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SFPUC presents water supply strategy, flags 2018 decision points on wholesale commitments
Summary
Assistant GM Steve Ritchie outlined a draft water supply strategy tied to meeting an annual average demand goal of about 265 million gallons per day, listed projects (Calaveras replacement, Alameda Creek recapture, groundwater storage, recycled water) and said the commission will need to make key decisions by 2018 on wholesale customer commitments and larger supply options such as regional desalination.
The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission heard a staff briefing on a draft water supply strategy that lays out projects and decision points the commission must address by 2018.
Steve Ritchie, assistant general manager for water, said the strategy’s level‑of‑service goals include meeting an annual average demand of about 265 million gallons per day in non‑drought years and limiting mandatory rationing to a maximum of 20% system‑wide in drought years. He listed the WSUP portfolio — Calaveras Dam replacement, Alameda Creek recapture, a groundwater storage and recovery project in North San Mateo County, a potential irrigation‑district transfer, and retail recycled‑water projects — as central to meeting those goals.
Ritchie and commissioners discussed additional flow obligations tied to dam projects (roughly 12.8 million gallons per day) and said leading candidates to meet that obligation include the Bay Area Regional Desalination Project and transfers from irrigation districts. Commissioners emphasized the need to treat unresolved questions — whether San Jose and Santa Clara become permanent customers and whether the system should commit to wholesale deliveries above 184 million gallons per day — as distinct projects with dedicated budgets, managers and environmental review schedules.
Commissioners asked staff to present firm schedules and to incorporate environmental review into feasibility work. Public commenters and outside speakers urged clear timetables so wholesale customers and partner agencies have certainty for planning.
The presentation did not adopt new policy; commissioners directed staff to continue fleshing out options, treat major decision threads as projects, and return with more detailed analyses during the upcoming budget cycle.
