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SFPUC and Department of the Environment outline 10% voluntary reduction goal and contingency plans amid low Hetch Hetchy supply
Summary
SFPUC reported Hetch Hetchy reservoir storage at 303,000 acre-feet (~98 billion gallons), low snowpack and the need for multiple storms; the commission urged a voluntary 10% reduction and highlighted projects (Lower Cherry Aqueduct rehab, groundwater project, toilet-install program) and the $4.6 billion water system improvement program.
The committee held a hearing with the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) and the Department of the Environment on drought planning and watershed protection. Chair Supervisor London Breed asked for updates on supply projections, a 10% reduction goal, departmental usage, system preservation, long-term planning and education.
Steve Ritchie, assistant general manager for water at SFPUC, said the system held about 303,000 acre-feet of drinking water (approximately 98 billion gallons) and noted a low Sierra Nevada snowpack and historically dry recent years. "We basically need this weekend's storm to be strong, and then we need one or two more series of storms like this, frankly, so we'll all be able to sleep through the night," Ritchie said.
Ritchie described a voluntary 10% reduction target for customers, mayoral directives to city departments, and department-specific conservation plans due by August 1 that include inventorying plumbing fixtures and replacing old fixtures through rebates and direct-install programs. The SFPUC is pursuing three near-term priorities: Lower Cherry Aqueduct rehabilitation (to access Cherry Lake supplies), a local groundwater project on the West Side and a citywide direct-install toilet program. He noted the SFPUCs water system improvement program is about $4.6 billion and roughly 80 percent complete.
Guillermo Rodriguez of the Department of the Environment described education and school programs (Saved Our Bay) that have reached thousands of students and support conservation messaging.
Ritchie said the PUC will issue revised supply estimates in early March and could declare a formal shortage by mid-April if conditions warrant; the PUCs planning assumes it should not need to exceed 20 percent rationing. The item was continued to the call of the Chair for further Board work on state funding requests.
