SFPUC warns of worsening drought; LAFCO asks for detailed breakdown of conservation efforts

Julie Ortiz, manager of the SFPUC water conservation program, briefed the commission on water supply and conservation measures amid continuing drought conditions.

Ortiz told commissioners the region is entering a third consecutive year of worsening drought and that total regional storage is about 60% of capacity compared with a historical norm near 82% for this time of year. She said SFPUC staff will ask the SFPUC Commission on Nov. 9 to declare a local water shortage emergency and to seek a regional system-wide 10% reduction in water use from 2019–2020 levels; she said San Francisco itself likely would be asked for a smaller reduction than wholesale areas, which will be a policy decision by the SFPUC Commission.

Ortiz reviewed the SFPUC's long-standing retail conservation programs — rebates and incentives, a toilet-replacement program (free toilets and installation for qualifying residential properties), indoor and outdoor water-wise evaluations (virtual and in person), leak alerts, an online platform showing daily and hourly water use, and education and outreach. She also outlined permanent local requirements intended to maintain water efficiency, including plumbing-fixture replacement, efficient landscape irrigation standards for larger projects, and bans on wasteful practices such as nonrecirculating fountains and irrigation during rain.

Commissioners requested more granular data when Ortiz returns in November. Chair Connie Chan asked for a breakdown of city-department water use and what municipal measures will be taken; Commissioner Shanti Singh asked for geographic distribution of residential usage and comparisons between households with lawns and those without; Commissioner Gordon Marr asked for information about local aquifer use, particularly the Westside Basin, and how groundwater tapping interacts with drought planning. Ortiz agreed to prepare comprehensive materials addressing those questions for the November meeting.

Public commenters reiterated conservation concerns and urged action; one caller asked for real-time leakage data and raised historical concerns about Hetch Hetchy.