Break out a new Brita filter, folks. San Francisco Public Utilities Commission has received several complaints about the taste and odor of their tap water. It seems, according to SFPUC, an algae bloom in one of their reservoirs is to blame. But fret not, worrywart. Neither the taste nor rank-ass odor poses a health hazard. "Customers can remove taste and odor by using carbon and reverse osmosis filters, and refrigeration of tap water should reduce taste and odor." more ›

Out in the avenues, a 100-year-old sewer line beneath 15th Ave. collapsed before 9 a.m. on Sunday morning, opening up a sinkhole large enough to swallow a lost softball or small pet. SFPUC crews working in the area quickly closed off the street to traffic between Geary and Clement street, making sure no one fell in by securing the two-foot diameter sinkhole with one of those orange-and-white caution markers. No vehicles parked on the street were consumed by the earth after it rejected mankind's subterranean intrusion. more ›

A woman, 63-year-old Xiu Fang Huang, died Tuesday afternoon after being stuck and killed by a San Francisco Public Utilities Commission vehicle. She was crossing the street at Ocean and Miramar when she died at the scene. CBS 5/BCN reports, "The vehicle was carrying three male SFPUC employees, including the driver who has worked for the city for 23 years," who were headed toward Pacific Avenue for a new water service installation." more ›

Water customers in San Francisco, the East Bay, South Bay, and the Peninsula might notice something funky looking with heir tap water. It might look a wee bit cloudy. But relax. According to SFPUC, the cause of the cloudy water is an influx of tiny air bubbles. (But to squelch our paranoia, we're passing our water through the Britta twice.) more ›

In an effort to get people to use the (delicious!) Hetch Hetchy tap water and reduce the amount of plastic water bottle waste, the San Francisco Department of the Environment (SFE) and San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) announced the city plans to install a bunch of water-bottle refilling stations. (In our day, we called those "faucets.") more ›

This past July, the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission announced their 'I Love SF Water' video contest. The winner? Alexis van Gelder for her first place video titled Shower Your Garden, which features a woman using the toilet, showering and shaving her legs. There's even a reference to fecal matter. (However, we cannot abide by its advice to avoid flushing. All waste must be flushed. It is non-negotiable.) more ›

Do you remember the first time you tasted the water in the Bay Area? We do. It was inside a dorm hall at UC Berkeley many, many moons ago. After drinking vile tap water from Southern California all of our life -- remember, this was before the bottled water craze and Britta revolution -- water from Hetch Hetchy tasted like it was filtered through the petal-soft hair of the Baby Jesus. It was that good. more ›

Without providing an answer for firing San Francisco Public Utilities Commission chief Susan Leal, the SFPUC officially sacked her this morning after a nine-minute closed door City Hall meeting. As part of her severance package, she will receive a delightful $400,000. The former city treasurer was asked to pack up and get the hell out last December as part of Newsom's second-term staff cuts. more ›