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SFPUC: Hetch Hetchy at 75% as officials caution against declaring drought over
Summary
At a regular PUC meeting, staff said Hetch Hetchy Reservoir sits at about 75% capacity and system storage is roughly 49%; early-season inflows and conservation have improved supply but staff cautioned the commission against declaring the drought over and noted state rulemaking on conservation standards.
The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission received a drought and water-supply update from AGM Steve Ritchie, who said Hetch Hetchy Reservoir stood at about 75% of capacity and total system storage was roughly 49% as the city moved into the precipitation season. Ritchie told commissioners that earlier-than-usual deliveries had provided the city with about 65,000 acre-feet so far this year compared with about 50,000 acre-feet for all of last year. "Hetch Hetchy Reservoir is at, again, 75% of capacity," he said.
Ritchie cautioned that, despite improvements in reservoir levels and an increasing snowpack, the utility must remain prepared for future dry years: "we need to be perpetually pessimistic. We're always going into a new drought." He noted the water bank was at about 33% of capacity and total system storage remained below normal, while conservation by customers continued to reduce demand systemwide.
Staff also flagged a pending State Water Board rulemaking (scheduled for consideration on Feb. 2) that would keep the systemwide conservation standard at 8% while proposing several localized adjustments. Ritchie said the PUC would submit a comment letter supporting the 8% standard and addressing proposed adjustments for hotter climates and for new, local drought-resilient supplies.
The update underscored the commission's dual focus: continuing conservation outreach and planning how to manage potential excess flows to rebuild the water bank. The commission asked staff to monitor conditions and provide follow-up information as the state process unfolds.
