Construction at the Southeast Treatment Plant
Overview
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 $3 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!
CONSTRUCTION UPDATES (Spring-Summer 2025)
Construction to Begin in Summer 2025 on New Operations, Engineering, and Maintenance Buildings at the Corner of Phelps Street and Jerrold Avenue
In Summer 2025, construction will start on two new buildings that will provide much-needed shop space for maintenance and trade crews as well as workspaces and facilities for operation, engineering, and maintenance staff. The buildings will also be the SFPUC and City of San Francisco's first Mass Timber buildings. Construction is expected to last roughly two years. These critical upgrades are part of where your ratepayer dollars go to ensure our system continues to protect public health and the environment. Learn more at sfpuc.gov/rates.
While the contractor is required to abide by the City's noise and vibration ordinances, neighbors should expect some noise and limited dust during this work. The project team will work to minimize disruption to normal neighborhood activity.
Evans Avenue Restoration Construction
As part of the New Headworks Facilities Project, restoration work concluded on Evans Avenue in late-May 2025. This work included sidewalk and curb work, as well as installation of new lighting an additional tree planting.
Questions? Contact our team by calling our hotline at (415) 551-4SEP (4737) or email ssip@sfwater.org.
Changes to the Biosolids' Biogas Project
Biogas is a byproduct of the biosolids digestion treatment process. Our original plans for the Biosolids Digester Facilities Project included reusing 100% of the biogas, however we recently made changes to how the biogas will be utilized. The new plan will convert the biogas to renewable natural gas for injection into PG&E's existing gas pipeline. For more information, read frequently asked questions for the Biogas Utilization Project.
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Project Background
The Southeast Treatment Plant (SEP) operates 24/7 to protect public health and the environment. For more than 70 years, San Francisco has relied on SEP to treat the majority of its wastewater. We are making generational investments so this vital facility can continue to work around the clock.
Two of the largest projects are the Biosolids Digester Facilities Project (BDFP) and New Headworks Facility Project.
Future work at the Southeast Treatment Plant will include new operations, engineering, and maintenance buildings to replace and consolidate aging SFPUC facilities to a central location at the Southeast Treatment Plant.
Construction is progressing on the Biosolids Digester Facilities Project. Projects at the SEP will:
- Continue to protect public health and the environment
- Minimize odors using advanced odor control
- Increase operational reliability and efficiency of the treatment processes
- Improve the ability to withstand a 7.8 earthquake on the San Andreas Fault
- Provide a more attractive look to the facilities to better fit in with the neighborhood
- Fund public art by local artists in support of the Bayview Arts Master Plan
- Provide opportunities for local workers and businesses
The New Headworks Facility under construction in 2024 Funding for this project has been provided in full or in part through an agreement with the State Water Resources Control Board. California’s Clean Water State Revolving Fund is capitalized through a variety of funding sources, including grants from the United States Environmental Protection Agency and state bond proceeds. The contents of this document do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the foregoing, nor does mention of trade names or commercial products constitute endorsement or recommendation for use.
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Construction Progress
New Headworks Facility: Work continued on the New Headworks Project in 2024 and the facility was placed in-service on August 5, 2024. As of January 7, 2025, New Headworks has processed approximately 9 billion gallons of combined stormwater and sewer water flows.
2024 also saw the completion of the new public art wall titled Whorl Whirl: Our Circular Nature by the noted artist Norie Sato. The 335-feet long and 35-feet high artwork installation - which draws inspiration from resource recovery processes and infrastructure at the Southeast Treatment Plant - runs along the north perimeter of the New Headworks facility on Evans Avenue between Rankin and Quint streets.
Work continues in 2025 on distributed control system testing, Evans streetscape restoration, Southeast Influent Pumping, fire alarm testing, and completing work on elevators inside the facility.
The New Headworks Project is anticipated to reach final completion in June 2025.
Biosolids Digester Facilities (BDFP): 2024 saw the majority of the concrete and steel work on the Solids Pretreatment and Biosolids Dewatering Buildings completed. In addition, the roughly 60,000-pound domed steel covers were installed on all five digesters and testing is well underway in the Digester Building.
The focus for 2025 will be construction of the remaining facility for the Thermal Hydrolysis Process, Odor Control, Steam Generation and ancillary facilities, as well as mechanical, electrical and controls work in all facilities.
Testing on the new facilities will begin in 2026, with the introduction of process fluids to the new digesters in the Fall of that year. Substantial completion is anticipated in 2027, with an anticipated final completion in 2028.
Award Winning: In February 2025, the Biosolids Project earned the Occupational Excellence Achievement Award from the National Safety Council for a second consecutive year. The criteria are high to earn the annual award and includes having a 'lost workday' case incident rate better than or equal to 50% of the Bureau of Labor's statistics rating for North American Industry Classification System code, and zero fatalities during the calendar year.
In addition, in 2023, the project achieved the Envision Platinum award for sustainable infrastructure from the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure (ISI). This is ISI’s highest certification level! The Envision award is comparable to the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) building certification but for public and private industrial infrastructure.
New Biogas Utilization Project: As part of the Biosolids Digester Facilities Program, the Biogas Utilization Project will provide 100% beneficial use of the biogas generated by the digesters during the solids-digestion treatment process. The Project will convert the biogas into renewable natural gas to enhance sustainability, reliability, and affordability. Producing RNG is in line with City and State renewable energy and sustainability policies and practices as it displaces the use of fossil fuels. This represents the best beneficial use of this valuable resource and exemplifies SFPUC’s role as environmental stewards.
Jobs and Contracts:
We are proud of the success our Local Hire and Local Contracting efforts are having in meeting or exceeding the City’s aggressive goals. Check out the most recent SSIP Jobs & Contracts report. You can also keep up to date with our Project Labor Agreement.
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Project Materials
