SAN FRANCISCO PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION
WATER RESOURCES DIVISION
ANNUAL REPORT
Fiscal Year 2024-2025
Dear Partners and Customers:
The top priority of SFPUC’s Water Resources Division is a secure and sustainable water supply for San Francisco and our 2.7 million customers in the Bay Area. To ensure this, our team continues to work with residents, businesses, and partners to introduce new programs, expand outreach efforts, and explore innovative alternative water supplies. We remain committed to leading the way in water efficiency.
In FY 2024-2025, SFPUC’s Water Conservation team:
• R olled out the new Irrigation Controller Rebate Program, which offers residential and commercial customers rebates on irrigation controllers that use the soil or weather to improve the efficiency of irrigation systems. When these controllers replace older ones, customers may save more water while maintaining a healthy landscape. • Cr eated the new Ultra-High Efficiency Toilet Rebate Program, which will help customers replace toilets with ultra-high efficiency models that can be up to 37% more efficient than the current California standard, which requires toilets installed after 2014 to have a flush rate of 1.28 gallons. • Incr eased the rebate amount for the Commercial Equipment Retrofit Rebate Program, which helps businesses cut costs and conserve water by replacing inefficient water-using equipment with efficient upgrades.
INNOVATIVE PARTNERSHIPS
We continue to seek creative approaches to expanding our water supplies, including forming new partnerships. We joined forces with the National Blue Ribbon Commission to launch BILD (Building Infrastructure Locally for Decentralized Water Systems). BILD is a groundbreaking collaborative effort with worldwide water leaders, all focused on one goal: making it easier to implement innovative, local water systems. These “decentralized” systems—like the one in Salesforce Tower—are key to our future because they allow buildings and neighborhoods to capture and reuse their own water, reducing our reliance on traditional water supplies.
Since the earth has the same amount of water now that it did when it was formed, all water has been used over and over again.
Recycled water is wastewater that has been cleaned and meets requirements for industrial and irrigation use. In partnership with neighboring utilities, the SFPUC is irrigating Harding Park, Fleming, and Sharp Park Golf Courses with recycled water. When the irrigation system updates are complete, recycled water will be used to water Golden Gate Park, the Panhandle, and Lincoln Park Golf Course. Recycled water will also be delivered to the San Francisco Zoo for future non-potable uses such as irrigation, animal exhibit washdown, and animal pool filling, and irrigation of the Lower Great Highway.
THE NEXT 100 YEARS
The SFPUC has been a leader in water management for nearly 100 years. Continuing this legacy means looking ahead to prepare for potential challenges our water supply will face. This is why the Alternative Water Supply Program is reimagining the sources of water we serve to our customers. The SFPUC is planning a purified water program, PureWaterSF, to further enhance future local water supply resilience within the City. Purified water is drinking water that comes from highly treated recycled water that has gone through additional advanced treatment to meet—and even surpass—drinking water quality standards. Purified water has been used in other parts of the United States and around the world for decades, and testing has shown that purified water is cleaner than most bottled water.
San Francisco’s water future is a shared effort. Whether it’s choosing a water-efficient appliance or simply remembering to turn off the tap, every action you take makes a difference. We are incredibly grateful for your partnership as we continue to build a sustainable water supply for generations to come.
Thank you,
Paula Kehoe,
Director of Water Resources
Water Resources Team
Contents
OUR WATER SOURCES
page 2
WATER CONSERVATION
PROGRAM
page 6
RECYCLED WATER
PROGRAM
page 18
ONSITE WATER
REUSE PROGRAM
page 19
LOOKING AHEAD
Lake Merced
Alternative Water Supply
Water Resources
Innovations
page 22
WATER RESOURCES DIVISION HIGHLIGHTS
58 Operating
Onsite Water
Systems
44 MILLION GALLONS
Recycled Water
Used for Irrigation
9 MILLION GALLONS PER DAY of
Additional Dry Year
Supplies Being
Explored
Water Conservation Program Activity Since 2009
INCENTIVES
194,450
Devices Distributed
57,608
Shower Heads
52,205
Toilets
29,798
Clothes Washers
1,862
Urinals
2,255
Rain Barrels, Cisterns,
and Graywater Kits
396
Landscape
10 Commercial
Equipment Rebates
WATER-WISE
EVALUATIONS
51,472
Evaluations
Performed
OUTREACH &
EDUCATION
24,160 Conservation
Info Line Calls
21,031 Top User
Letters
3,509 Waste of Water
Alerts
1,528 Presentations
& Field Trips
WATER
MANAGEMENT
TOOLS
112,566
My Account
REGISTRATIONS
152,506
LEAK ALERTS
Notes:
• De vices distributed include: aerators, toilet flappers, fill valves, pre-rinse spray valves, nozzles, soil moisture meters
• T racking of participation in measure started later than 2009 for rain barrels, cisterns, graywater kits, top user letters, waste of water alters, My Account registrations and leak alerts. • Landscape inc entives include: Water Efficient Irrigation Ordinance projects, landscape audits, and community irrigation grants and rebates
• C ommercial equipment rebates include: ice machines, industrial dishwashers, and sterilization equipment.
