SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — President Donald Trump is taking aim at California and the Bay Area — this time over the homeless crisis, even asserting the problem is so bad that needles are making their way into the San Francisco Bay.
However, officials at the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission say drug needles reaching the bay is highly unlikely.
“We are very proud of a system that does a great job separating out solids, organic or otherwise, including needles and there are multiple lines of defense before we reach the bay and the ocean,” said Karri Ving, spokesperson for the commission.
The president said he will be hitting California with an EPA notice for what he calls a total violation.
San Francisco has two water treatment facilities.
The largest is at the southeast water treatment control plant.
Fifty-three million gallons of water is processed at the plant everyday,
Ving says the system prevents solid material from leaving the plant once it arrives.
“Because primary treatment captures debris and solids and separates them from discharges, no debris leaves the city,” she said.
It’s more likely that needles would be collected in the city’s 23,000 catch basins before even reaching the water treatment plant.
As for the EPA, Ving says she’d welcome a visit.
“We are very comfortable keeping our doors open to the EPA and working collaboratively with them,” she said.
San Francisco Mayor London Breed views the president’s comments as another swipe at the city’s homeless population.
“Ultimately, I have a city to run. We have real challenges that we need to address. Instead of being critical, he should be trying to help us with some of these issues,” Breed said. “How about with 8,000 Section 8 vouchers so I can help some of the homeless people who are currently on our street?”