Algae bloom: San Francisco Bay Water Board’s new wastewater rules will upgrade wastewater treatment plants, help combat toxins

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — San Francisco Bay is set to become cleaner. But the improvements will come at a price.

It’s something you might eventually notice on your monthly water and sewer bill. But engineers and environmentalists say the investment will be worth it.

As devastating algae blooms kill fish and other wildlife in San Francisco Bay, few may realize we’re contributing to the problem. At least our bathrooms.

But this connection between Bay Area homes and the bay will soon be improved.

Newly announced permitting regulations issued by the San Francisco Bay Water Board will affect about three dozen wastewater treatment plants that circle the bay. Among other things, the goal is to limit the release of algae-feeding byproducts, such as nitrogen.

Eileen White heads the San Francisco Bay Area State Water Authority.

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“The purpose of this permit is to reduce nutrient loads in San Francisco Bay. So as we have more harmful algal blooms in the future due to climate change, they can’t spread into the Bay like we saw in 2022. The result: a mass die-off of fish that impacts people fishing in the Bay, commercial fishermen, people who vacation in the Bay. And what’s so special to the seven million people who live in the Bay is the Bay,” White said.

The upgrades needed will vary by treatment plant. But the overall cost is expected to be about $11 billion.

“I would say it’s probably the biggest decision our council will ever make. It’s the most consequential decision because there’s so much at stake, probably the most important decision since the Clean Water Act in the ’70s,” White said.

Some wastewater treatment plants have already begun construction. ABC7 recently toured a plant in Palo Alto that is in the midst of an infrastructure expansion. Deputy Public Works Director Karin North said the work includes nearly $200 million in upgrades to filter nutrients.

MORE: San Francisco Bay Improvements Planned for Algae Bloom

“I think we’re probably in the middle when it comes to infrastructure improvements. When it comes to nutrient reduction projects, we’re closer to the front, and that’s because we looked at the aging infrastructure and it made sense to upgrade earlier to reduce nutrients,” North said.

Retrofits could also include environmental innovations, such as horizontal flood walls, which are being studied at the Oro Loma Wastewater Treatment Plant in the East Bay. Environmental engineers believe they could both help clean sewage and protect treatment plants from projected sea-level rise.

“Unlike other parts of the country, or even other parts of the state, where each treatment plant can discharge to a different body of water, we have a common bathtub here in the Bay — where 37 treatment plants from most of the urban areas discharge to the same common end point, which is the San Francisco Bay. So we have a unique opportunity to protect it,” said Jackie Zipkin, CEO of the East Bay Dischargers Authority.

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There are several plans for gradual rate increases that could affect thousands of Bay Area customers. But agency leaders say the amounts could vary widely by neighborhood, based in part on work that has already been done.

While the overall investment is significant, project supporters believe the upgrades will help ensure the health of the San Francisco Bay for generations to come.

“So we don’t want to just look at one problem and solve it. We want to see, ‘Does this have any other benefits?’ Because we’re all always looking for projects that have multiple benefits,” North said.