San Mateo Holding Meetings On Underground Wastewater Storage Facility Location

SAN MATEO, CA – The San Mateo community is invited to attend two upcoming meetings regarding the selection of the underground wastewater storage facility location and updates to the City’s wastewater treatment plant project.

At the 5:30 p.m. Public Works Commission Study Session on July 12, staff will further discuss impact mitigation measures that may be utilized for the underground storage facility project. A separate Staff update will be given on the proposed improvements to the City’s wastewater treatment plant.

At the 7:00 p.m. City Council Meeting on July 17, staff will present the evaluation of two site alternatives for the underground storage facility, and request the Council accept the staff and Public Works Commission recommendation to select the San Mateo County Event Center. In January 2017, the Council identified the City’s Corporation Yard and the San Mateo County Event Center as the two site alternatives for the underground storage facility to be further evaluated for final selection.

During heavy rains, San Mateo’s sewer system capacity is overwhelmed by the amount of rainwater that enters the system. This causes sewer overflows at the wastewater treatment plant and at locations around the city, such as manholes. These overflows contain a mixture of rainwater and untreated sewage. They are a danger to human health and the environment because they contaminate city streets, creeks, lagoons, beaches and the San Francisco Bay.

The Clean Water Program is a comprehensive plan to solve the problem. The approximately 5-million-gallon underground storage facility and the wastewater treatment plant upgrade and expansion project are just two elements of this Program. Only used when the sewer system becomes overwhelmed during heavy rains, the storage facility will serve as a temporary holding facility for rain-diluted wastewater.

This temporary storage will generally be for 24 hours or less, until the storm passes. It will relieve the system of capacity constraints and allow the wastewater treatment plant to “catch up” with the high flows. Once the stored wastewater is released to the treatment plant, self-cleaning mechanisms will flush and clean the facility, all while odor control is in effect. The upgraded and expanded wastewater treatment plant will be able to manage and treat the wastewater to a high level of quality that will meet regulations and provide a sustainable recycled water source.

The San Mateo community is encouraged to attend these meetings to learn about the proposed improvements to our aging sewer collection and treatment system. Maintaining this infrastructure and ensuring that the system continues to meet current and future operating requirements are essential to the health and well-being of our community. For more information and answers to frequently asked questions, please visit www.CleanWaterProgramSanMateo.org.

– SUBMITTED FOR PUBLICATION BY: City of San Mateo / Image via Shutterstock