SFPUC outlines 2035 water plan, weighing transfers, recycled water and conservation as wholesale customers press for supplies

San Francisco — At a July 10 meeting of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, staff presented a planning framework for meeting projected water demands through 2035 that lays out a suite of options — from transfers and groundwater storage to recycled water and regional desalination — and asked commissioners whether to accelerate design, pursue rate structures tied to individual supply guarantees, or prioritize dry‑year supplies.

Chief Ritchie, assistant general manager for water, told commissioners the planning questions are urgent because dry‑year supply is the central risk, not average‑year availability. He summarized the agency—s performance objectives, including a planning target of roughly 265 million gallons per day (MGD) and a rationing approach that could include staged reductions of 10% and 20% in an extended drought.

The staff presentation identified several drivers of a future shortfall: regulatory constraints affecting stream flows (modeled at about 7.4 MGD in one…