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SFPUC lists priorities to protect 184 MGD commitment, explores East Palo Alto transfer
Summary
SFPUC staff told commissioners the top priority is meeting the contractual 184 million gallons‑per‑day supply commitment to permanent customers and that staff are actively exploring a possible transfer of individual supply guarantee from Mountain View to East Palo Alto to address development holds.
The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission on Wednesday prioritized fulfilling existing permanent customer supply obligations — 184 million gallons per day — and took up near‑term options to help East Palo Alto secure water for pending development.
Assistant General Manager Steve Ricci told commissioners the Water Management Action Plan (WMAP) priorities place meeting the SFPUC’s contractual obligation to permanent customers first, followed by accommodating new obligations to existing permanent customers (East Palo Alto), and then considering whether interruptible customers such as San Jose and Santa Clara should be made permanent. He said the Commission must also revisit drought‑year rationing objectives in light of lower post‑drought demand.
Ricci summarized recent staff work to address East Palo Alto’s near‑term shortfall: SFPUC staff met with East Palo Alto, Mountain View and regional partners, and Mountain View sent a constructive letter indicating it could transfer at least 500,000 gallons per day of an individual supply guarantee if terms are agreed. Ricci said a transfer would be an administrative action by the two retail cities and that SFPUC would only need to confirm hydraulics/plumbing to enable it.
Michael Hurley (water resources manager) and an East Palo Alto representative described discussions as productive and said the city has taken local steps — including reimbursement agreements and a moratorium on new development beyond three projects — while negotiating for more reliable supply. East Palo Alto officials asked the Commission to accelerate attention because several development applications totaling roughly 700,000 gallons per day are on hold.
Commissioners debated timing and risk: Commissioner Moran asked what 'immediate action' means in practice and cautioned against acquiring capacity long before it is needed — which would raise ratepayer costs. Staff responded that transfer negotiations with Mountain View could proceed relatively quickly and that any newly developed supply decisions will be evaluated for timing, cost and regulatory consequences.
Ricci also described a project‑priority lens staff will use (implementability, water availability in dry versus wet years, quality and permitted uses, cost, regulatory and environmental constraints, and leverage of existing infrastructure) and proposed supply types under consideration, led by conservation and local reuse projects and including groundwater storage, recycled water and regional partnerships.
No formal vote was taken; commissioners asked staff to continue the East Palo Alto/Mountain View discussions and to return with more quantitative impact analysis on how new commitments would affect the 20 percent shortage reliability objective and rate implications for customers.
