1 San Francisco Public Utilities
Commission
(SFPUC)
Wildfire Mitigation Plan
Cheryl Sperry and Ethan Billigmeier
June 11, 2024
Operated by the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission Services of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission 2 SFPUC Owns and Maintains Assets
within Wildfire Risk Areas
By state law, we are required to construct, maintain and operate these electrical lines and equipment in a manner that will minimize the risk of catastrophic wildfire posed by our electrical lines and equipment.
• Requirements
• Prepare a wildfire mitigation plan annually
• Submit our plan to the California Wildfire Safety Advisory Board annually
• Comprehensive update of the Plan with review by an
Independent Evaluator at least once every three years
3 Plan Components
The following are required components of the WMP, per
PUC § 8387
1. Executive Summary
2. Objectives of the WMP
3. Roles and Responsibilities
4. Wildfire Risk and Risk Drivers
5. Wildfire Prevention Strategies
6. Stakeholder Outreach and Engagement
7. Evaluating the Performance of the Plan
8. Independent Evaluation of the Plan (one every 3 years) High Fire Threat Districts
4 Wildfire Mitigation Plan Principles
5 • Minimizing source ignition of a fire
• Resiliency of the grid
• Measure plan effectiveness and performance to ensure
we strive towards continual improvement
Plan Metrics and Evaluation
Self Evaluation (Audit)
Self-evaluation Audit Process
QC)
6 Metric Metric Description 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
Outcome Metrics
1 Vegetation inspections were
completed in an HFTD (Through
a combination of aerial and
ground inspections).
Completed
9/5/2019
Completed
7/1/2020 Completed 7/6/2021 Completed
7/22/2022 Completed 7/19/2023
2 Transmission Line Inspections –
aerial Completed 9/5/2019 Completed 7/1/2020 Completed 7/6/2021 Completed 7/22/2022 Completed 7/19/2023
3 Distribution Line Inspections –
aerial Completed 9/5/2019 Completed 7/1/2020 Completed 7/6/2021 Completed 7/22/2022 Completed 7/19/2023
Performance Metrics
1 Reportable ignitions in the HFTD
associated with SFPUC electric
facilities (see Section 9.4) 0 1 1 0 0
2 Number of times a circuit or
circuit segment is de-energized
within the HFTD 1 1 7 0 0
3 Wire down in HFTD 1 2 1 0 2
4 Wire down outside HFTD
0 0 0 0 1
2023 Accomplishments
7 • Implemented drone inspections for segments of distribution line and power poles where access is difficult.
• Updated distribution pole construction standards for regions of the Water Enterprise to use fiberglass or composite pole and cross arms during replacement or new construction and added additional avian protection best practices.
• Received data back from our first satellite vegetation monitoring flight.
• Supported CAL FIRE to perform over 80 acres of control burns in the Peninsula watershed.
• HHW completed a comprehensive audit to ensure all
transmission, distribution, and substations assets are
documented in Maximo.
2024-2026 WMP Initiatives
8 • HHW to begin purchase and install pole wrap on
distribution poles located in high fire risk areas.
• HHW to begin purchase and replace non-exempt 4292
equipment with exempt 4292 equipment on distribution
poles.
• Continue to refine the data validation and automated
tasks for the Wildfire Analyst™ fire weather risk
modeling tool.
Questions?
9 DEPARTMENT
Hetch Hetchy Water and Power
AGENDA NO. 9
MEETING DATE
June 11, 2024
AGENDA ITEM
Public Utilities Commission
City and County of San Francisco
Calendar: Regular Calendar
Contract/Project Manager: Margaret Hannaford
Adopt the 2024 SFPUC Wildfire Mitigation Plan
Summary of
Proposed
Commission Action:
Adopt a Resolution accepting the 202 4 San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) Wildfire Mitigation Plan (WMP) and authorizing the SFPUC General Manager to file the Plan with the California Office of Energy Infrastructure Safety (OEIS) Wildfire Safety Advisory Board (WSAB) on or before July 1, 2024.
Background: The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) owns and operates overhead electrical lines and equipment that present a significant risk of wildfire because of their location in areas designated by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) as High Fire Threat Districts (HFTD). This equipment includes a transmission system with 230 and 115-kilovolt facilities and a distribution system with 22 and 2.4-kilovolt facilities.
