The Sunnyvale Sun

News

Water pollution plant is sporting a new tank top

By Stephen Baxter

Workers upgraded Sunnyvale's sewage water sewage treatment plant on June 1, placing a 60,000-pound lid on one of its tanks.

The Water Pollution Control Plant was built in 1956 and cleans 29.5 million gallons of water daily before directing it to San Francisco Bay. A multi-year capital project is funding the plant's upgrade, including using a crane to hoist the 50-foot-diameter tank lid into place.

"It was a pretty impressive lift by the crane," said Sunnyvale city spokesman John Pilger.

The lid was delivered in sections and assembled at the plant, and it took five hours to prepare the lift. Placing the lid took 15 minutes, Pilger said.

The plant treats water in several ways, including using two oxidation ponds on 440 acres near the Bay. The plant recycles wastewater for industrial and landscaping needs, and its managers try to improve the quality of its discharged water.

The facility was named Plant of the Year in 1989 for its wastewater technology and sound environmental principles.