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San Francisco, CA 94102
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MEMORANDUM
Date: January 11, 2022
To: Commissioner Anson Moran, President
Commissioner Newsha Ajami, Vice President
Commissioner Sophie Maxwell
Commissioner Tim Paulson
Commissioner Ed Harrington
From: Dennis Herrera, General Manager
Through: Steven R. Ritchie, Assistant General Manager, Water
Subject: Onsite Water Reuse Program Update – FY 19/20 and FY 20/21 _______________________________________________________________
Onsite Water Reuse Program Overview
In 2012, San Francisco established the Onsite Water Reuse for Commercial, Multi-Family and Mixed-Use Development Ordinance. Commonly known as the Non-potable Water Ordinance, it added Article 12C to the San Francisco Health Code, allowing for the collection, treatment and use of alternate water sources such as graywater, rainwater, stormwater, blackwater, and foundation drainage for non-potable uses such as irrigation and toilet flushing in buildings.
The Non-potable Water Ordinance also allows development projects to install district-scale water reuse projects , where two or more parcels can share alternate water sources and reduce their potable water use.
In 2015, Article 12C became mandatory and requires new development projects to install and operate an onsite non- potable water system. In October 2021, Article 12C was amended to further increase potable water savings from new developments and change the required alternate water sources and non- potable end uses based on development project type. The recent ordinance amendments lowered the gross square footage (gsf) threshold for compliance, requiring new development pro jects of 100,000 gsf or more that apply for a site permit after January 1, 2022 to install and operate an onsite water system.
2 Additionally, for commercial buildings, the development project must meet its toilet and urinal flushing and drain trap priming demands through the collection, treatment, and use of available blackwater and condensate. For residential and mixed-use buildings, the project must meet its toilet and urinal flushing, irrigation, clothes washing, and drain trap priming demands through the collection, treatment, and use of available graywater and condensate. The requirements apply to both development projects consisting of a single building or multiple buildings.
New development projects of 40,000 gross square feet or more are required to submit water budget calculations assessing the supply available from the required alternate water sources and the demand from required non- potable uses, outlined above. It is not required to install and operate an onsite water reuse system.
The SFPUC implements the Onsite Water Reuse Program in collaboration with San Francisco Department of Public Health -Environmental Health, San Francisco Department of Building Inspection - Plumbing Inspection Division, and San Francisco Public Works. The SFPUC and SFDPH me et monthly to review the status of every project and all four City agencies meet quarterly to share updates. For more information, visit https://sfpuc.org/construction - contracts/design-guidelines-standards/onsite-water-reuse.
Figure 1: Chase Center Collects and Treats Rainwater, Stormwater, Graywater, and Condensate to Supply Toilet Flushing Demands in the Arena and Two Accompanying Office Buildings To Comply With the Non-potable Ordinance
Onsite Water Reuse Program Highlights
• A
pproved 21 water budget applications in FY 19 -20 and 9 water budget applications in FY 20-21;
3 • Updated the Onsite Water Reuse Grant Program Rules t o expand eligibility to projects that are installing onsite water systems on a mandatory basis in compliance with the Non- potable Water Ordinance (NPO) that go above and beyond their approved water budget, require grant applicants to evaluate the energy offset that could be achieved with a wastewater heat recovery system, and doubled the amount of funding for eligible projects;
• Published a revised Onsite Water Reuse Program Guid ebook to provide updated guidance to developers, architects, and design engineers navigating the permitting process and provide tips for successfully designing and implementing onsite water systems;
• Continued to improve inter-agency collaboration with the San Francisco Department of Public Health- Environmental Health, Department of Building Inspection, and Public Works
• Authored the article Decentralized Water Reuse: Implementing and Regulating Onsite Non-potable Water Systems published in 2019 in the globally recognized Journal of Sustainable Water Built Environment; • Chaired the National Blue Ribbon Commission for Onsite Non -potable Water Systems and exchanged lessons learned and engaged in peer -to- peer learning with utilities and public health agencies acr oss 14 states, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Army, the City of Toronto, and the City of Vancouver; and • Participated in the development of the National Blue Ribbon Commission’s Guidance Manual for Designing and Permitting Onsite Non-potable Water Systems in 2020.
Figure 2: Uber’s New Office Buildings are Designed to Collect and Treat Graywater and Rainwater to Supply the Building’s Toilet Flushing and Irrigation Demands to Comply with the Non-potable Ordinance
4 Current Onsite Water Reuse Projects and Potable Water Offsets
In FY 19 -20 and FY 20- 21, the SFPUC has received 21 new water budget applications. In total, there are 118 onsite water reuse projects that have submitted water budget applications, a nd are in the design, implementation, or operational phase.