• C onservation info line calls do not include calls to the SFPUC’s General Call Center regarding conservation
OUR WATER SOURCES
The SFPUC Regional Water System (RWS) is a public asset that delivers high-quality drinking water to 2.7 million residents and businesses in the Bay Area. The system collects water from the Tuolumne River in the Sierra Nevada, from protected local watersheds in the East Bay and on the Peninsula, and from groundwater stored in a deep aquifer located in San Francisco and San Mateo counties. The SFPUC delivers water to 27 wholesale customers in Alameda, Santa Clara, and San Mateo counties and provides direct retail water service to customers in San Francisco and some customers outside of San Francisco. The Bay Area Water Supply & Conservation Agency (BAWSCA) represents 26 of the wholesale customers and coordinates their water conservation activities.
By relying on multiple sources of water supply, we help protect our customers from potential disruptions associated with emergencies such as drought, global climate change, or natural disasters. A diverse mix of water sources also increases our resilience to long-term water vulnerabilities such as global climate change, regulatory changes that reduce the amount of water we can use from creeks and rivers, and population growth. By choosing the right water source for its best use, we are ensuring the reliability of our water supply for today and future generations. 2 SFPUC WA TER RESOURCES DIVISION ANNUAL REPOR T FY 2024-2025 FY 2024-2025 San Francisco Residential Water Use
San Francisco Population
842,027
PEOPLE
Water Used by San Francisco
Residential Customers
35 Million
Gallons Per Day
(mgd)
Residential Water Use
Per Person, Per Day
42 GALLONS
FY 2024-2025 Regional Water System Sales and Retail Water Use Regional Water
System Sales
Wholesale
Customers:
132 mgd
Retail
Customers:
55 mgd
Retail Water Use
Single-Family Residential: 13 mgd
Commercial/Industrial: 12 mgd
Multi-Family Residential: 22 mgd
Retail Customers Outside of SF: 4 mgd
Irrigation: 2 mgd
Municipal: 2 mgd
Notes:
• San Fr ancisco Population information is from the California Department of Finance, E-5 Population and Housing Estimates For Cities, Counties, and the State, January 2021-2025 with 2020 Benchmark. • T he Retail Water Use data does not reflect water used for pipe flushing, firefighting, street cleaning, and water loss from supply-side main and pipe breaks.
• Irriga tion data are from dedicated irrigation accounts only and do not include irrigation use from water accounts that jointly serve both indoor and outdoor demands. 3 SFPUC WA TER RESOURCES DIVISION ANNUAL REPOR T FY 2024-2025
OUR WATER SOURCES
Groundwater Program
The SFPUC’s groundwater supply comes from the 40-square- mile Westside Basin, an aquifer extending from Golden Gate Park in San Francisco southward through Millbrae. The depths of production wells installed by the SFPUC range from 270 to 750 feet below ground. The Westside Basin is a vital local drinking water resource for San Francisco and neighboring communities in San Mateo County. Our customers benefit from the storage, reliable yield, and consistent quality of water provided by this local resource.
To support the responsible and sustainable management and protection of the groundwater basin, the SFPUC is committed to groundwater level and quality monitoring as one of its top priorities. Our monitoring network has expanded to 101 wells since the first wells were installed in 1989. We collect data from these wells to assess the quality of the water and how the groundwater basin responds to our operations. This allows us to adapt our groundwater pumping in response to changes in the aquifer so we can sustain this important resource.
SAN FRANCISCO GROUNDWATER SUPPLY PROJECT
The San Francisco Groundwater Supply Project has allowed us to supplement our drinking water sources by blending a small amount of groundwater with water from the Regional Water System since 2017. We will incrementally build up to a maximum of 4 mgd of groundwater production in San Francisco.
Regional Groundwater Storage and Recovery Project
at Linear Park located in San Mateo County.
4 SFPUC WA TER RESOURCES DIVISION ANNUAL REPOR T FY 2024-2025
OUR WATER SOURCES
Groundwater Program
REGIONAL GROUNDWATER
STORAGE AND RECOVERY PROJECT
The Regional Groundwater Storage and Recovery Project is a partnership among the SFPUC, the California Water Service Company (serving South San Francisco and Colma), the
City of Daly City, and the City of San Bruno. This project is a sustainable, conjunctive use project that has storage and recovery components. Conjunctive water management is a
strategy for coordinating the use of both surface water and groundwater to maximize the overall availability and reliability of our region’s water supply. During storage periods of normal to above-average annual rainfall, the SFPUC provides additional surface water from the Regional Water System to the partner agencies to reduce the amount of groundwater pumped from the southern Westside Groundwater Basin.
Over time, the reduced pumping results in increased
groundwater storage of up to 20 billion gallons from ongoing groundwater recharge. The stored groundwater serves as
an additional water supply during drought. After the first year of drought, the project may begin a recovery period by withdrawing the stored groundwater. As of June 30, 2025, the SFPUC had accumulated approximately 13.2 billion gallons of groundwater storage credits (about 40,400 acre-feet).
For more than 100 years, the Westside Groundwater
Basin, a 40-square-mile underground reservoir that
extends from Golden Gate Park in San Francisco to
Millbrae, has been a critical source of drinking water
for Daly City, South San Francisco, and San Bruno.
5 SFPUC WA TER RESOURCES DIVISION ANNUAL REPOR T FY 2024-2025 SAN
FRANCISCO
LAKE
MERCED
DALY
CITY
COLMA
BRISBANE
SOUTH
SAN FRANCISCO
CRYSTAL
SPRINGS
RESERVOIR
HILLSBOROUGH
BURLINGAME
SAN BRUNO
MILLBRAE
Southern Westside
Groundwater Basin
Northern Westside
Groundwater Basin
Groundwater
Recovery Wells
WATER CONSERVATION PROGRAM
Rain or shine, we provide a comprehensive water conservation program for residents and businesses in our retail service area. Our program offers a variety of incentives, services, and tools to improve water efficiency and reduce water waste. In addition, the SFPUC has helped develop and implement local requirements that mandate water efficiency.
