Construction at the Southeast Treatment Plant

Built in 1952, the Southeast Treatment Plant is the City’s largest wastewater treatment facility, handling nearly 80% of San Francisco's combined stormwater and wastewater every year. However, many of its facilities are past their useful life and generate odors that impact the neighborhood.

The SFPUC is currently investing over $5 billion in critical upgrades to transform this facility into a modern resource recovery center. By doing so, we will continue to protect our communities and environment while creating an attractive workplace and neighborhood asset that serves the entire City for decades to come.

As we continue to make progress with our infrastructure investments, we are proud to be providing jobs and contracting opportunities to local residents and businesses. When complete, the plant will work better, look better, and smell better for the neighborhood, our staff, and the entire City!

Winter 2025-2026 Southeast Treatment Plant Construction Newsletter

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CONSTRUCTION UPDATES (Early 2026)

Demolition Begins in Early 2026 to Make Room for New Staff Buildings

As part of the New Engineering, Operations, and Maintenance Buildings Project at the Southeast Treatment Plant, crews will demolish an outdated staff building and two trailers at the northwest corner of Phelps Street and Jerrold Avenue in early 2026. The demolition makes way for the new building which will provide much-needed workspace, offices, and maintenance areas for SFPUC staff at the treatment plant.

During the demolition and construction, residents and businesses may experience limited noise, vibration, and dust impacts around the work zones; however, the contractor will make every effort to limit disruptions throughout all phases of the project.

Construction will continue through fall 2028. General workdays are Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., with occasional weekend work. For more information about the project, visit sfpuc.gov/SEPBuildings.

Construction of New Biodigesters Facilities Continues in 2026

As 2025 came to a close, and despite major winter storms that brought heavy rain to San Francisco, work on the Biosolids Digester Facilities Project continued on pace with several milestones completed, or near completion, at the start of the new year. One of the major work activities was the painting of the five enormous new digester buildings that now feature a matching color scheme meant to invoke the wastewater treatment process.

Crews were also busy installing the new state-of-the-art odor control system that will reduce odors from the new facilities. Together, these two milestones will help the SFPUC maintain its promise to the Bayview neighborhood that the new biosolids facility will look better and smell better for the surrounding community.

In early 2026, workers are busy completing interior work to prepare for activation and testing of the biological process that is vital for the completion of the project. Construction on the new Biogas Utilization Project continues in tandem with the Biosolids Project through 2028. For more information about the project, visit sfpuc.gov/digesters.

Biosolids' Biogas Utilization Project

Construction of this project, including pile driving, began I late 2025 and is anticipated to be complete by early 2027.

Demolition of Old Headworks Building Complete

In late 2025, crews finished the demolition of the old headworks building on the northwest side of the Southeast Treatment Plant. With successful completion and activation of the new 250 million gallons per day headworks that began operations in Summer 2024, this older facility was obsolete. 

Learn more about the completed New Headworks Project at sfpuc.gov/headworks. 

Questions? Contact our team by calling our hotline at (415) 551-4SEP (4737) or email ssip@sfwater.org.