Newsletter – September 2019
Final UFES Environmental Impact Report Released
The Final Environmental Impact Report for the Underground Flow Equalization System Project is now available. This final version of the document includes responses to written and verbal comments and questions received during the public comment period, which ran from March 6 through May 31, 2019.
The Final EIR is available for download at the Clean Water Program website on our Final Environmental Impact Report page. Hard copies are available at City Hall and the San Mateo Main Library.
The Planning Commission will vote on a recommendation for Final EIR certification, and concurrent Special Use Permit approval, to City Council at its upcoming meeting on September 24, 2019. City Council will vote on certification of the Final EIR, and approval of the concurrent Special Use Permit, at their October 21, 2019 meeting. (Please note – this topic has been moved from the October 7 City Council meeting.)
Planning Commission meetings and City Council meetings are all held at 7:00 pm at City Hall Council Chambers, 330 West 20th Avenue, San Mateo, CA 94403.
Please visit our Underground Flow Equalization System page for additional project details and updates.
San Mateo Breaks Ground on New Wastewater Treatment Plant
On Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2019, the City of San Mateo welcomed Representatives Jackie Speier and Anna Eshoo, along with Foster City Mayor Sam Hindi to celebrate the groundbreaking of our new wastewater treatment plant.
The plant is the largest component of the Clean Water Program, a $1 billion initiative launched in 2015 to modernize the San Mateo sewer system, a response to a Cease and Desist Order from the State of California mandating a sewer system upgrade to eliminate sewer overflows from entering the San Francisco Bay.
“These infrastructure improvements are vital to the sustainability and future of San Mateo,” said Mayor Diane Papan. “We greatly appreciate the advocacy of our council and the support of our Senators Dianne Feinstein and Kamala Harris, as well as congressional representatives Jackie Speier and Anna Eshoo, the encouragement from the EPA and our partners in Foster City, who worked on our behalf to support low-cost funding alternatives for the program.”
The new plant will replace an aging plant that saw its last major upgrade in the 1970s. Construction on Phase I of the new plant begins this month.
“We are five successful years into the largest upgrade to our sewer facilities,” said Public Works Director Brad Underwood. “The Clean Water Program is a necessary and timely endeavor that we must deliver on for the sustainability of our City and the health of the San Francisco Bay.”
The new plant will feature a modernized treatment process meeting the program goals to replace the City’s aging infrastructure and comply with regulatory requirements to prevent sewer overflows and fully treat flows at the plant. The new plant also aligns with the City’s sustainability goals; the administration building will be LEED Silver certified and the plant will produce high-quality effluent that is ready for potential water re-use opportunities. The new plant is set to open in 2024.