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SFPUC: Hetch Hetchy storage above normal; 60‑day mountain tunnel shutdown planned in January
Summary
Assistant GM Steve Ritchie reported Hetch Hetchy storage roughly 6% above normal with about 99,000 acre‑feet in the water bank; the commission was briefed on a planned 60‑day mountain‑tunnel shutdown starting Jan. 3 to inspect and repair tunnel lining and reduce outage risk.
The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission received a water supply and drought briefing on Dec. 13 that showed generally favorable storage levels for the Hetch Hetchy system even as some drought indicators remain.
‘‘Our total storage is about 6% above where it is normally at this time,’’ Assistant General Manager for Water Steve Ritchie told the commission, citing recent precipitation and reservoir numbers. Ritchie said the PUC had already banked about 99,000 acre‑feet of water that is available to the city above contractual obligations to irrigation districts.
Ritchie cautioned that snowpack upcountry still lags and that managers are watching both precipitation forecasts and snowpack trends closely. He reported system daily deliveries and low demand this season at roughly 145–147 million gallons per day, a decline that contributes to improved storage.
Dan Wade, Director of Water Capital, said contractors are mobilized for a major mountain‑tunnel shutdown expected to begin Jan. 3 for roughly 60 days to inspect tunnel lining and make interim repairs. He described preparatory workshops, a risk workshop, and access‑road improvements to support the work, and said a second, longer shutdown is planned next November to complete further repairs.
Wade also outlined several CIP re‑baselining items and project overrun forecasts (San Joaquin pipeline +$1M, Home Powerhouse Unit 2 +$2M, Cherry Dam outlet works +$3.13M) and noted the REM fire program is about 91% complete with an expected budget underrun of roughly $3.7M.
What’s next: The PUC plans to rebaseline several projects to align the quarterly program report with the approved 10‑year CIP and to return with updates early next year. The mountain tunnel work will proceed after the new year as scheduled to reduce the risk of a severe outage.