On the research front, we continued to participate in important national and state-level research studies with the Water Research Foundation (WRF) and California Department of Water Resources. These studies included analyses of residential water use trends.
We also completed participation in a WRF study of potential expanded uses of Automated Metering Infrastructure (AMI) data for customer engagement and other utility operations.
In December 2024, we submitted the SFPUC’s first annual report in response to new state regulations for “Making Conservation a California Way of Life,” which establishes unique water efficiency goals for each urban retail water supplier in California. The SFPUC met all indoor and outdoor water efficiency standards. We also met various performance measures related to non-residential water use, including identifying the business and industry type of customer accounts, as well as identifying and offering assistance programs to the highest water users and to those that irrigate large sites with mixed use meters. 6 SFPUC WA TER RESOURCES DIVISION ANNUAL REPOR T FY 2024-2025 FY 2024-2025 HIGHLIGHTS
WATER CONSERVATION PROGRAM
Outreach & Education
13,786
Leak Alert
Notifications
1,438
Conservation
Phone Calls
107
Water Waste
Reports
Landscape Programs
FY 2024-2025 water conservation
program activities are estimated
to have a potential 30-year water
savings of 253 million gallons.
80 Million Gallons Single-Family
82 Million Gallons Multi-Family
91 Million Gallons Non-Residential
75 Class
Presentations
and Field Trips
Conservation
1,516
Devices
Distributed 927
Aerators
363
Shower
Heads
226
Spray nozzles, flappers,
fill valves, etc.
1,292
Water-Wise
Evaluations/
Phone Consults
80 Non-Residential
19 Landscape
391
Single-
Family
802
Multi-
Family
1,413
Fixture Rebates
& Installations
1,207
Toilets 194
Clothes
Washers
12 Hot
Water
Pumps
253
MILLION
GALLONS
19 Rain
Barrels
Note: Estimated water savings for replacement of 1.6 gallons-per-flush toilets are provisional and will be finalized as part of the SFPUC’s 2025 Water Conservation Plan. The final savings estimate for these toilets may cause a slight change in the total estimated conservation program savings for FY 2024-2025.
1 Laundry-to-
Landscape
7 SFPUC WA TER RESOURCES DIVISION ANNUAL REPOR T FY 2024-2025
WATER CONSERVATION PROGRAM
Water-Wise Evaluations
We continue to support customers with their water-saving efforts. This year we conducted 1,292 Water-Wise Evaluations for residential and commercial properties, including restaurants, office buildings, hotels, laundromats, museums, schools, and colleges. Outdoor Water-Wise Evaluations consist of identifying irrigation efficiency improvements and low water-use plant recommendations for customers looking to improve water
efficiency and reduce irrigation runoff. Field inspection staff manually run irrigation systems, observe system operations, flag areas needing repairs, reconnect loose drip irrigation fittings, review weekly watering schedules, and show customers their irrigation timer programming features. Landscapes for these evaluations include residential yards, large commercial/municipal landscapes, multi-family buildings with perimeter and rooftop gardens, and homeowner association common areas. Indoor Water-Wise Evaluations help customers identify old plumbing fixtures that qualify for financial replacement incentives and provide free water-efficient plumbing devices, including shower heads, aerators, and toilet leak repair parts.
Free High-Efficiency Plumbing Devices
All retail customers are eligible to receive free plumbing devices.
In FY 2024-2025, we provided 1,516 water-efficient shower heads, faucet aerators, garden spray hose nozzles, soil moisture meters, and toilet leak repair parts to help residential and commercial properties achieve immediate water savings.
Water-Wise Evaluation
Water-Efficient Garden Spray Hose
8 SFPUC WA TER RESOURCES DIVISION ANNUAL REPOR T FY 2024-2025 Leak Alert Program
Our Leak Alert Program helps SFPUC notify single-family, multi-family, irrigation, commercial, and municipal customers when our hourly automated meter data screening detects
constant and unusual water use that could indicate a leak.
We send alerts by phone, text message, email, letter, and door hangers. This year, we issued 13,786 leak notifications and continued to improve the program by adding
customized outreach to customers with the largest leaks in our service area.
WATER CONSERVATION PROGRAM
Estimated Leak Alert
Program Water Savings
in FY 2024-2025
76 Million
Gallons
Our customer leak alert surveys provide insight to the types of leaks occurring in San Francisco. Survey results indicate toilets as the leading cause for indoor leaks. Outdoor leaks, including a leaky irrigation system or irrigation/hose left on, account for approximately 20% of responses. The remaining mix of indoor leaks, such as a leaky faucet, hot water tank, or shower head, a burst pipe, and fixtures left running, account for the remainder of the leak types reported. The survey results include the responses of over 5,300 single-family and small multi-family leak alert recipients.
