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Stinky water: Sewer juice flows into the Bay, Pacific Ocean at 9 spots as storm rages

The image shows a turbulent river with foamy white water swirling around a partially submerged metal waterwheel.
Rain water and waste flow into the Mission Creek Channel in San Francisco on Friday. | Source: Amanda Andrade-Rhoades/The Standard

San Francisco sewers discharged rainwater and other goodies into the Bay and the Pacific Ocean at nine locations Friday, according to a live map from the city Public Utilities Commission. 

The map also shows elevated concentrations of bacteria at 16 other sites. In case any of you guys were thinking about going for a dip, the only places where water quality currently meets state standards for swimming are Baker Beach and China Beach.

John Cote, a spokesperson for SFPUC, said this is all perfectly normal.

“Combined sewer discharges occur during particularly intense storms when the system reaches capacity. That’s how San Francisco’s sewer system is designed,” Cote wrote in an email, adding that the discharges are authorized by the EPA and Regional Water Board.

A map of San Francisco displays various monitoring points with symbols and colors indicating water quality. A legend explains the symbols' meanings.
A city map shows nine locations where the combined sewer system discharged on Friday. | Source: San Francisco Public Utilities Commission

When The Standard asked if poop was indeed flooding our waterways, Cote said it was inaccurate to describe the discharge as “sewage,” saying it is more than 90% stormwater. He also said the sewer system removes solids and “floating objects” and that the remaining less than 10% of the discharge is composed of “partially treated sanitary sewer flows.”

A Standard photographer who was documenting the storm’s wrath at Mission Creek did not spot any turds in the flow but noted that the water was definitely foul-smelling.

While most cities on the California coast have separate sewer and stormwater systems, San Francisco does things a little differently. Combined systems like San Francisco’s are more popular in other parts of the country — Boston and New York City, for example, both use them.

The Department of Public Health did not answer questions about whether the discharges constitute a health hazard and referred all questions to SFPUC. The Standard has not yet figured out exactly how much excrement is entering Islais Creek, the Bay, and the ocean.

Max Harrison-Caldwell can be reached at maxhc@sfstandard.com