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tv   [untitled]    April 22, 2013 5:44am-6:14am PDT

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search is over. those reviews did not lie. in fact, i'm thinking of one of my very own. some things you just have it experience for yourself. to learn more about anthony's cookies, visit him on the web at anthoniescookies.com. if you want to watch some of our other episodes at sfquickbites/tumbler.com. see
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>> hello, i am with the recreation and parks department. we are featuring the romantic park location in your backyard. this is your chance to find your heart in santa and cisco with someone special. -- san francisco with someone special. our first look out is here at buena vista park, a favorite with couples and dog walkers. both have a significant force. a refreshing retreat from urban life. the romantic past that meander up and down the park under pines
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and eucalyptus. hang out in this environment and you might see butterflies it, fennel, and then the lines. -- dandelions. is ada accessible. public transit is plentiful. we have conquered the steps, we have watched the dogs, and we have enjoyed a beautiful view. this is a place to take someone special on a romantic stroll and enjoyed a beautiful look out. welcome to corona heights located in the heart of this district. it offers a view of the downtown skyline, the bay bridge, and the east bay. it is one of the best kept secrets in the city. it is hardly ever crowded. on any given day, you will run
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into a few locals. , bought a 37 bus to get there without any parking worries. for legged friends can run freely. there is also a patch of grass for the small box. >> it is a great place. it is a wonderful place to have these kinds of parks. that dog owners appreciate it. >> take time to notice of the wildfires that are on the grassland and keep your head out on the lookout for hawks and other bird life. be sure to take your camera and be prepared to take a view of the city will not forget. it has a beautiful red rock formations. you could watch the sunrise over the bay. this is another one of our great
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lookouts. we are at mount davidson. 928 feet. this is the place for you to bring someone special. to not forget that dogs and enjoy all of the pathways and greenery that surrounds you. it provides a peaceful oasis of open space and great hiking trails. the spectacular view offers a perfect place to watch the sunrise or sunset with someone you love. >> it is a good place to get away from the hectic life of the city. come up here and listen to nature, i get some fresh air. that view is fantastic. >> where sturdy shoes. hikers get the feeling of being in a rain forest. mount davidson is also a great
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place to escape the noise and the bustle of the city. take the 36 bus and it will drop you at the entrance. it is quite a hike to the top but the view is worth every step. this is the place to bring that someone special. golden gate park's largest body of water is an enchanting place. is a popular spot for paddling around in boats, which can be rented. created in 1893, it was designed for these your boating -- for leisure boating. it is named for the wild strawberries that once flourished.
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there is also a waterfall, two bridges, and trails the climb to the summit, the highest point at more than four hundred feet. you can catch glimpses of the western side of the city that make this hilltop a romantic look out. for public transit, i take the n train. the lad the ad -- lake is ada accessible. watch many ducks, swans, and siegel's. -- seagulls. it is a great place to stroll and sail away. many couples come here to take a ride around a lake, going under the bridges, passing the chinese pavilion and the waterfall. for a quiet getaway, making for
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a memorable and magical experience. located on 19th avenue, this growth is the place to where you're hiking boots, bring the family and the dog because it has so much to offer you and your loved ones. it is a truly hidden gem in the city. the park is rich with eucalyptus trees. long paths allow you to meander, perfect for a dog walking in a wooded environment. >> i enjoy the history. the diversity of nature that exists in such an urban city, concrete streets, cars, we have this oasis of the natural environment. it reminds us of what the
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history was. >> there is a section for dogs and plenty of parking. transit is available on the 28 bus to get you very easily. the part is ada -- park is ada accessible. it is also a natural lake. this is your chance to stroll around the lake and let the kids run free. it also has many birds to watch. it is a place to find and appreciate what you -- a wonderful breath of fresh air. come and experience in this park and enjoy the people, picnics, and sunshine. this is a lovely place to take a stroll with your loved ones.
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in the middle of pacific heights, on top of these hills, it offers a great square, a peaceful beauty, large trees and grass and greenery. it features tables and benches, a playground, restaurants, and tennis courts. there are plenty of areas for football and picnics. it is very much a couple's park. there are many activities you can experience together. stroll on the pathways, bring your dog, or just picnic at one of the many tables and enjoy all that it has to offer together. many couples find this is a perfect park to throw down a blanket and soak up the sun. it is a majestic place that you can share with someone you chairs. lafayette park is also easily accessed from the 47, 49, and 90
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buses. it is ada accessible. we are here at the historic palace of fine art in the marina district. originally built for the 1950's exposition, the palace is situated on san francisco's number waterfront. it is ada accessible and is reached by the 28, 30, and 91 bus lines. set against the reflecting waters of the lagoon and eucalyptus trees, the palace is one of san francisco post most -- san francisco's most romantic spots to relax with that special someone while listening to the
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water and gazing at the swans. a beautiful to view from many locations along the mattoon, an ideal place to -- all -- lagoon, an ideal place to walk with a loved one. reservations for weddings are available at sfrecpark.org. discarding contains plants referred to by william shakespeare's plays and poems. welcome to the shakespeare garden here in the famous golden gate park. located near the museum and the california academy of sciences, the garden was designed by the california spring blossom and wildfilower association.