79 projects, equal to roughly 66% of the total number of projects, are implementing stormwater or rainwater harvesting systems to comply with the Stormwater Management Ordinance (SMO). The rest of the systems include:
• 25 mandatory graywater treatment systems
• 6 blackwater treatment systems
• 4 voluntary graywater treatment systems
• 3 foundation drainage treatment systems
• 1 brewery process water reuse system
The total potable water offset for the Onsite Water Reuse Program is approximately 0.1 million gallons per day (MGD) . By 2040, the expected potable water offset will be approximately 1.3 MGD . Figures 3 and 4 and Table 1 provide an overview of the onsite water reuse projects that have submitted water budget applications, and are in the design, implementation, or operational phase.
Figure 3: San Francisco’s Onsite Water Reuse Projects Shown by Project Initiation Year
5 Figure 4: San Francisco’s Voluntary, Mandatory, and Grant Onsite Water Reuse Projects
The SFPUC developed detailed case studies featuring onsite water reuse projects in San Francisco, as well as other innovative water recycling and resource recovery projects across the globe. To view the case studies, visit https://sfpuc.org/construction-contracts/design-guidelines-standards/onsite- water-reuse.
The SFPUC’s Onsite Water Reuse Grant Program provides grant funding to encourage retail water users to reduce SFPUC water supply usage by collecting, treating, and using alternate water sources including rainwater, stormwater, graywater, foundation drainage, air conditioning condensate, and blackwater for non -potable uses such as toilet flushing, irrigation, and cooling tower makeup.
Grant applicants must demonstrate the ability to achieve at least one of the following thresholds to eligible for grant funding:
• Projects that replace at least 450,000 gallons of SFPUC water per year are eligible for grant funding up to $200,000; or
• Projects that replace at least 1,000,000 gallons of SFPUC water per year are eligible for grant funding up to $500,000; or
• Projects that replace at least 3,000,000 gallons of SFPUC water per year are eligible for grant funding up to $1,000,000.
6 The SFPUC lowere d the threshold of eligibility to 450,000 gallons of water per year offset to incentivize existing dual -plumbed buildings with no current recycled water source to install onsite water reuse systems. Recognizing that these buildings would likely otherwise not install onsite water reuse systems, the SFPUC is offering financial assistance to encourage additional potable water savings.
Additionally, projects that are installing an onsite water reuse system on a mandatory basis in compliance with the Non -potable Water Ordinance can apply for a grant if water savings can be demonstrated above and beyond the requirements. As an example, a mandatory project consisting of a commercial building reusing blackwater and condensate for toilet and urinal flushing and drain trap priming could elect to use excess available blackwater to meet cooling tower make-up water demands.
Furthermore, through the Onsite Water Reuse Program, the SFPUC is incentivizing the implementation of wastewater heat recovery systems within development projects installing onsite water reuse systems. The Grant Program requires all projects applying for a grant to estimate the potential energy offset that can be achieved with wastewater heat recovery. In addition, mixed-used and multi-family buildings that are grant recipients are required to implement wastewater heat recovery. SFPUC’s goal in integrating wastewater heat recovery into the Grant Program is to gather more information about the potential benefits of these systems and understand how impleme ntation could occur successfully in San Francisco.
Figure 5: Energy Center San Francisco is Treating and Recycling Foundation Drainage from Powell BART Station for Use in the Downtown Steam Loop
7 National Blue Ribbon Commission for Onsite Non-potable Water Systems
The SFPUC has also been on the forefront of innovation in advancing onsite water reuse in North America. As chair of the National Blue Ribbon Commission for Onsite Non -potable Water Systems, the SFPUC is leading a national collaborative of municipalities, water utilities, and public health agencies from 14 states, the District of Columbia, US EPA, and US Army Engineer Research and Development Center, the city of Vancouver, and the city of Toronto.
The National Blue Ribbon Commission is focused on addressing key institutional and regulatory barriers to widespread adoption of onsite non- potable water systems. Efforts have included developing a risk -based water quality framework for onsite water reuse and establishing model policies for municipalities that support local implementation of onsite water reuse.
Supported by the WateReuse Association, the group initiated an effort to develop an operator certificate program for onsite non-potable water systems.
The program’s goal is to build operator capacity and provide the unique training to develop the skills needed to safely operate and maintain onsite systems. The operator certificate program is anticipated to be completed in 2022. For more information about the National Blue Ribbon Commission, visit www.watereuse.org/nbrc.