Leaky Shower Head - 1%
Pond, Pool, Hot Tub, or Fountain - 1%
Leaky Faucet - 4%
Irrigation or
Hose Left on - 9%
Leaky Toilet - 51%
Leaky Irrigation System - 11%
Unable to
Determine Cause - 11%
Other - 5%
Hot Water Tank - 3%
Burst Pipe - 2%
Sink, Shower, or Bath
Left Running - 2%
Cause of Leaks Reported by Customers
9 SFPUC WA TER RESOURCES DIVISION ANNUAL REPOR T FY 2024-2025
WATER CONSERVATION PROGRAM
Community Outreach
We value the long-standing partnerships that we have established with the diverse communities we serve. We strive to engage our customers and share important agency updates in a transparent and timely fashion. We use both traditional and innovative outreach channels, including bill inserts, print newsletters, social posts, public hearings, community events, newspaper and radio ads, and educational campaigns.
We provided valuable conservation updates and messaging to over:
120,000
customers
45,000
followers
49,000
subscribers
California legislation titled, “Making Conservation a California Way of Life” requires us to meet annual urban water use efficiency standards for indoor and outdoor water use. While these regulations aren’t enforced at the individual business or property level, we always ask our customers to maintain water-efficient practices.
In response to this regulation, we identified the top 20% of commercial, industrial, and institutional (CII) water users in our service area and reported their collective water use to the state. We contacted over 3,000 customers to let them know about the wide range of conservation assistance measures we offer that could help maximize their water efficiency.
Water Conservation staff table events in the community.
Bill inserts help SFPUC customers learn about our programs. 10 SFPUC WA TER RESOURCES DIVISION ANNUAL REPOR T FY 2024-2025
WATER CONSERVATION PROGRAM
Based on a recommendation from the Pacific
Institute, we also expanded our residential
top user notifications from the top 2% of
users to the top 10%. These courtesy notices
help customers to understand more about
their water use and the services we provide
to help them save water and money. This
year, we notified over 11,000 single-family
and multi-family customers. In response we
saw a marked increase in requests for our
Water-Wise Evaluations and other services.
A big highlight of our outreach this year was our
continued partnership with the San Francisco
Giants. The “Pitch in to Save Water” campaign
that shared easy, everyday tips to lower water
usage, sent a direct email to over 70,000 fans
providing them information about how to save
water, aired a public service announcement with
team mascot Lou Seal before home games, and
spotlighted the team’s efforts to save water.
Thanks to these efforts and the commitment
of our customers, water use in San Francisco
remains some of the lowest in the state.
11 SFPUC WA TER RESOURCES DIVISION ANNUAL REPOR T FY 2024-2025
WATER CONSERVATION PROGRAM
Plumbing Fixture Replacement Program
The SFPUC’s decades of toilet replacement incentives have encouraged the removal of most high-flow toilets in our service area.
To accelerate the replacement of remaining old, water-wasting toilets and urinals, we launched the Plumbing Fixture Replacement Program (PREP) in 2016. In the continued pursuit of more water savings, we updated the program to include replacement of 1.6 gallon flush toilets with even more efficient models. This new incentive opened a much bigger market for water savings in San Francisco.
This year, 1,207 ultra-efficient toilets were installed through PREP, bringing the current program total to over 7,500 efficient toilets and urinals since 2016. After nine successful years, the program closed to new applicants in summer 2025. The SFPUC’s new Ultra-High Efficiency Toilet Rebate Program will be available for all eligible customers seeking to install ultra-high efficiency toilets.
NEW! Ultra-High Efficiency Toilet Rebate Program
The SFPUC created the new Ultra-High Efficiency Toilet Rebate Program to continue to help customers replace old toilets. Qualifying residential, commercial, industrial, and institutional customers will be eligible to receive a rebate of up to $200 to replace old 1.6- gallon flush or greater tank type toilets with qualifying ultra-high efficiency models. At 1.1 gallons per flush or less, ultra-high efficiency toilets can be up to 37% more efficient than current California standards. 12 SFPUC WA TER RESOURCES DIVISION ANNUAL REPOR T FY 2024-2025
WATER CONSERVATION PROGRAM
Hot Water Recirculation Pump Rebates
The SFPUC continues to promote the use of hot water recirculation pumps to reduce wait times for hot water to arrive at shower heads and taps, leading to saved water and money.
Recirculation pumps pull hot water from a water heater, while simultaneously sending cool water from the hot water lines back to the water heater to be reheated and reused.
These pumps are either installed at water heaters or under kitchen or bathroom sinks that have electrical outlets. This year, we rebated 12 hot water recirculation pumps.
Clothes Washer Rebates
The SFPUC provides rebates of $100 per washer for the purchase and installation of qualifying residential ENERGY STAR® efficient clothes washers in our retail service area.
To support access to public laundry facilities for San Francisco neighborhoods that rely on them, the SFPUC worked with the Board of Supervisors on a temporary City initiative to support local laundromats. We increased the commercial washer rebate to up to $5,000 per washer for customers installing qualifying high-efficiency, commercial-style clothes washers in laundromats, large multi-family common area laundry rooms, and other commercial facilities. This year, 94 commercial washers and 100 residential washer were rebated. With the budget from the temporary initiative fully expended, SFPUC will now offer up to $1,000 per eligible washer as part of our ongoing core programming, doubling the program’s original $500 rebate.
Commercial Equipment Retrofit Rebates
The Commercial Equipment Retrofit Rebate Program provides funding for businesses to replace inefficient water-using equipment with efficient upgrades. After this year’s program updates, it now includes metered and unmetered projects, increased rebate amounts, and lowered minimum annual water savings qualification requirements.
