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PUC warns of drought risk, declares emergency contracting for Lower Cherry Aqueduct
Summary
Assistant GM Steve Ritchie told the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission that systemwide storage is about 68% and staff have declared an emergency to rehabilitate the Lower Cherry Aqueduct; the commission endorsed continued voluntary reduction (10%) and discussed triggers for mandatory rationing and longer-term options including groundwater and desalination.
Steve Ritchie, assistant general manager for water, gave the commission a detailed update on San Francisco's water supply and the city's drought response, saying systemwide storage was "about 68% of total capacity system wide" and noting variable demand since Jan. 31. He said February precipitation was above average but early March had been drier and that the city had seen inflows that helped; Ritchie also said managers have "declared an emergency for contracting purposes, in particular, for rehabilitating the Lower Cherry Aqueduct," and that staff would present more detail in follow-up materials.
Why it matters: San Francisco relies on Hetch Hetchy and connected…
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