Clean Water Advocacy - Newsroom - AMSA in the News
The San Francisco Chronicle
Copyright 2002
Friday, May 24, 2002
PENINSULA FRIDAY
COMMUNITY NOTES
Peninsula sewage authority flush with pride
Michael Pena
A Peninsula sewage authority took top honors in the nation's
capital this week for an educational program that gives 1,500 high
school students hands-on experience in treating wastewater.
The Association of Metropolitan Sewerage Agencies gave its 2001
environmental achievement award on Monday to South Bayside System
Authority's Sewer Science Lab program.
South Bayside's wastewater treatment facility in Redwood City
serves 215,000 residents and businesses in Belmont, San Carlos,
Redwood City, Portola Valley and portions of Atherton, Woodside,
East Palo Alto and unincorporated San Mateo County.
The program, also offered at high schools in Palo Alto and Contra
Costa County, consists of a weeklong lab that simulates wastewater
treatment before it's returned to the environment.
Students use ingredients such as pet food, ammonia and toilet
paper to create their own "wastewater" and learn the principles of
microbiology, chemistry, physics and environmental science. Students
also learn about careers in municipal sewage processing.
The classes are offered at Carlmont and Notre Dame high schools
in Belmont, Woodside High and Menlo-Atherton High in Palo Alto. The
program expands next fall to include Sequoia High in Redwood City.
The award for public information and education was presented at
the association's weeklong environmental policy forum and annual
conference in Washington.
"Everybody has a sort of flush-and-forget mentality," said
Stephanie Hughes, source control manager for the Palo Alto Regional
Water Quality Control Plant. "They don't realize what goes on at the
other end."
Anyone seeking additional information can contact Hughes, who
helped design the program, at (650) 617-3165.