Businesses can receive rebates for medical equipment, restaurant equipment, commercial laundry retrofits, and custom site-specific equipment retrofits or custom projects. 13 SFPUC WA TER RESOURCES DIVISION ANNUAL REPOR T FY 2024-2025 Rainbarrel and Cistern Rebates
Capturing rainwater at homes and businesses can reduce
potable water used for irrigation and reduce flows to the SFPUC’s combined sewer system during storm events. Our
Rainwater Harvesting Program provides rebates for rain
barrels and cisterns. Eligible customers can receive a $100 rebate for up to two rain barrels or a $350 rebate for one cistern. The SFPUC’s Rainwater Harvesting Program provided residents and businesses with 19 rain barrels this year.
NEW! Irrigation Controller Rebates
The Irrigation Controller Rebate Program offers residential and commercial customers rebates on irrigation controllers that use the soil or the weather to improve the efficiency of irrigation systems. When these controllers replace older versions, customers may save more water and money while maintaining a healthy landscape. Rebates for residential landscapes start at $250 per eligible U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s WaterSense-labeled controller. Additionally, larger commercial landscapes can receive rebates starting at $35 per active irrigation zone.
Residential Laundry-to-Landscape Rebates
Our Laundry-to-Landscape Rebate Program offers single-family and small multi-family properties a $100 rebate on essential laundry-to-landscape components for installing simple systems that use graywater to provide sub-surface irrigation. The SFPUC continues to provide an extensive “do it yourself” guide to planning, installing, and maintaining simple graywater systems, available on our website.
WATER CONSERVATION PROGRAM
Laundry-to-Landscape System
14 SFPUC WA TER RESOURCES DIVISION ANNUAL REPOR T FY 2024-2025
WATER CONSERVATION PROGRAM
Large Landscape Grant Program
and Community Garden Assistance
The Large Landscape Grant Program helps customers
with irrigated landscapes over 10,000 square feet
implement irrigation and planting improvements that
reduce water use. To date, 14 projects have received
funding through this program, representing about
85 acres of land and an estimated water savings of
33 million gallons per year.
The SFPUC also administers San Francisco’s Water
Efficient Irrigation Ordinance, which requires that
landscapes meet water-efficient standards. New
landscape projects calculate their annual total water
use and ensure it remains below the water budget
established by state law. In FY 2024-2025, plans
for 20 projects representing close to 135 acres of
landscape were submitted for review. Since the
ordinance passed in 2009, 355 projects representing
over 385 acres have been reviewed and approved
for compliance.
The Community Garden Grant Program waives
the cost of irrigation meters to help customers
better monitor and efficiently manage water use.
In FY 2024-2025, we continued to issue monthly
informational water use reports to all sites that
received irrigation meters through our program.
Florence Fang Community Farm
The College Hill Learning Garden is a public education and demonstration garden owned and operated by the SFPUC.
15 SFPUC WA TER RESOURCES DIVISION ANNUAL REPOR T FY 2024-2025
WATER CONSERVATION PROGRAM
Garden for the Environment
The SFPUC owns the land that is home to Garden for the Environment, San Francisco’s demonstration garden. We provide funds for educational programs that promote water-efficient, organic gardening. Located in a dense urban environment at 7th Avenue and Lawton, the garden provides a unique opportunity for San Franciscans to learn through hands-on, skills-based workshops and interpretive learning. The demonstration garden helps residents reduce water use with water-wise gardening, improve water quality through pollution prevention, and reduce toxins through organic gardening and composting. Thousands of people visit the garden every year to attend workshops, volunteer, or simply enjoy the beautiful setting.
We are also committed to fostering the next generation of environmental stewards through class presentations and field trips. This year, we sponsored 31 field trips to the Garden for the Environment and 44 presentations for San Francisco students, all designed to teach students how they can help protect our natural resources and prevent pollution. In addition to this youth-specific outreach and engagement, thousands of residents have visited the garden as volunteers or for an educational tour.
Garden for the Environment at 7th Avenue and Lawton Water-Efficient and Organic Gardening 16 SFPUC WA TER RESOURCES DIVISION ANNUAL REPOR T FY 2024-2025
WATER CONSERVATION PROGRAM
My Account Customer Portal
The SFPUC’s My Account web portal helps customers
easily pay and view their water bills online and see their hourly, daily, weekly, and monthly water use, which can help identify water use patterns and unusual spikes in
water use. Since its launch in 2014, registration for My Account has steadily increased. This year, we lowered
the SFPUC’s aggregate residential per capita goal
from 50 gallons per person per day to 45 gallons per
person per day. Residential My Account users can
track how their water use aligns with this conservation target. Account holders can register at the My Account
webpage.
Waste of Water Program
The SFPUC enacts and administers restrictions against
wasteful outdoor water use practices such as irrigating during a rain event, irrigation that causes runoff,
irrigation of non-functional turf on City and commercial properties, and other wasteful activities. Residents can report water waste through San Francisco’s 311 system.
We work with reported properties to provide guidance,
resources, and best practices to improve their water
efficiency and reduce water waste. This year, in addition to investigating and responding to 107 reports of water waste, our staff visited sites and helped residents and businesses identify irrigation leaks that can waste
thousands of gallons per day.
My Account Customer Portal
The SFPUC helps residents to avoid wasting water.
17 SFPUC WA TER RESOURCES DIVISION ANNUAL REPOR T FY 2024-2025
RECYCLED WATER PROGRAM
Water is too precious a resource to use just once. Using recycled water for non-drinking purposes such as landscape irrigation, toilet flushing, street cleaning, and cooling helps preserve drinking water supplies–especially during droughts. We
continue to work with our partners at Harding Park, Fleming, and Sharp Park Golf Courses so that we can provide recycled water for irrigation. In FY 2024-2025 a total of almost 44 million gallons of recycled water was produced by our partners and was used to irrigate Harding Park and Sharp Park Golf Courses.
