City and County of San Francisco Public Utilitiy Commission Issues

Hetch Hetchy Source

The Hetch Hetchy watershed, an area located in Yosemite National Park, provides approximately 85 percent of San Francisco's total water needs. Spring snowmelt runs down the Tuolumne River and fills Hetch Hetchy, the largest reservoir in the San Fransico Public Utility Commission (SFPUC) system. This surface water in the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir is treated, but not filtered because it is of such high quality.

The Alameda and Peninsula Sources

Together the Alameda and Peninsula watersheds produce about 15 percent of the total water supply. The Alameda watershed, located in Alameda and Santa Clara Counties, contributes surface water supplies captured and stored in two reservoirs: Calaveras and San Antonio. The Sunol Filter Galleries located near the Town of Sunol, are a groundwater source supplying less than one percent of San Francisco's water. The Peninsula watershed in San Mateo County contributes surface water supplies captured and stored in lower and upper Crystal Springs and San Andreas Reservoirs and in two smaller reservoirs, Pilarcitos and Stone Dam. The six reservoirs in the Alameda and Peninsula watersheds capture rain and local runoff. Some also store Hetch Hetchy water for use by San Francisco. These local water sources and groundwater from the Sunol filter galleries are treated and filtered before delivery.

Diversifying our Water Supply

A key function of the SFPUC is to carry out long-term water supply planning to ensure that the future water needs of the SFPUC's retail customers will be met. Historically, approximately 96 percent of the SFPUC's retail water demands have been met through purchases from the SFPUC's Regional Water System (RWS). San Francisco is identifying alternatives to diversify its water supply portfolio by analyzing local water supply and demand management options. Diversification of San Francisco's water supply portfolio can increase the reliability of San Francisco's water supply and could potentially cost less to produce than supplies from the SFPUC RWS. An example of which is the Bay Area regional desalination project.

Desalination

The Bay Area’s four largest water agencies, the East Bay Municipal Utility District, the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, the Contra Costa Water District and the Santa Clara Valley Water District, are jointly exploring the development of regional desalination facilities that would benefit over 5.4 million Bay Area residents and businesses served by these agencies. The Bay Area Regional Desalination Project could consist of one or more desalination facilities, with an ultimate total capacity of up to 65 million gallons per day.

Stewardship Policy

The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission adopted an Environmental Stewardship Policy, the opening paragraphs of that policy describe its mission and goals:

The mission of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) is to serve San Francisco and its Bay Area customers with reliable, high quality, and affordable water and wastewater treatment while maximizing benefits from power operations and responsibly managing the resources—human, physical, and natural—entrusted to its care.

The purpose of the Water Enterprise Environmental Stewardship Policy is to establish long-term management direction for SFPUC-owned lands and natural resources affected by operation of the SFPUC water system within the Tuolumne River, Alameda Creek, and Peninsula watersheds. Environmental stewardship is a fundamental component of the Water Enterprise mission, and a responsibility of all Water Enterprise employees.

The SFPUC is committed to responsible natural resources management that protects and restores viable populations of native species and maintains the integrity of the ecosystems that support them for current and future generations. The SFPUC strives to become a leader in science-based and collaborative environmental stewardship in order to continue providing high-quality and reliable water supplies to San Francisco residents and SFPUC customers.

Water Conservation

The Goal of the SFPUC conservation program is to reduce demand by 14.5 MGD by 2030 – this includes savings from plumbing codes (10 mgd) as well as other conservation programs.
The SFPUC’s retail water conservation program consists of three elements:

Water Saving: Activities that result in measurable water and consumer savings by offering rebates and other financial incentives. Ongoing and New Rebates and Giveaways:

Information Tracking and Monitoring: Activities that improve performance and accountability through better information.

Outreach and Education: Developing messaging materials to support program goals and improve program visibility

For more information on the SFPUC please go to www.sfwater.org.