Category: Home

by Ava Salado

To shed some light on what pollutants exist in the San Francisco Bay area we have to take into consideration both the air and the water. Pollution such as home chemicals, gasoline, pesticides, fertilizers, rubbish, and legacy harmful pollutants are washed into the Bay untreated or unfiltered when it rains. Rainwater is directed into gutters and storm drains by paved concrete and asphalt surfaces found on buildings, parking lots, roads, roadways, and rooftops. This storm water is then discharged into creeks and sloughs that run into the Bay itself, carrying all the pollutants it gathers along the route. Rainfall in the Bay Area causes rainwater to overflow into the bay, carrying three primary forms of pollution: runoff from cities, sewage spills, and industrial discharges. More than 1,600 industrial sites are covered with water that conveys harmful chemicals into storm drains that go into the Bay and waterways. 

Trash, construction debris, automobile fluids, industrial waste, petroleum residue, coal dust, soot, fertilizer, pesticides, and other materials that accumulate in cities and industrial facilities all combine to form stormwater runoff, a toxic mixture that flows into the Bay every time it rains, typically with little to no treatment.

On the other hand, a portion of the air pollution in the Bay Area is caused by industrial sources including power plants and refineries. However, a larger portion of dangerous air pollution originates from motor vehicles such as automobiles, trucks, and construction equipment.

In addition, smoke from neighboring wildfires has a significant influence on the Bay Area’s air quality during the fire season. It frequently results in dangerously high particle pollution levels and air quality advisories, such as Spare the Air alerts. The Bay Area air set a record in 2020 when it issued over 50 alerts, 46 of which had to do with wildfires.

San Francisco is ranked 101st out of all major cities by IQAirs Live. According to the American Lung Association’s annual “State of the Air” assessment, 11 of the 25 most polluted cities in America are located in California. Out of 200 cities nationwide, the Bay Area (San Jose, San Francisco, and Oakland region) was placed fourth for “Year Round Particle Pollution” and “Short-Term Particle Pollution.”) Based on a recent research by the American Lung Association, the Bay Area, Los Angeles, and Bakersfield are among the worst air-polluted urban regions in the country.

Overall, since the Clean Air Act was amended in 1990, the Bay Area’s air pollution has decreased dramatically over the past 30 years, despite the region’s expanding population and industry. Regulations against industrial activity and associated pollution sources are going to get stricter. The foundation of sustainability is a straightforward idea: everything we require for life depends on the natural world, either directly or indirectly, for our survival and well-being. The goal of sustainability is to establish and preserve the circumstances that allow nature and people to coexist peacefully and productively for the benefit of both the present and the future generations. This long-term objective is supported by sustainable development, which puts structures and mechanisms in place and receives backing from international, national, and local organizations. To be sustainable means to meet the demands of the present without sacrificing those of future generations and to maintain a balance between social progress, environmental preservation, and economic expansion. The ability of a civilization to grow and prosper without exhausting all of the natural resources required for future generations to thrive is known as sustainability. Although the times we live in may look bleak, there are people striving for a brighter future. Could that person be you?

by Meru S.

Take a drink of water from your kitchen faucet. Have you ever wondered where that water is coming from? Clean water is essential for our everyday lives. We use it for drinking, showering, watering our gardens, cleaning our clothes, washing our dishes, and for many other daily tasks. 

Contra Costa Water District (CCWD) serves cities in central and eastern parts of Contra Costa County, particularly Concord, Port Costa, Clyde, Clayton, Brentwood, Pacheco, and certain parts of Martinez, Walnut Creek, and Pleasant Hill. CCWD draws water from areas in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, which contain water originally from the snow melts of the Sierra mountain range.

The Process

The process of treating the water takes many steps but is completed within one and a half hours. 

First, strong pumps draw just the top of the Delta water, which is the cleanest part, since most of the dirt sinks to the bottom. Liquid alum is then slowly poured in and mixed using ceiling fan-like machines that spin underwater at about six hundred miles per hour, gradually slowing down until they are almost still. 

Then, the sludge and floc (minuscule bits of dirt bound together into small clumps by the alum) are removed.

The water now looks clear and almost ready to drink, but there are still bacteria and germs that are invisible to the naked eye. These are killed by combining ozone with the water. Next, it goes through a layered filtration system that consists of granulated carbon at the top, coarse sand in the middle, and finally small rocks.

Lastly, fluoride is added to prevent tooth decay, and ammonia to preserve it when it travels through pipes to thousands of homes.

The History

Contra Costa Water District was incorporated on May 9, 1936, and the construction of the Contra Costa Canal (a 48-mile-long canal which transports water to Clyde, Martinez, and Walnut Creek) started on October 19, 1937. The building of the Ralph D. Bollman Water Treatment Plant, CCWD’s first plant, began in 1966. It is named after one of CCWD’s first directors, and is located on Bates Ave, Concord. CCWD’s second plant was built in Oakley in 1992. Both of these water treatment facilities are still used today. During the winter months one facility is shut down for cleaning and repairs while the other takes over the treatment process for the county.

There are specific chemicals and gasses used in the process of water treatment. They are stored in tanks at CCWD’s water treatment plants. In the case of an emergency, responders refer to signs on the tanks for information on the chemical. You may have seen these signs on large trucks or tankers. Here is what they mean—

On a scale of 0-4 (0 being extremely low and 4 being very high), the blue diamond is the health hazard, the red is the fire hazard, the yellow is the reactivity hazard, and the white is the type of chemical or gas. In this case, the chemical is liquid oxygen, the health and reactivity hazards are very high, and the flammability is very low.

Though the water treatment itself is done by machinery, numerous people work at these water treatment plants. A number of staff members are always on-site 24/7 to monitor the various processes such as water pH levels and to be prepared in the event of an emergency.

The next time you enjoy a warm shower or a glass of cool water, remember and appreciate its journey from the mountains, through rivers, canals, treatment machinery, pipes, and to your faucets! 

For further information, please visit Contra Costa Water District’s website—

https://www.ccwater.com/