In San Francisco, construction is almost complete for the Westside Enhanced Water Recycling Project. The project
includes a new recycled water treatment facility, storage reservoirs, and pump stations to deliver recycled water. Water produced by this project will be used primarily to irrigate Golden Gate Park, the Panhandle, Lincoln Park Golf Course, and the San Francisco Zoo. Construction has been completed on approximately 8 miles of recycled water pipelines. The irrigation system retrofits are complete at Golden Gate Park, the Panhandle, and Lincoln Park Golf Course with recycled water deliveries expected in 2027. This project will save approximately 2 million gallons of potable water every day.
The SFPUC is currently constructing a new recycled water pipeline from the Westside Recycled Water Treatment Facility to the San Francisco Zoo for future non-potable uses such as irrigation, animal exhibit washdown, and animal pool filling at the Zoo and irrigation of the Lower Great Highway.
The SFPUC published the Rules and Regulations for Users Receiving Recycled Water Service in the City and County of San Francisco (Recycled Water Rules and Regs) in March 2024 as a guide for future users of recycled water. The Recycled Water Rules and Regulations outlines the process for obtaining municipal recycled water service and is applicable for use of recycled water for landscape irrigation and other outdoor non- potable uses.
For more information please visit our Recycled Water
Program webpage.
San Francisco Zoo Recycled Water Project: Installation of water pipeline on Sloat Boulevard at Skyline Boulevard. 18 SFPUC WA TER RESOURCES DIVISION ANNUAL REPOR T FY 2024-2025
ONSITE WATER REUSE PROGRAM
Led by the efforts of the SFPUC, San Francisco became the first municipality in the country to adopt a groundbreaking program that encourages buildings to collect, treat, and reuse water onsite to meet non-potable demands such as toilet flushing and irrigation. Launched in 2012, San Francisco’s Onsite Water Reuse Program established a streamlined process for allowing alternate water sources, such as rainwater, stormwater, foundation drainage, graywater, and blackwater, to be reused in commercial, mixed- use, and residential buildings. In 2015, the Non-potable Water Ordinance began requiring onsite water systems in buildings to treat water for non-potable end uses. Now it is mandatory for new development projects of 100,000 square feet or more to install and operate an onsite non-potable water system.
To date, the SFPUC has received a total of 121 water budget applications, 58 of which are now operating onsite water systems. By 2050, the total potable water offset associated with the Onsite Water Reuse Program will be approximately 1.55 million gallons per day. For more information, visit the Onsite Water Reuse Program webpage.
The Exploratorium treats water from the San Francisco Bay for its heating and cooling system and uses rainwater for toilet and urinal flushing. (image coutesy of Fabrice Florin from Mill Valley, USA /CC BY-SA) The new San Francisco Permit Center where graywater
and rainwater are treated and reused for toilet
flushing and irrigation. (image courtesy of SF.gov)
19 SFPUC WA TER RESOURCES DIVISION ANNUAL REPOR T FY 2024-2025 The SFPUC continues to be at the forefront of innovation in advancing onsite water reuse in North America. As chair of the National Blue Ribbon Commission for Onsite Water Systems, we are leading a national collaborative of municipalities, water utilities, and public health agencies from 15 states, the District of Columbia, the City of Vancouver, the City of Toronto, U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency, and U.S. Army Engineers Research and Development Center. 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.
Most recently, the SFPUC and the National Blue Ribbon
Commission have launched a new initiative called Building Infrastructure Locally for Decentralized Water Systems (BILD) to promote cross-sector coalitions to expand decentralized water systems. BILD was formed as a collaborative
global community to discover opportunities, advance
implementation, and spread transformative solutions to
support the efficient use and reuse of water. BILD is working on a roadmap to advance decentralized water systems that includes key priorities, actionable next steps, and partners to complete actions. The roadmap is anticipated to be completed by early 2026.
For more information, visit the National Blue Ribbon
Commission and BILD webpages.
ONSITE WATER REUSE PROGRAM
1 Marh 202
BILD is a collaborative global community of practice working to uncover opportunities, advance implementation, and
spread transformative solutions related to decentralized water systems to support the efficient use and reuse of water. 20 SFPUC WA TER RESOURCES DIVISION ANNUAL REPOR T FY 2024-2025 SFMOMA Green Wall
ONSITE WATER REUSE PROGRAM
Salesforce Tower at 415 Mission Street
Salesforce Tower is a 61-story office building and the second-tallest building in California. Salesforce Tower has a rainwater harvesting system as well as a 30,000 gallon per day blackwater recycling system. Both water reuse systems are used for toilet and urinal flushing water, irrigation of trees on the plaza and landscape on the 5th floor, and cooling tower make-up water. The system is in operation and estimated to save 5.6 million gallons of water annually.
Energy Center San Francisco-BART Foundation Drainage Project Energy Center San Francisco (ECSF) is a district steam heating system operator.
