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SFPUC reports progress on conservation but warns of possible 20% cuts if dry conditions continue
Summary
PUC staff reported San Francisco is among the state's lowest per-capita residential water users, has achieved cumulative savings of about 8 billion gallons and is meeting a 10% reduction target; staff warned a 20% reduction could be required next year under dry hydrologic scenarios.
San Francisco — At the commission’s special meeting, Ellen Levin, deputy manager for the water enterprise, presented a drought-status update showing the city’s residential retail water use ranked among the state’s lowest per capita and that system deliveries were near the commission’s 10% reduction target.
Levin told commissioners that the system’s daily delivery target at this point in the water year was about 187,000,000 gallons per day and that the agency had achieved cumulative savings near 8,000,000,000 gallons for the reporting period. She said total system storage and reservoir levels had changed only slightly since the last report and emphasized that the agency will watch winter precipitation and snowmelt to determine next steps.
Levin advised that, if hydrologic conditions next spring resemble historically severe dry years, the commission might consider moving from a 10% reduction target to a 20% reduction requirement and begin looking at alternative water supplies. Staff described the 20% scenario as contingent on precipitation and snowpack outcomes.
Commissioners asked for clarification about timing and triggers for additional reductions; staff said they would monitor precipitation and snowpack into spring and could act earlier if conditions warranted. The session included no formal vote on rate or restriction changes; the update was provided for information and oversight.
