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SFPUC reports improved storage after storms and outlines 'One Water SF' vision
Summary
Staff reported near‑term reservoir gains after recent storms and presented '1 Water SF,' a new cross-enterprise vision to coordinate water, wastewater and power planning to improve resilience, resource use and multi-benefit projects.
The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission received a drought update and a staff presentation on a new integrated resource strategy called '1 Water SF.'
Steve Ritchie, Assistant General Manager for Water, said recent storms boosted storage: Hetch Hetchy at about 77%, Water Bank 86% and total system storage near 78%. Ritchie noted October precipitation in some indexes was roughly double normal and said that, while those storms improved short-term storage, many parts of the state — particularly the south — remain drier and operations will continue to be conservative.
Ritchie also presented '1 Water SF,' a citywide vision and set of guiding principles to formalize cross-enterprise planning across water, wastewater and power. He described pilot and system opportunities — including inline hydro on the Calaveras pipeline, biogas capture at wastewater plants, recycled water for irrigation and using byproducts of wastewater operations to generate electricity — and said staff will prepare a one-year implementation roadmap describing how to carry the vision into business practices.
Ritchie said the approach aims to match the right resource to the right use, break down siloed decision-making, maximize efficiency and create projects that provide multiple benefits to communities and ecosystems. He asked staff to further develop tools and resources to expand implementation of One Water SF ideas across the utility’s enterprises.
Commissioners and public speakers asked questions about conservation trends and possible pilot projects; staff reiterated that the vision is in the planning phase and that specific implementation items will return for commission review.