It provides steam for heating hot water and provides process steam to hotels and buildings in downtown San Francisco. Driven by their commitment to water use efficiency, ECSF partnered with BART on a project to reclaim foundation drainage at the Powell Street BART station and redirect it to its District Energy Plant, located nearby on Jessie Street, where it could be used in the district “steam loop,” the network of underground pipes. ECSF’s onsite water treatment system includes a raw water collection tank with a coarse strainer, microfiltration (MF), and closed-circuit reverse osmosis (CCRO). The water also undergoes softening to remove minerals that interfere with the process of steam production.
The system is in operation and saves over 30 million gallons of water annually.
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) is a world-renowned modern art museum. The museum’s onsite water system captures rainwater and treats it through a 50-micron filtration filter and a 20-micron bag type filter. After treatment, the water is disinfected and distributed for non-potable applications, which includes toilet flushing, make-up water for the cooling towers, and drip irrigation of the gardens and living wall. Overall, the system saves 365,000 gallons of potable water annually.
Salesforce Blackwater SystemEnergy Center San Francisco 21 SFPUC WA TER RESOURCES DIVISION ANNUAL REPOR T FY 2024-2025
LOOKING AHEAD
Lake Merced
Lake Merced is made up of four interconnected lakes and provides a vital link for wildlife, particularly migrating birds. The lake also provides a regional recreational venue offering fishing, boating, bicycling, and wildlife viewing. In an emergency, Lake Merced water can also be used for firefighting or sanitation purposes if no other water sources are available. The SFPUC aims to maintain water levels in the lake to support various recreational activities and provide a reliable non-potable water supply for emergencies.
From 1934 to 2015, the Pacific Rod and Gun Club operated skeet and trap shooting facilities at Lake Merced. This resulted in lead shotgun pellets and other debris falling onto the site and into the lake. The SFPUC conducted
an initial site remediation to address elevated levels of lead and polyaromatic hydrocarbons in the soil because
of historical club activities. San Francisco’s Recreation and Parks Department prepared and published the Draft
Environmental Impact Report (EIR) in December 2021 to
facilitate recreational redevelopment of the site and the Final EIR was certified in February 2023.
The SFPUC completed design for demolition and final
remediation onsite and went out to bid in summer 2024.
Demolition and final site remediation was completed
in April 2025. The Recreation and Parks Department
will implement an open bid solicitation to facilitate site redevelopment which is currently envisioned to include
a recreational facility and a wide variety of outdoor
recreational activities, such as picnic areas, playgrounds, boat docks, a ropes course, a skateboarding park,
birdwatching benches, basketball, and multipurpose
sports courts.
The four interconnected lakes at Lake Merced offer ample opportunity for regional recreation and help to recharge the groundwater basin. 22 SFPUC WA TER RESOURCES DIVISION ANNUAL REPOR T FY 2024-2025
LOOKING AHEAD
Alternative Water Supply Program
The Alternative Water Supply Program aims to identify and evaluate new water supply projects that can be implemented to supplement the Regional Water System through prolonged droughts when our surface water supplies are most vulnerable.
Alternative water supply options could include expanding storage, groundwater banking, water transfers, purified water, and desalination. In addition to helping make our water supply deliveries more resilient in the face of climate change and regulatory change, expanding our water supplies helps the SFPUC diversify and develop more local sources to face other emergencies too.
Developing alternative water supplies often involves partnering with other water and wastewater utilities. It also involves different forms of treatment and different permitting than our Regional Water System supplies. We evaluate each project on the basis of technical, institutional, and financial feasibility. In FY 2024-2025, a number of projects being evaluated reached key milestones in their feasibility analyses. As a result, there have been changes to the projects identified in the 2024 Alternative Water Supply Plan. Three projects have been deferred (Daly City Recycled Water Expansion, ACWD-USD Purified Water, and Calaveras Reservoir Expansion) and one project has been canceled (Los Vaqueros Reservoir Expansion). The South Bay Purified Water Project is undergoing changes. The projects below are currently being developed through the program.
PUREWATER PENINSULA
The SFPUC is currently planning a purified water project that could provide 6 million gallons of water supply per day through reservoir augmentation at Crystal Springs Reservoir. Treated wastewater from Silicon Valley Clean Water would flow through a new advanced water treatment plant to produce purified water that meets stringent State of California requirements.
The purified water would then be blended with regional surface water supplies before passing through the Harry Tracy Water Treatment Plant and being distributed. A subsequent phase of the project is contemplated and could produce another 6 mgd in partnership with the City of San Mateo and other water utilities providing more regional benefits in the future.
Our Partnership Team with Silicon Valley Clean Water
23 SFPUC WA TER RESOURCES DIVISION ANNUAL REPOR T FY 2024-2025
SOUTH BAY PURIFIED WATER
This project could provide drought-proof water supply in the region. The SFPUC completed a feasibility study in partnership with San Jose and Santa Clara in 2023 and found it to be technically feasible. Currently, the cities of San Jose and Santa Clara are working with Valley Water to evaluate additional water supply benefits through a broader partnership. This project could provide a source of supply to support the future needs of San Jose and Santa Clara, as well as dry year benefits for the broader region, including SFPUC customers.
PUREWATERSF
In addition to the two regional projects that provide water supply benefits to all SFPUC customers, the SFPUC is also planning a purified water program–PureWaterSF–that will further enhance local water supply resilience within the City.
The PureWaterSF program is evaluating two new drinking water treatment plants on the east and west sides of the City, as well as public-facing demonstration and operator training facilities.
Planning for the PureWaterSF program is currently underway.