cc: Steve Panelli, SFDBI-PID
June Weintraub, SFDPH-EH
Eleanor Tang and Jon Kwong, SFPW
8 Table 1: Current Onsite Water Reuse Projects
Project Name
Onsite Alternate Water Sources Non-potable Applications Rainwater
Stormwater
Graywater
Blackwater
Foundation
Drainage
Condensate/Blo
wdown
Brewery
process water
Toilet Flushing
Irrigation
Cooling/
Heating
Street
Sweeping
Brewery
processes
Fiscal Year 2012-2013
55 9th Street X X
SF Public Safety Building X X X X
45 Lansing X X
350 Mission X X X X
Market Street Place X X
Fiscal Year 2013-2014
Salesforce Tower X X X
200 6th Street X X X
Alta Laguna X X
535 Mission X X
333 Brannan X X X
1255 Columbus X X
St Anthony’s X X
SFMOMA X X X X X
250 4th Street X X
345 Brannan X X
181 Fremont X X X X
41 Tehama X X X
Whole Foods Mixed-Use X X
Fiscal Year 2014-2015
Hampton Inn X X
CPMC Cathedral Hill X X
2558 Mission X X
1634 Pine X X
Starr King School X X
2051 3rd Street X X
Shipyard 51 Innes Court X X
Shipyard 52 Innes Court X X
Avalon Dogpatch X X
340 Fremont X X X X
Trinity Phase 3 X X
9 Project Name
Onsite Alternate Water Sources Non-potable Applications Rainwater
Stormwater
Graywater
Blackwater
Foundation
Drainage
Condensate/Blo
wdown
Brewery
process water
Toilet Flushing
Irrigation
Cooling/
Heating
Street
Sweeping
Brewery
processes
ECSF-BART Project X X
85 Bluxome X X
Fiscal Year 2015-2016
Moscone Center X X X X X X
UN Plaza Project X X X
1395 22nd Street X X X X
350 8th Street X X
5050 Mission X X
CPMC St. Luke’s X X
CPMC Van Ness Medical
Office Building
X X
510 Townsend X X X X X
UBER X X X X
Transbay Block 9 X X X X
Park Tower X X X
Transbay Block 8 X X X X
Fiscal Year 2016-2017
Warriors X X X X
India Basin X X X X
115 Telegraph Hill X X
SFSU Recreation
Wellness Center
X X X
Salesforce Tower X X X X
160 Folsom X X X X
505 Brannan X X X X
Shipyard 889 La Salle
Avenue
X X
Shipyard 869 La Salle
Avenue
X X
Shipyard 1 Earl Street X X
Shipyard 989 Oakdale
Avenue
X X
Shipyard 978 Oakdale
Avenue
X X
Shipyard 879 La Salle X X
10 Project Name
Onsite Alternate Water Sources Non-potable Applications Rainwater
Stormwater
Graywater
Blackwater
Foundation
Drainage
Condensate/Blo
wdown
Brewery
process water
Toilet Flushing
Irrigation
Cooling/
Heating
Street
Sweeping
Brewery
processes
Avenue
Shipyard 968 Oakdale
Avenue
X X
Shipyard 999 Oakdale
Avenue
X X
Shipyard 988 Oakdale
Avenue
X X
Shipyard 10 Kennedy
Place
X X X
Shipyard 10 Innes Court X X X
706 Mission X X X
Fiscal Year 2017-2018
1301 16th Street X X
Modera Rincon X X
1598 Bay Street X X
1066 Market X X
Rebuild Potrero Block X X X
240 Pacific Avenue X X
999 Folsom X X
Hyatt Place X X X X X
Splunk X X X X
830 Eddy X X X
1036 Mission X X X
1500 Mission Residential X X X X
88 Broadway X X X
UC Hastings Academic
Building
X X X
49 South Van Ness X X X X
Fiscal Year 2018-2019
Anchor Brewery Process
Water Reuse Project
X X
1515 S Van Ness X X
1965 Market X X
Lumina X X
300 Grant X X X
11 Project Name
Onsite Alternate Water Sources Non-potable Applications Rainwater
Stormwater
Graywater
Blackwater
Foundation
Drainage
Condensate/Blo
wdown
Brewery
process water
Toilet Flushing
Irrigation
Cooling/
Heating
Street
Sweeping
Brewery
processes
75 Howard X X X X
145 Leavenworth X X X X
361 Turk X X X X
30 Otis X X X X
Fiscal Year 2019-2020
Mission Rock X
1629 Market X X
88 Bluxome X X
598 Brannan X X
950 Tennesseee X
681 Florida Street
Housing
X
1111 Pennsylvania X
2465 Van Ness X
1001 Van Ness X
65 Ocean Ave X
4200 3rd Street X
1140 Harrison Street X X
434 Minna (5M) X X
120 Stockton X
Francisco Park X
415 Natoma (5M) X X
725 Harrison X X
Pier 70 E2 X X
Pier 70A X X
Hillside Block 48, Phase
1B, Bldg G
X X
450 O'Farrell X X
Fiscal Year 2020-2021
921 Howard Street X
Lofton at Nopo X
Potero Hope SF Block B X
531 Bryant Street X
2177 3rd St X
12 Project Name
Onsite Alternate Water Sources Non-potable Applications Rainwater
Stormwater
Graywater
Blackwater
Foundation
Drainage
Condensate/Blo
wdown
Brewery
process water
Toilet Flushing
Irrigation
Cooling/
Heating
Street
Sweeping
Brewery
processes
30 Van Ness Avenue X X
Pier 70 Parcel K North X X
98 Franklin X
UC Hastings School of
Law Campus Housing
X X