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Committee approves $5 million wastewater appropriation for December 2014 storm claims; PUC outlines preventive steps
Summary
The committee moved forward an ordinance appropriating $5 million from wastewater enterprise reserves to cover claims and legal costs from December 2014 storms; SFPUC said it will identify about 700 catch‑basin hot spots for winter cleaning and pursue short‑ and long‑term projects.
The Budget and Finance Committee on Oct. 14 approved forwarding an ordinance to appropriate $5,000,000 from the wastewater enterprise designated general reserve to cover claim settlements, litigation costs and related expenses stemming from December 2014 storms.
Carlos Acobo, SFPUC budget director, said the wastewater supplemental appropriation would fund estimated additional claim settlements and related legal costs. Deputy City Attorney John Gibner told the committee the statute of limitations for property‑related claims ends in December, so additional claims may still be filed before that deadline.
Kathy Howell of SFPUC infrastructure said the utility is identifying roughly 700 catch‑basin “hot spots” to prioritize cleaning this winter and is evaluating short‑term measures and potential long‑term capital projects to reduce future storm impacts. Howell said staff will monitor these sites and pursue capital investments where needed.
The budget analyst noted the requested $5 million would reduce the wastewater enterprise’s designated general reserve from roughly $6 million to about $1 million and recommended approving the ordinance. The committee accepted the recommendation and forwarded the ordinance with a positive recommendation to the full Board.
The full Board will review the appropriation; SFPUC staff said monitoring and targeted maintenance will be a priority before the next rainy season.
