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SFPUC reports WSIP progress; Rim Fire recovery costs trimmed to ~$35M
Summary
Staff reported the Water System Improvement Program is about 83% complete overall and on budget at $4.765 billion; Rim Fire recovery damage was updated to roughly $35 million with $3.5 million in insurance recoveries and $5.6 million in federal/state grants received or pending.
The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission received updates on the Water System Improvement Program (WSIP) and Rim Fire recovery during its meeting.
Rim Fire recovery: Todd Reitzner presented repair progress for distribution lines and facilities damaged in the August 17 fire. He said updated estimated damage is about $35,000,000 (down from an earlier $51,000,000 estimate), with roughly $29,000,000 attributed to facilities damage and about $6,000,000 to response and debris removal. Insurance recoveries received to date total about $3,500,000, and federal/state grants approved or in process equal about $5,600,000. Reitzner reported restoration work is 75% complete on emergency repairs and that FEMA project worksheets and obligations are moving forward; he anticipated bringing any budgetary questions back in an October 2015 update if needed.
WSIP status: Dan Reed (WSUP director) reported the WSIP was 83% complete overall for the reporting period (April 1–June 30, 2014): 81% regional, 96.5% local. He described $2.8 billion of construction across 17 projects and stated the program’s cost‑at‑completion is forecast to align with the approved budget of $4,765,000,000 with an overall completion target of May 2019. Reed highlighted milestones including substantial completion of the Crystal Springs transmission upgrades, progress on the Peninsula Pipeline seismic upgrade, and work on treatment plant capacity improvements.
Operational improvements and leak detection: Assistant GM Steve Ritchie said automated meter infrastructure (AMI) provided daily reads that helped detect and repair a leak that reduced demand by roughly 300,000 gallons per day. Ritchie noted that San Francisco’s per‑capita residential use is about 49 gallons per day and that outreach and fixture replacement plans — including grant applications to help replace toilets in city departments — are under way to sustain conservation gains.
Context and next steps: Commissioners praised staff response to the Rim Fire and the progress across WSIP projects. Staff will continue to monitor grant and insurance recoveries for the Rim Fire and return with scheduled updates, and the WSIP team will continue to bring project milestones and any budgetary requests to the commission.
