing permanent stairs and handrails for accessibilty, and completing the roofing of the electrical building.
SPVJ continues work on the Receiving Lift Station (RLS) vertical shaft. SPJV started installing pipe supports on the shaft walls that will secure the RLS pump discharge pipes and the shaft sump pump discharge pipe. The discharge pipes will be routed from the RLS pump discharge vertically, up the RLS shaft wall to ground surface elevation, where the pipes will exit the RLS shaft through a custom designed opening in the shaft wall. From this opening, the discharge pipes will extend to the new Headworks Facility to deliver wastewater to the channels that carry the flow to the new automated bar screens.
For more information about the Front of Plant project, go here.
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Pump Station Improvement Project
This month SPJV continues to carry out preliminary work near the San Carlos Pump Station, and is in the process of mobilizing its subcontractors to start work for the Belmont Gravity Pipeline (BGP).
The team is mobilizing to the area adjacent to San Carlos Pump Station (SCPS) to start initial preparations for construction, including setting up a temporary construction support office, connecting temporary power for the construction crew, and setting up temporary construction fences with visible road signs for road traffic safety and navigation.
At the Redwood City Pump Station, SPJV continues its construction demolition work and removal of obsolete equipment from the site. During this process, SPJV is engaging with SVCW's O&M on the demolition work to ensure that the pump station's operations are not affected. While the demolition work is ongoing, SPJV is also working with PG&E on a plan to underground the power lines. The team will connect to a new transformer to establish the permanent power supply for the new pump station that will be built.
For more information about the Pump Station Improvement project, go here.
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Crews conducting initial clearing and grubbing of the Redwood City Pump Station. |
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