With warmer weather in the summer and fall comes the increased risk of wildfires. To reduce the risk of wildfires, planned power outages called Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) events may occur to keep the public safe. PG&E will issue a PSPS in response to extreme weather, such as intense heat and strong winds. During…
Category: Emergency
Why You May See Smoke at the SFPUC’s Peninsula Watershed
Firefighters and watershed keepers are passionate about preventing the SFPUC’s lands from being devastated by a catastrophe like a wildfire. Year after year they work together to stage controlled burns to keep the face of earthen dams from accumulating dried vegetation that could contribute fuel to turn a small burn into a devastating fire. Just…
How the SFPUC is Preparing for the Next Big Quake
Being ready for the next big earthquake is something all San Francisco residents, businesses and government agencies have to plan for, which is one reason why the SFPUC launched the Sewer System Improvement Program. “Investing in the entire system, top to bottom, in order to withstand the inevitable earthquake is one of the most important…
Innovative Earthquake Resistant Piping to be Featured at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital
Sunday will mark the 115th anniversary of the 1906 Earthquake, and even though that event is more than a century old, San Franciscans will never forget the lessons learned from that tragedy. The SFPUC is set to use innovative piping with flexible joints that can bend to withstand seismic activity as part of the next…
One Year of COVID: SFPUC Continues Essential Duties Everyday
Today marks the one year anniversary since San Francisco enacted its stay at home order in response to COVID-19. Though the general public stayed home, many essential workers continued to report in for work, including hundreds of SFPUC employees to keep water, power and sewer services running 24/7. Since Mayor Breed called a state of…
Why Alina Chetcuti Used Her Design Skills to Save Lives
Alina Chetcuti creates and designs for a living, but never would she have thought to use her graphic design skills to help save lives. Chetcuti is a graphic artist in the SFPUC’s Communications Department. When she took a job with the SFPUC, she knew the utilities sector was historically a male-dominated industry. To her, it…