SFPUC: system storage ~59%, Hetch Hetchy just under 80% and region ahead of conservation targets

Staff presented a comprehensive drought update including storage, demand trends and possible next steps for regional reliability.

Steve Ritchie summarized system storage and hydrology: he reported Hetch Hetchy at "a little bit less than 80% full" (approximately 285,000 acre-feet), a water bank increase of roughly 38,000 acre-feet, and total system storage at about 59 percent. Ritchie noted that although 2014 precipitation totals were similar to a dry year in 2007, the 2014 season delivered much less snowpack, which reduces recoverable runoff compared with years that have more snow. He characterized the current three-year period as the driest in the 97-year hydrologic record and cited tree-ring analysis to place the recent low flows in historical context.

Ritchie said system demand has fallen steadily since June and that the city and wholesale customers are meeting conservation targets; staff said the region is "ahead of pace to save the amount of water" needed to reach a target daily savings level cited in the presentation (209,000,000 gallons per day). He identified a range of modeling scenarios for 2015: an average or above-median precipitation year would return the system toward recovery; a repeat of a low-precipitation but higher-snow year (as in 2007) would likely sustain a 10% demand reduction; an extreme low-precipitation scenario similar to 1977 would require planning for up to a 20% reduction and further statewide actions.

Commissioners asked about coordinated regional projects including desalination and direct potable reuse. Ritchie described multi-agency work on a suite of options — including a brackish-groundwater desalination project adjacent to SFPUC pipelines and Santa Clara Valley Water District's reverse-osmosis purification plant — and said staff will prioritize which projects to advance during the upcoming capital-improvement planning process.

Ritchie also described local enforcement and outreach to reduce wasteful irrigation: the SF 311 reporting system is being used to accept water waste reports, and staff have issued informational notices and first notices in response to complaints; the presentation noted roughly 400 waste reports and 182 first notices issued so far this year. On penalties or second notices, staff said follow-up often shows people responding to initial outreach rather than requiring further enforcement.

The commission asked staff to provide regular updates on alternative-supply evaluations and regional collaboration; staff agreed to provide quarterly updates and share materials with commissioners.