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Telegraph Hill neighborhood and waterline in San Francisco skyline from Marin.

Upgrading Our System to Remove Nutrients

The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) operates two all-weather wastewater treatment plants out of the 37 plants across the region that discharge into San Francisco Bay. Our plants operate under federal and state permits. As climate change alters conditions in the bay, we are actively participating with a coalition of Bay Area wastewater utilities, regulators, and scientists studying the bay and assessing the level to which nutrients, including nitrogen, should be reduced to protect the health of the bay. 

This is a regional issue, and it requires a regional approach. 

Leading on Nutrient Removal
As a leading utility, the SFPUC is proactively committed to plan, design, and construct new infrastructure to reduce nutrients in the Southeast Treatment Plant's effluent. The most prominent project in the SFPUC's 10-Year approved FY 2025-2034 capital plan is the Southeast Treatment Plant Nutrient Reduction Project, budgeted at $1.47 billon dollars. This project represents the largest and most consequential investment in nutrient removal by a Bay Area utility to date. 

Treasure Island Water Resource Recovery Facility
Additionally, the SFPUC is currently building a new wastewater treatment plant on Treasure Island that includes state-of-the-art nutrient removal. Scheduled to be completed in 2026, the new facility was designed with nutrient removal facilities, including full stream nitrogen removal, which can remove around 80 percent of nitrogen during the tertiary treatment process. 

Southeast Water Pollution Control Plant
Our Southeast Treatment Plant, which processes around 80 percent of San Francisco’s wastewater, is currently undergoing a generational upgrade.

The Southeast Treatment Plant Nutrient Reduction Project is budgeted for $1.47 billion. The SFPUC anticipates construction of the new facilities will provide significant long-term nutrient load reductions at the plant.

The SFPUC will continue working closely with our partners on long-term strategies to meet potential nitrogen removal requirements as research and regulations evolve. These strategies may include construction of major new infrastructure and regional investment, which can only be accomplished in partnership with ratepayers, advocates, regional partners, and state and federal officials.