Sunnyvale’s Cleanwater Program and Plant Improvements Highlighted in ASCE Magazine
The Sunnyvale Cleanwater Program (Program) is featured in the March 2024 issue of the prestigious America Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) magazine in an article titled “Revolutionizing Wastewater Stewardship.”
The article describes the Sunnyvale Water Pollution Control Plant’s (Plant) decades-long commitment to protecting the ecologically-sensitive and highly regulated San Francisco Bay from pollution while treating wastewater before discharging it to the Bay.
The City plans to achieve this through the Sunnyvale Cleanwater Program, a multi-phase, multi-year improvement plan for the Sunnyvale Water Pollution Control Plant (Plant), which was constructed in 1956 and serves more than 160,000 residents and businesses in Sunnyvale, the Rancho Rinconada neighborhood in eastern Cupertino, and Moffett Federal Airfield. This effort began with a Master Plan to identify the projects to modernize the Plant over 25 years.
The Program is comprised of 34 projects to transform the Plant into a highly-automated resource recovery center. The primary project, constructed under phase 1, involved upgrading critical parts of the primary treatment facilities, addressing seismic vulnerabilities and aging infrastructure. At an estimated cost of $1.3 billion, this program is the largest, most complex capital endeavor this mid-size city has ever undertaken.
Thus far, construction at the Plant has been met with some challenges, but the team and contractors have also managed to achieve significant milestones. The City of Sunnyvale’s innovative methods to upgrade the Plant showcase its commitment to sustainability and the surrounding environment.
Sunnyvale is well-positioned to accommodate any future changes as it strives to serve its community, protect the Bay, and create a world-class resource recovery facility. To learn more about this program, read the ASCE magazine feature here.
