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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 reservoirs; Ritchie said July 1 storage projections and the behavior of the coming storm period will determine near‑term options. He told commissioners the modeling team is looking two to three years ahead and that a sustained dry sequence could force more severe measures.
Key details: Ritchie said the supply picture includes capturing additional drinking water at a Snow Valley treatment plant and that, depending on inflows, July 1 storage could approach levels last seen in 1977. He said the PUC is asking customers for a 10% voluntary reduction in use and is prepared to consider higher steps: "If total system storage got down in the roughly 700,000 acre-feet range ... that is one trigger that we use," he told the commission, and in a severe multi-year drought staff could consider "20%, potentially mandatory rationing." Ritchie also outlined options to increase supply, including using the Lower Cherry Aqueduct (repair work to replace a damaged diversion structure), the San Francisco Groundwater Project and, in an extreme scenario, desalination or potable reuse.
Questions and next steps: Commissioners pressed for the numeric triggers and consequences of each level of action. Ritchie said staff will provide the water‑supply report by email and that by April 15 the commission will receive notice of available storage and could consider declaring a drought under the Water Code at a subsequent meeting. The emergency contracting for the Lower Cherry Aqueduct is intended to accelerate rehabilitation work and allow construction to begin with a designer and contractor onboard in April; Ritchie said the work could make the conveyance available later in the year.
Context: The update folded in operational notes — for instance, a five‑alarm fire in Mission Bay consumed an estimated 10,000,000 gallons — and noted state drought relief legislation and guidance that may affect funding opportunities. The commission asked staff to continue reporting and to return with more precise trigger points and timelines.
