Posts

San Francisco Recycled Water Program Pushing Wastewater Towards Drinkability

/in , , /by /CBS San Franciscoby Wilson Walker

By design, the San Francisco Public Utilities Building is exceedingly green. It opened in 2012 and for years the building has been recycling its wastewater for things like flushing the toilets. Now, that water can be consumed.

“Everything that’s connected in this room to the transparent pipe is part of our research project,” explains Manisha Kothari, Project Manager for the SFPUC.

Down in the bowels of this building that houses some 900 employees, you will find the equipment that treats all of their wastewater.

 

Full Story

Weekend Power Shutoffs Lead To Water Shortage In Vallejo

/in , , /by /CBS SF Bay Area by John Ramos

As much of Vallejo struggles without power, officials have planned for such a problem by installing a backup generator at the city’s water treatment facility. That plant turns raw water from Northern California lakes into potable drinking water but over the weekend there was a water emergency that had nothing to do with Vallejo at all.

“We were getting close to about two days water left,” said Beth Schoenberger, Vallejo Water Department Operations Manager. “It’s not a situation that we are comfortable with and it’s relatively unprecedented.”

Full Story

California Steps Up Multimillion-Dollar Battle To Eradicate Nutria From State Wetlands

/in , /by /CBS by Wilson Walker

There’s no certain answer as to how the nutria population re-emerged after being declared eradicated in California decades ago but the population is spreading and causing serious concern. The Department of Fish and Wildlife was recently awarded $10 million to wipe out the large, invasive rodents and that effort is now well underway.

“There are amazing little wetlands scattered throughout the state that people have no idea are even present,” says Greg Gerstenberg, senior wildlife biologist with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. “That’s exactly where they thrive.”

Full Story

Winter Storm Batters Northern California, Highway 80 Shut Down At Donner Summit

/in , /by /CBS San Francisco

A winter storm front roared into Northern California Sunday, dumping more than 3 inches of rain in Marin County, triggering flooding along San Francisco’s Great Highway and blizzard conditions in the Sierra Nevada. The National Weather Service issued a flood advisory Sunday afternoon for southeastern Marin County. Forecasters said the storm had dumped 3.32 inches of rain in San Rafael by 4:30 p.m. while 3.86 inches fell in Kentfield. The NWS also posted a flood advisory for southeastern Sonoma County, advising motorists to not drive through flooded roadways.

Full Story

Climate Change Will Bring Multiple Disasters at Once, Study Warns

/in , /by /CBS San Francisco

In the not-too-distant future, disasters won’t come one at a time. Instead, according to new research, we can expect a cascade of catastrophes, some gradual, others abrupt, all compounding as climate change takes a greater toll. While all regions of the globe face compounding threats, the study cited California and Florida as two prime examples close to home. “Facing these climatic changes will be like getting into a fight with Mike Tyson, Schwarzenegger, Stallone, Jackie Chan — all at the same time.”

Full Story