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SFPUC reports ample Hetch Hetchy storage, begins Lower Cherry delivery test amid record conservation
Summary
Assistant General Manager Steve Ritchie told the commission Hetch Hetchy was about 73% full and the agency’s water bank held about 184,000 acre-feet; staff began a month-long delivery test from the Lower Cherry Aqueduct to validate post‑Rim Fire repairs and to increase local supply.
Steve Ritchie, Assistant General Manager for Water, told the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission on Oct. 13 that Hetch Hetchy reservoir storage was ‘‘about 73% of capacity’’ and that the agency’s water bank had risen to roughly 184,000 acre‑feet, a level officials say reflects unusually strong citywide conservation.
The conservation totals are substantial: Ritchie reported the system had collectively saved about 13,000,000,000 gallons so far this water year versus a 11,000,000,000‑gallon target for the year, and he credited customers for reduced outdoor irrigation and much lower peak summer demand.
Why it matters: the savings have allowed the PUC to rebuild reserve storage and to resume tactical operations that expand supply. Ritchie described a full‑scale delivery test from the Lower Cherry Aqueduct into the Mountain Tunnel that began in early October and will run through Nov. 12. The water, sourced from Cherry Lake and Lake Eleanor, is being filtered at the Sono Valley Water Treatment Plant before entering the system. The test is intended to confirm repairs made after the Rim Fire and to provide another tool for drought management.
Supporting details: Ritchie said some inland reservoirs remain well below normal — New Melones at 11% and Exchequer at 8% — which underscores regional variability even as San Francisco’s system performs relatively well. The PUC is also beginning a state‑mandated annual water‑loss audit and expects results in early 2016. Ritchie said the system was delivering roughly 200,000,000 gallons per day through the summer and that 13 of the Bay Area’s 15 lowest per‑capita users were San Francisco customers for August.
Context and next steps: the PUC will continue to monitor the delivery test and report lessons learned. Ritchie said staff would provide audit results and any operational changes in early 2016; commissioners asked follow‑up questions about leakage detection and conservation opportunities.
The commission did not take a separate, final policy vote on the test during the meeting; staff said the trial would run through the November window and return with findings.
