A Closer Look at What Sewer Flows Send to the Bay
Down-the-drain discharges from homes and businesses make up the sewage treated by 40 different wastewater treatment facilities ringing San Francisco Bay. Municipal wastewater systems are engineered to treat food and human waste, and do not remove many other substances we use and dispose of each day. As a result, treated wastewater is a major pathway for emerging contaminants to enter the Bay, including those derived from personal care and cleaning products, pharmaceuticals, plastics, and numerous other urban sources.
For over two decades, SFEI and the RMP have conducted a variety of studies analyzing wastewater and assessing potential impacts to the Bay environment. Wastewater is ideal for early detection of chemicals that have been recently added to consumer and industrial products. We use novel analytical methods and robust risk screening approaches to best target resources towards contaminants that pose a particular threat to human and ecological health and inform effective pollution prevention efforts.
Our most recent wastewater studies cover a wide range of emerging contaminants:
Why The Fate of Antimicrobial Chemicals Matters for San Francisco Bay
Antimicrobial chemicals called QACs have soared in popularity since the COVID-19 pandemic, and are a possible threat to Bay water quality. A new study finds that sewage treatment plants remove 98% of QACs on average from wastewater—but that's not necessarily a success for human and environmental health.
Scientists Raise Concerns About Popular COVID Disinfectants
The COVID-19 pandemic has boosted the unnecessary use of antimicrobial chemicals linked to health problems, ecological harm, and antimicrobial resistance, warn scientists in Environmental Science & Technology.
Bay RMP Non-Targeted Analysis Fact Sheet
In 2016, the RMP launched a novel investigation to detect new or unexpected contaminants in Bay waters, as well as treated sewage (or wastewater) discharged to the Bay.
Rosanna Xia with the LA Times relates some important findings from the new microplastics study, released today by SFEI and 5 Gyres:
New Book Chapter: Pesticides in Our Homes Wash Down the Drain
A state-of-the-science review of current-use pesticides in wastewater, led by SFEI senior scientist Dr. Rebecca Sutton, indicates this pollution pathway is significant and should not be overlooked.
