Committee continues West Side emergency firefighting water system briefing for further planning and funding work

The Land Use & Transportation Committee on Jan. 22 received an extended briefing from the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission and other city staff on funding and design for the emergency firefighting water system (EFWS) in the city's western neighborhoods and continued the hearing to the call of the chair for further work.

Katie Miller, director of water capital programs at SFPUC, summarized accomplishments to date — new cisterns, seismic pump‑station and reservoir upgrades, and some pipeline replacement — and said the PUC's planning‑level estimate for full buildout of a potable emergency firefighting water system was at least $4 billion. Miller and staff said updated, more refined cost estimates and post‑COVID market conditions raised per‑mile pipeline cost estimates from a prior planning figure of $15 million per mile to roughly $42 million per mile.

The SFPUC proposed increasing water capital improvement program (CIP) bond funding for these potable pipelines from a previously committed $55 million to $145 million over 10 years to fund design and to make key contracts shovel‑ready ahead of a 2028 general obligation bond. The PUC also described design options and cost‑saving alternatives (fewer valves, potentially smaller diameters) and recommended pursuing combined funding from water CIP bonds and the city's GO bond program.

Office of Resilience and Capital Planning Director Brian Strong discussed financing options, potential use of development agreements, and complementary resilience measures such as gas shutoff valves to reduce ignition risk. Deputy Chief Darius Letrope of the Fire Department described operational improvements, said new hose tenders are planned for the West Side and urged timely repair of vulnerable fireboat manifolds at Fort Mason and Pier 33.

Supervisors questioned supply options (Lake Merced potable supply for the West Side versus seawater pump stations on the bay side), timing and coordination with housing and development plans (Park Merced, Stonestown, Balboa Reservoir), and asked for clear choices and decision points to reach shovel readiness by 2028. Public commenter Eileen Bokin asked for a continuance and alleged the PUC's shift to potable EFWS funding may be inconsistent with prior bond language; she requested public records on the policy change.

Chair moved to continue the hearing to the call of the chair; the clerk recorded two ayes and one absence and the committee agreed to continue the matter for further design and financing work.