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here is a truly enchanting and tranquil garden along a path behind a charming gate. this garden is the spot to woo your date. stroll around and appreciate its unique setting. the gorgeous brick walkway and a brick wall, the stone benches, the rustic sundial. chaired the part -- share the bard's word hundred famous verses from a shakespearean plays. this is a gem to share with someone special. pack a picnic, find a bench, and enjoy the sunshine, and let the whimsical words of william shakespeare and floats you and your loved one away. this is one of the most popular wedding locations and is available for reservations.
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take a bus and have no parking worries. shakespeares' garden is ada accessible. located at the bottom of this hill, it is a secret garden with an infinite in captivating appeal. carefully tucked away, it makes the top of our list for most intimate pyknic setting. avoid all taurus cars and hassles by taking a cable car. or the 30, 45, or 91 bus. the garden was designed by thomas church in 1957. grow old with me, the best is
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yet to be is inscribed on a sundial. it is anchored by twin white gazebos and flowers that bloom year-round. this is the place to tell someone special or the place to declare the commitment you two share. weddings and the event reservations are available for this adorable hidden gem. we know there are many other romantic parks in san francisco. we hope you have enjoyed this torre of lookouts, picnics, and strolls that are available every day. until next time, do not forget to get out and play. for more information about reserving one of these romantic locations or any other location, call 831-5500. this number is best for special events, weddings, picnics, and
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the county fair buildings. or for any athletic field, call 831-5510. you can write us at -- or walk in and say hello. and of course you can find more information moresfrecpark.org. --
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across america, cities and towns, homes and businesses all depend upon one basic resource. modern civilization and life itself would be impossible without it. woman: okay, so today, we're going to look at how do we get our water? narrator: and today, it's a matter of simply turning on the tap. so often, we forget about the value of water. water is a commodity that is essential to life. 100 years ago, it would have been hard to imagine turning on the tap water. and now, it's an expectation. narrator: over 300 million people
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live in the united states. and each person uses an average of 100 gallons of water every day. man: what it takes to actually make clean water is somewhat a mystery to most customers. woman: so how does water get from the river into your house, or here at school? woman: somebody has to bring that water to us, and somebody has to take it away when we're finished with it. man: the water infrastructure is vital for disease protection, fire protection, basic sanitation, economic development, and for our quality of life. man: you just can't visualize all the assets that are under our feet. we have about two million miles of pipe in this nation. if you're walking around in an urban area, you're probably stepping on a pipe. man: our grandparents paid for, and put in for the first time, these large distribution systems. woman: and in many cases, it's not been touched since. man: we're at a critical turning point. much of that infrastructure
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is wearing out. narrator: our water infrastructure is made up of complex, underground systems that function continuously. these 10 locations take a look at the history, design, and challenges of our water infrastructure systems. each one represents a small part of what's at stake on a national scale. but understanding the challenges starts with understanding the value of the three basic systems.
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generations of americans have never experienced living without a constant, unlimited supply of water delivered straight to the tap, or without their waste flushed immediately away. i think people often forget -- because, you know, water utilities have made it very convenient for people to get water -- how important this is. man: in terms of water supply, wastewater, stormwater development -- these are independent technologies. but what came first, most often, was a water supply system. the basic system is essentially the same as we used back in the 19th century. and in some cases, some of the same pipes. grusheski: philadelphia was the first american city to develop a water system and to take on as a municipal responsibility
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water delivery to all of its citizens. when william penn laid out the city, he actually chose a spot of land that had a lot of groundwater. however, by 1730, 30,000 people lived within the first seven blocks of philadelphia, next to the delaware river. well, 30,000 people caused filth in the city and polluted their water sources. the groundwater was not potable. and in one year, 1/6 of the population died of yellow fever. now, they didn't know at the time that yellow fever was carried by mosquitoes. but the health issue was major in that first movement to build a water system. narrator: so they set out to find the cleanest source of water. although the majority of philadelphia's water now comes from the delaware river, early engineers found that development along the waterfront
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was causing pollution. so their search led them to the nearby schuylkill river. philadelphia developed technologies to pump water from the river into the city. these technologies established engineering concepts that are still the basis for our water systems today. europeans flocked here. it was a destination point to see the new world technology. when charles dickens visited us in 1840, he was truly blown away by high water pressure on the fourth floor of the hotel he was staying in. nowhere in europe had he experienced that. this technology was doing something to support the life and the growth of the city. philadelphia, throughout the 19th century, was the major industrial city of the united states. all of these industries used water from this system. and it served as a prototype for many american cities, including pittsburgh and new york.
