Fire Department outlines multi-decade plan to expand emergency water system, cites 2020 bond funding

SAN FRANCISCO — The San Francisco Fire Department on April 28 laid out a citywide strategy to strengthen firefighting water supplies after earthquakes, telling the Fire Commission that a mix of bond funding and system upgrades will guide work through mid-century.

Assistant Deputy Chief Tom O'Connor framed the expansion around the Auxiliary Water Supply System, or AWSS, and a broader Emergency Firefighting Water System (EFWS). He said the AWSS currently includes core facilities such as the Twin Peaks Reservoir, "holding 10,500,000 gallons," Pump Stations 1 and 2 and 135 miles of piping, but that previous assessments found only about 40% of the city has a reliable post-earthquake supply.

"We have 135 miles of pipe, 1,600 high pressure hydrants, 229 cisterns," O'Connor said, summarizing the network the department relies on for large-scale suppression.

The presentation described the 2020 earthquake-safety and emergency repair bond (EASR 2020) as the funding vehicle for priority projects including a Westside potable EFWS, Fort Mason and Pier 33 manifolds, and a study of a saltwater pump station. O'Connor said the bond passed with significant funding and that the department is required to deliver a saltwater pump-station study and a neighborhood-level water-demand analysis by June 30; a comprehensive citywide EFWS plan is due to the Board of Supervisors by Dec. 31.

The Civil Grand Jury's report "Act Now Before It's Too Late" was cited as a catalyst for recent work; O'Connor said that report recommended block-by-block water-demand analysis and interim purchases of hose tenders while the pipeline work advances.

Commissioners pressed technical and policy questions. O'Connor said the AWSS can use both fresh and salt water but that potable EFWS pipelines (designed to supply drinking water in an emergency) are the preferred, "cleaner" approach for the Richmond and Sunset districts. On saltwater pump stations he warned of a lengthy permitting process involving multiple federal and state regulators.

On timelines, O'Connor said initial phases of the Westside EFWS are already in draft and that some planning scenarios look toward buildout in the 2030s and 2040s, with longer-term options considered for 2050. He said cost estimates will follow once final designs are shaped and that the department intends to present supervisors with a range of funding and scope options.

O'Connor also described near-term operational work: interagency drills with the Public Utilities Commission, portable emergency firefighting vehicles (host tenders) demonstrations for supervisors, and a set of deliverables to show where the system is strong or weak across supervisorial districts.

The department said water-demand modeling is ongoing and that answers about how many gallons would be needed or how many hours of sustained firefighting are possible depend on several variables, including the number of water-main breaks and the scale of ignitions after an earthquake.

What happens next: the department will deliver the June reports and the citywide plan by Dec. 31, after which supervisors will consider additional bond measures or funding to enlarge the EFWS footprint.

Sources: Presentation by Assistant Deputy Chief Tom O'Connor to the Fire Commission, April 28, 2021.