Beauty in Function: Willis Polk’s Classical Central Pump Station

On the weekends, one may drive along Sloat Boulevard and see dozens of families gathering on the green near Central Pump Station for soccer games. They may not realize that just to their side is an important water facility for the City. Built in 1912, Central Pump Station, located on Sloat Boulevard in San Francisco,…

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Over 250 Attendees Participated in the Sixth Annual Women in Construction Expo

On November 1, the SFPUC had a packed house with over 250 attendees for the 6th Annual Women in Construction Expo hosted by the SFPUC’s Small Firm Advisory Committee in collaboration with the National Association of Women in Construction. This event promotes construction and professional service opportunities for women looking to enter the trades, or…

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A Look Back in History: Predatory Animals on Peninsula Watershed

A letter from the San Francisco Water Department dated 1963 addressed to the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) outlines an interesting dilemma. Evidently the DOI is interested in abating predatory animals on the peninsula watershed lands. They have proposed to do so using “steel traps.” And they have requested the Department “take certain positive…

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National Workforce Development Program Receives Funding to Support Utility Workers

​The United States Senate approved $1 million in federal funds for a new national grant program backed by the SFPUC to support much needed training and career development for employees in the water and wastewater industries. This competitive grant program was championed by the SFPUC and other national utility partners in last year’s America’s Water Infrastructure…

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A Look Back in History: Chinatown Decorative Streetlights

In 1925 San Francisco held a “Diamond Jubilee Festival” in celebration of the 75th anniversary of California statehood. D’Arcy Ryan was director of illumination for the festival. (Ryan was an influential early lighting engineer who pioneered skyscraper illumination, was responsible for the lighting of the “Panama-Pacific International Exposition” and the “Century of Progress Exposition” (Chicago),…

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