Located in the Bayview Hunters Point, the SFPUC Southeast Treatment Plant is San Francisco’s largest and oldest wastewater facility, responsible for treating nearly 80% of the City’s flow. For Sergio Barraza, Electrical Engineer at the Southeast Treatment Plant, ensuring a healthy and resilient community starts with providing reliable services to San Francisco residents.

“Our mission at the Wastewater Division is to keep the environment clean by making sure the water that we release into the Bay or into the Ocean gets treated and doesn’t have adverse effects on the environment,” said Barraza.

On average, the Southeast Treatment Plant treats 57 million gallons per day of wastewater and handles 160 wet tons of biosolids each day. During a rainstorm, it has the capacity to treat up to 250 million gallons per day of wastewater. Barraza understands that teamwork is an essential aspect when you are providing a service to the community and that you must rely on one another to get the job done.

“When you’re working with talented people that know what they’re doing, and they also consider your expertise, and you are working as a team to accomplish common goals,” Barraza shared. “It brings me a great level of satisfaction to know that I am part of the team and that we are all working together as a group to accomplish our goals.”

Barraza has worked for the City and County of San Francisco since 1993. He has worked alongside many talented people throughout the years, but what’s special to him is the great sense of fellowship amongst his peers.

 “That’s the nice thing about it. That not just one single person stands out above others throughout the years because it all comes down to teamwork,” he shared.