NapaSan wins San Franciso Water Board's pollution prevention award
North Bay treatment plant educates community via school group tours, classroom presentations and annual open house
OAKLAND – NapaSan, the City of Napa’s municipal wastewater treatment agency, has been named the winner of the 2024 Dr. Teng-chung Wu Pollution Prevention Award for its exemplary public outreach and education activities to encourage pollution prevention.
The San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board presents this award annually in memory of Dr. Teng-chung Wu, a former Water Board employee and early advocate for pollution prevention. He believed many pollutants could be more effectively eliminated by controlling their sources rather than by relying on end-of-pipe treatment.
The award recognizes a leader in pollution prevention in the Bay Area.
NapaSan’s pollution prevention program embodies Dr. Wu’s philosophy by educating the Napa community about proper disposal methods to keep common pollutants like wet wipes and cooking grease out of wastewater. NapaSan’s program engages the public through community and school-group tours of its Soscol Water Recycling Facility, showing the public firsthand how everyday decisions can affect wastewater treatment. From an annual interactive open house at its facility to school group tours to participating in local parades, NapaSan goes the extra mile to raise awareness about pollution prevention within the community.
To further its reach, NapaSan recently turned to the world of digital media. In 2022, NapaSan’s Public Information and Outreach Specialist Stephanie Turnipseed and Operations Director Chris Francis began producing a podcast called Going with the Flow, where they discuss pollution prevention topics, interview plant staff, and delve into the many ways culture and wastewater interact. Turnipseed and Francis reach listeners around the Bay Area and as far afield as Ireland and Australia.
The San Francisco Water Board presented the award to NapaSan representatives on Nov. 13, and applauds NapaSan’s willingness to go above and beyond to make pollution prevention accessible and engaging.
“We are impressed by NapaSan’s array of creative outreach activities,” said Alexis Strauss Hacker, chair of the regional board. “All of these program components—plant tours, participation in community events, the podcast—help to educate the community about their important role in protecting our water by preventing pollution in everyday life.”
The mission of the San Francisco Water Board is to preserve, enhance and restore the quality of California’s water resources for the protection of the environment, public health and all beneficial uses, and to ensure proper water resource allocation and efficient use for the benefit of present and future generations.