Public Utilities Code (PUC) Section 8387 requires publicly owned utilities, such as the SFPUC, to annually update their wildfire mitigation p lans and allow for public comment before submi tting the WMPs to the WSAB before July 1 each year.
PUC Section 8387 further requires that every three years the utility’s WMP undergo a comprehensive revision and be reviewed by an independent evaluator. The findings of the independent evaluator are to be presented to the utilities governing body, this Commission.
The SFPUC WMP has been brought before this Commission five times and the Commission has adopted the Plan under Resolutions 19- 0234, 20-0129, 21-0094, 22-0111, and 23-0134. The 2023 Plan was a comprehensive revision and included an independent evalu ation. The independent evaluator’s recommendations have been included in this 2024 update, such as adding a situation awareness tool for monitoring fire weather conditions (Technosylva Wildfire Risk Analyst) . The Independent Evaluator confirmed t he SFPUC
WMP meets all the statutory requirements for PUC Section 8387.
2023 accomplishments highlighted in the 2024 WMP include:
• Began using a drone for additional inspections of distribution line power poles.
Agenda Title: Adopt the 2023 SFPUC Wildfire Mitigation Plan Comprehensive Revision and Independent Evaluator Report Commission Meeting Date: June 11, 2024
• Updated distribution pole construction standards to replace old cross arms and poles with composite or fiberglass.
• Updated distribution pole construction standards to add increased avian protection.
• Began using satellite vegetation monitoring to supplemen t annual Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) flights.
• Supported CAL FIRE to perform over 80 acres of control burns in the SFPUC watershed.
• Completed a comprehensive audit to ensure all transmission, distribution, and substations assets are documented in Maximo.
The SFPUC WMP is a living document and will be updated on an annual basis to continue improving the operation and maintenance of overhead electrical lines in the HFTD to minimize the potential for a catastrophic wildfire.
Funding and Costs: Funding Source: Funds for WMP activities, programs, and projects are available from current and future appropriations to Water Enterprise and Hetch Hetchy Water and Power operating and capital budgets.
Environmental
Review:
Adoption of the Wildfire Mitigation Plan does not constitute a "project" under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines section 15378 because it would not result in any commitment to any specific project that would result in a physical change in the environment. Environmental review under the CEQA, if required, would be completed for individual projects, including vegetation removal, implemented as a result of the plan.
Attachment: 1. 2024 SFPUC WMP
PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION
City and County of San Francisco
RESOLUTION NO.
WHEREAS, Public Utilities Code 8387 requires that a local publicly owned utilitylike the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) prepare a wildfire mitigation plan annually and submit the plan to the California Wildfire Safety Advisory Board (WSAB) on or before July 1 of each calendar year; and
WHEREAS, The SFPUC owns and operates overhead electrical lines and equipment that present a significant risk of wildfire because they are in areas the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) has designated as High Fire Threat Districts (HFTD); and
WHEREAS, This Commission has adopted previous SFPUC Wildfire Mitigation Plans under Resolutions 19-0234, 20-0129, 21-0094, 22-0111, and 23-0134; and
WHEREAS, Staff prepared the 2024 SFPUC WMP which builds upon the 2024 Plan and incorporates the recommendations of the 2023 independent evaluation; and
WHEREAS, Adoption of the Wildfire Mitigation Plan does not constitute a "project" under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines section 15378 because it would not result in any commitment to any specific project that would result in a physical change in the environment and environmental review under the CEQA, if required, would be completed for individual projects, including vegetation removal, implemented as a result of the plan; and
WHEREAS, Funds for WMP activities, programs, and projects are available from current and future appropriations to Water Enterprise and Hetch Hetchy Water and Power operating and capital budgets; now, therefore be it
RESOLVED, That this Commission adopts the 2024 SFPUC WMP; and
FURTHER RESOLVED, That this Commission hereby authorizes the General Manager, or the General Manager’s designee, to file the 2024 SFPUC WMP to the WSAB on or before July 1, 2024, with any insubstantial changes or modifications to the exhibits, as may be acceptable to the General Manager.
I hereby certify that the foregoing resolution was adopted by the Public Utilities Commission at its meeting of June 11, 2024
Acting Commission Secretary, Public Utilities Commission