For the past eight months, the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) has been replacing century-old water and sewer pipes along Geary Boulevard between 32nd Avenue and Stanyan Street. This critical upgrade will help ensure that Richmond District homes and businesses continue to receive safe and reliable drinking water and wastewater service for generations to come.
For more than 120 years, the Richmond District’s water and sewer infrastructure system has served the neighborhood and beyond. With one of the sewer pipes dating back to 1877 and most water pipes installed in the late 1800s, these hardworking systems even withstood the trauma of the 1906 earthquake and fire.
Heading into the holiday season after dwelling on ghosts has me thinking about Charles Dickens’s “A Christmas Carol.” While winter weather is seemingly far away from San Francisco lately, the tale of Ebenezer being visited by three ghosts leading to his transformation and reformation feels ever closer in relation to what our City is facing.
Some time in the not-too-distant past, perhaps 10 -15 years ago, five trees were planted on the east side of La Playa Street, between Balboa and Cabrillo. Two of the trees died years ago, while still saplings, and were removed in 2021. Of the trees remaining, two survived into 2022 but are now expired; one is still alive and thriving.
The City can only do so much to keep these newly planted trees watered enough to ensure their continued growth. It would be satisfying to see more residents make a concerted effort to keep these trees alive and healthy with some maintenance …
In response to the February article (Richmond Review/Sunset Beacon) on the use of both Lake Merced water and Sunset Reservoir water to fight post-earthquake fires in the Outer Richmond and Outer Sunset, it is gratifying to see that the SF Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) is finally willing to concede that the use of our drinking water alone will not enable the SF Fire Department (SFFD) to combat post-earthquake fires in hundreds of blocks of wood-frame housing.
We can save 15 neighborhoods from catastrophic destruction if we demand that the AWSS be completed now, before a major earthquake strikes, by using the 2020 issue of the ESER bonds to finance it.
The SF Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) will institute an eight percent annual increase, for the next four years, in combined water and sewer rates to pay for maintaining and upgrading the city’s water and sewer systems.
To decrease San Francisco’s dependency on the Hetch Hetchy water system, which delivers water from the Sierra Nevada Mountains, the SF Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) and the SF Recreation and Park Department are in the process of switching to “recycled” water for irrigating Golden Gate and Lincoln parks and the Presidio.
Grey Water Will Irrigate Golden Gate Park, Golf Courses By Thomas K. Pendergast To decrease San Francisco’s dependency on the Hetch Hetchy water system, which delivers water from the Sierra Nevada Mountains, the SF Public Utilities […]
A new plan to expand the emergency water system for firefighting after a major
earthquake seems to be gaining support among San Francisco city officials,
but questions remain about options yet to be explored.
More than 15 San Francisco neighborhoods could burn to the ground due to a lack of water at the SF Fire Department’s disposal after a major earthquake. A plan to expand the city’s […]
More than 15 San Francisco neighborhoods could burn to the ground due to a lack of water at the SF Fire Department’s disposal after a major earthquake.
The recent wildfires that devastated parts of Northern California this fall have caused
communities across the state to question what resources they have available to quickly
put out large fires.
The reservoirs need to be
intact or fully backed up, otherwise what good are the pipes without water?
Richmond Review/Sunset Beacon 