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SFPUC workshop outlines options to close a projected 20.7 MGD gap by 2035; staff highlights transfers, groundwater and conservation
Summary
Staff told commissioners a projected 20.7 million gallons-per-day shortfall could emerge by 2035 under regulatory and demand scenarios and presented options including a 2 MGD Modesto transfer (dry-year insurance), regional groundwater storage (~7 MGD), recycled-water projects, desalination and an aggressive conservation program that could reduce retail demand by ~25% by 2035.
At an extended workshop May 22, SFPUC staff presented a range of water-supply options to meet projected 2035 demand and framed a policy question for the commission about how to treat a potential 10 million gallon-per-day surplus in the city’s allocation.
Steve Ritchie, assistant general manager for water, told the commission that policy and regulatory changes combined with projected wholesale and retail demand could produce a total potential shortfall of about 20.7 million gallons per day by 2035. He reviewed the utility’s performance objectives (a system objective of 265,000,000 gallons per day with a wholesale supply assurance of 184,000,000 gallons per day and a retail allocation to San Francisco of 81,000,000 gallons per day) and said that regulatory requirements (in‑stream flows) account for a substantial portion of the…
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