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man: new york city went to philadelphia and said, "you know, we're thinking of developing a hudson river water supply -- what do you suggest we do?" and they said, "we've had "a lot of problems on the schuylkill. "don't go to the hudson river. go to the upland and work by gravity." and that's what new york city did. they first went to the hudson highlands, but 150 years later, it went to the delaware highlands. and really diverted the water that normally went to philadelphia to new york city. i don't think they anticipated that. narrator: the majority of new york city's drinking water comes from watersheds in upstate new york. a watershed is the area of land where water from rain or snow melt drains downhill into a body of water. mountains act as a funnel to feed rivers and lakes. and in this case, reservoirs.
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in the new york city system, water is collected and stored in 19 reservoirs, which can hold more than a year's supply -- over 580 billion gallons of water. almost all of the system is fed by gravity, without the use of energy-consuming pumps. valves open to regulate the flow into the 85-mile-long delaware aqueduct -- the longest tunnel in the world. at hillview reservoir... the water is partitioned into another giant tunnel system.
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where it travels deep below manhattan. the pressure built up by gravity from the mountains pushes the water upwards toward the surface through vertical shafts. these shafts feed the water mains of each neighborhood, which branch into smaller pipes below the streets... feeding into buildings and houses, into the plumbing, and finally, after its long journey, to our faucets. providing water to homes and industry is a monumental task, requiring immense infrastructure. but once the water is delivered and used, it must also be taken away.
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man: it's important that the waste generated by any society not be left around. cholera, and other diseases and problems, have been spread, because people wound up living in filth. even the ancients understood that you couldn't have the sewage where you lived. and the easiest thing to do was transport it to another spot -- by water, or a river. most of the first sewer systems were on the east coast of the united states, often in places that already had developed a citywide water supply system. sullivan: in 1630, boston was basically three mountains, there were very steep hills. waste would run down quickly and dump into the harbor. and the tide would carry most of it away. well, this worked well for a while.
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the problem was, as boston wanted to expand, it started filling in the mudflats. the water could come rushing down the hill, it would hit the flat area and slow down. at high tide, it couldn't get out at all. it got so bad that the city took over, 'cause the city has a responsibility to protect its citizens. boston built the first modern sewer system in the united states. ours was completed between 1877 and 1884. with this wonderful new sewer system, we were taking our filth and moving it out to the ocean. of course, all of this was untreated. in the 1960s, we were still pumping all of our sewage out to moon island, untreated. we would get swimmers here, never knowing, in the middle of summer, why you would have a cold. well, we were swimming in diluted sewage.
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melosi: the major way to deal with pollution, at least until early into the 20th century, was through the process of dilution. the assumption was that the capacity of rivers and streams, and even the seas, allowed for certain levels of pollution that eventually would purify themself. as we get later into the 20th century, it becomes clear that the volumes of waste made dilution unworkable as a single solution. and so treatment became the ways in which we deal with pollution. narrator: to protect public health, starting in the 1950s and '60s, there was a push to put in wastewater treatment plants across the united states. today, with evolving technologies, the waste travels through multiple stages of treatment, removing tons of solids... settling out microscopic particles,
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and introducing bacteria that consume and decompose the toxic material. in some plants, the water is further disinfected through the use of ultraviolet light or ozonation. these plants cost millions of dollars to construct, operate, and maintain. in population centers like los angeles, the scope of the task is staggering. the hyperion wastewater treatment plant serves four million people. it processes 350 million gallons of sewage and removes 500 tons of solids daily. after treatment at hyperion, what was once raw sewage is clean enough to release into santa monica bay. other cities and towns release treated wastewater, or effluent, into local rivers, lakes, and streams.
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as it flows downstream, additional cities may capture it for drinking water, consume it, and treat the water again. in other words, the water coming out of a wastewater treatment plant often enters the watershed, flows into intakes of drinking water treatment plants, and eventually finds its way right back to our faucets. it takes huge investments to ensure that wastewater and drinking water treatment plants function properly to maintain a safe water supply. we made the initial investments in the plants and the pipes. but once we accomplished that, there was this great recognition that we had a series of issues associated with wet weather conditions. storm events where, all of a sudden, you're dealing with a lot of water. narrator: large amounts of rainwater can cause flooding. engineers developed two approaches to stormwater infrastructure to transport water away from the urban environment.