Emergency Firefighting Water System Briefing
Steven R. Ritchie
Assistant General Manager, Water
March 11, 2025
Emergency Firefighting Water System (EFWS)
Agenda
System Overview/Description
Partnership with SFFD
2 Pumping Station No.1
High Pressure Hydrant
Potable Low-Pressure Hydrants Map
Low-Pressure hydrants
3 8,552
By the Numbers
Low-pressure hydrants
3 Emergency
Firefighting Water
System
Emergency Firefighting Water System Map
6 • High-pressure fire-suppression
water system.
• Primary source of water: Hetch
Hetchy Regional Water System
• Backup source: pumped SF Bay
water
• Ownership transferred from SF
Fire Department to SFPUC in 2010
Emergency Firefighting Water System Map
cisterns
7 154
miles of pipe135
saltwater pump stations2
tanks2
reservoir1
By the Numbers
EFWS Improvements since 2010
Earthquake Safety & Emergency Response Bond
$308M Funded
8 Completed Projects:
• 30 new cisterns
• Upgrades of Twin Peaks
Reservoir, Jones & Ashbury Tanks
• Major upgrades for Pump Station
Nos. 1&2
• Pipeline Improvements: Ashbury
Bypass, Fillmore St, 19
th Ave,
Columbus Ave
EFWS Expansion:
• Developer extensions:
Candlestick Point, Mission Rock
Pipeline
• Clarendon Supply connection to
Summit Reservoir
• Potable EFWS pipelines 19
th Ave,
Sloat Blvd
ESER Bonds passed by voters in 2010, 2014, 2020
2028 – Potential Future ESER Bond
Recent Fire Responses Utilizing EFWS
• Generally, 4 alarm fires and above
• Feb 29, 2020: Toland St. & Evans St., 4 Alarm Fire
May 23, 2020: Pier 45, 4 Alarm
• July 28, 2020: 14th St, 5 Alarm
EFWS – Potential Future Build-Out
10 2050 Planning Study (2021)
proposed future pipelines (both
EFWS and Potable EFWS) to
achieve full build-out Citywide.
Full EFWS build-out will require
significant future funding
commitments.
Planning Study estimated cost at
least $4B by 2046.
Potable EFWS for the Westside of SF
New seismically reliable potable
water pipelines:
1) Day to day potable drinking water;
2) Isolated and pressurized for fire-
fighting;
3) Potable water after firefighting.
Water CIP to fund “fair share:”
• $145M committed in current Water
10-Year CIP.
Public outreach in March 2025.
Construction to start 2026.
11 Solid Lines = Funded Pipeline Projects
Dashed lines = Future Projects
Westside Potable Emergency Firefighting
Water System
36-inch PEFWS Pipeline at 19th Ave and Sloat
Blvd
Example Cabinet for Isolation Valves
5” Portable Hydrant System
Photos from 2023 SFFD Drill
• SFFD has five hose tenders.
• New hose tenders carry 6,000 feet of 5” large diameter hose capable of creating an above-ground hydrant system
Joint SFPUC-SFFD Drills
Year Date / Drill Annual Quarterly Fireboat manifold
EFWS
supply PS1/2
Hose
Tender
2020-
2022
Feb 20 / Pump Station 1 X X X
2020-2022 / Curtailment due to pandemic
2023
April 25/26 / Hose tender/potable hydrant X X
Oct 17-20 / Hose tender X X
Nov 6-8 / EFWS at Fort Mason X X X
Nov-Dec / Hose tender trainings X X
2024
Jan-Feb / Hose tender trainings X X
May 22 / Fireboat manifolds X X
June 3 / Bay bridge firewater system X
Sept 19 / Fireboat manifold and EFWS supply X X X X
2025 Jan 18 / Fireboat manifold and hose tender X X X
Fireboat Demonstration January 18, 2025
Questions?