LOOKING AHEAD
Alternative Water Supply Program continued
SFPUC-BAWSCA toured the Silicon Valley Advanced Water Purification Center in San Jose with Valley Water staff. 24 SFPUC WA TER RESOURCES DIVISION ANNUAL REPOR T FY 2024-2025 Water Resources Innovation Program
Innovation propels us to lead the world in transforming how we deliver water resources to proactively meet challenges in an ever- changing environment.
In 2016, OneWaterSF formalized a new way of thinking at the SFPUC, adopting a truly innovative approach to making the most of our limited resources. The term “one water” is an integrated planning and implementation approach to managing finite water resources for long-term resiliency and reliability, meeting both community and ecosystem needs.
The OneWaterSF approach encourages working across traditional silos to create additional benefits and efficiencies. We define resources broadly to include water, energy, financial, human, community partnerships, and natural resources. Our focus has been on a cultural shift in our approach to resource management that embraces collaboration, innovation, and technology.
For the Water Resources Division, adopting this
holistic OneWaterSF approach is at the heart of
how we view water resources management for
the future. Onsite Water Reuse and Alternative
Water Supply are examples of how the Division
is addressing some of the regulatory and
climate uncertainty effects on water demands
and supplies. Examples of other challenges
we face are related to resource availability and
affordability. Through our Innovations Program,
the Water Resources Division is encouraging a
culture of creativity and collaboration. Initiatives
from the Innovations Program include piloting
atmospheric water generation technology,
providing grants for heat recovery in non-potable
systems, and offering guidance for breweries
treating process water for reuse.
A solar-powered panel is capable of harvesting 4 to 5 liters of water per day from the air at the Hummingbird Farm Community Garden.
LOOKING AHEAD
25 SFPUC WA TER RESOURCES DIVISION ANNUAL REPOR T FY 2024-2025 The Water Resources Innovations Program promotes exploration of new ways we can conserve and reuse water, recover resources, and diversify our water supply. We are evaluating emergent technologies such as single-family graywater systems, recirculating clothes washers, and recirculating showers as additional opportunities for water savings. The Program facilitates testing of forward- thinking ideas, technologies, and research to help meet San Francisco’s long-term water needs and ensuring that there is a path toward successful implementation.
Water Resources Innovation Program
LOOKING AHEAD
WE ARE LOOKING FOR INNOVATION PARTNERS!
Share your ideas with us. We are focused on the following ideas and projects:
NEW TECHNOLOGIES & PILOT TESTING
Energy efficient treatment for water reuse applications Cost-effective sensors and monitoring
for water reuse applications
Commercially available water efficient technologies
at municipal and decentralized scales
RESEARCH PARTNERSHIPS & PROGRAMS
Distribution system effects of blending
conventional and alternative supplies
Strategies for water use efficiency and water reuse
Brine management
Intermittent reverse osmosis (RO) use
FIND OUT MORE
Visit our Innovations webpage to learn more about of focus areas, projects, and opportunities for partnerships.
CONNECT WITH US!
Stay informed about our latest programs and project updates as well as ways to save water and money.
Follow us on social media or subscribe to our agency newsletter.
San Francisco Water Power Sewer (@MySFPUC)
Water Resources Division
525 Golden Gate Avenue, 10th Floor
San Francisco, CA 94102
Water Supply Program webpage
Water Conservation webpage
Alternative Water Supply webpage
Water Innovations webpage
November 2025
OUR MISSION: To provide our customers with high-quality, efficient and reliable water, power and sewer services in a manner that values environmental and community interests and sustains the resources entrusted to our care.
525 Golden Gate Ave.
San Francisco, CA 94102
415.554.3155
sfpuc.gov
DATE: December 9, 2025
TO: Commissioner Joshua Arce, President
Commissioner Steve Leveroni, Vice President
Commissioner Avni Jamdar
Commissioner Kate Stacy
Commissioner Meghan Thurlow
THROUGH: Dennis J. Herrera, General Manager
FROM: Steven R. Ritchie, Assistant General Manager, Water
SUBJECT: Water Resources Division Annual Report FY 24-25
The SFPUC’s Water Resources Division is pleased to present the FY 2 4-25 Annual Report, which provides an overview of SFPUC water sources and uses, Water Resources Division program achievements, and water conservation assistance provided to customers.
The Water Resources Division is responsible for the implementation of a robust water conservation program, as well as the development of local water supplies such as groundwater, recycled water, and onsite reuse. Water efficiency remains our first water supply management strategy. We have always focused on aggressively conserving our water before we turn to developing new supplies . Together, Water Resources programs supplement and diversify the SFPUC’s portfolio and build our water supply resilience if regional water deliveries are disrupted due to an emergency, natural disaster, or drought.
Water use in San Francisco has declined for decades, even as our population has risen. While per capita use in San Francisco is some of the lowest in the state, our staff never stop working to ensure that we help our customers save water. Our conservation program includes rebates, tools, and resources to help customers use water wisely.
Rain or shine, we are always seeking ways to maximize water savings for our customers.
Proactive planning, steady measured progress, and a dedicated team have enabled us to successfully provide new water supply resources that help prepare for a changing climate. The Alternative Water Supply (AWS) Program evaluates new water sources for the future. Finding new sources of water and bringing them online is incredibly challenging in the Bay Area, and it can take decades to implement new water supply projects.
California’s climate reality has presented huge challenges, but we continue to meet these head-on. In keeping with SFPUC’s history of innovation, our staff has continued to explore the possibilities to enhance our future water supply, while maintaining the quality and reliability our customers have come to depend on.