The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) serves as the retail water supplier for the City and County of San Francisco (City), in addition to its role as a regional water wholesaler. As a retail water supplier, the SFPUC is responsible for water delivery to residents and institutions within the City limits, as well as to a number of retail accounts outside of the City limits.

A key function of the SFPUC is to carry out long-term water supply planning to ensure that the future water needs of the SFPUC’s retail customers will be met. Historically, approximately 96% of the SFPUC’s retail water demands have been met through purchases from the SFPUC’s Regional Water System (RWS). As presented in Diversifying San Francisco’s Retail Water Supply Portfolio: Technical Memorandum (Study), San Francisco is identifying alternatives to diversify its water supply portfolio by analyzing local water supply and demand management options. Diversification of San Francisco’s water supply portfolio can increase the reliability of San Francisco’s water supply and could potentially cost less to produce than supplies from the SFPUC RWS.

This Study presents information based on current SFPUC planning documents and develops diversified packages of water supply options, referred to as “Portfolios.” Local water supply options considered include water conservation, groundwater, recycled water, and desalination. Any or all of these options could be developed by the SFPUC in San Francisco to supplement imported water from the RWS.

Attachments: (Help)


 Diversifying San Francisco's Retail Water Supply Portfolio: Technical Memorandum (3.2mb)

 Appendix: Guidance Questions and Detailed Rationale for Water Supply Options
Performance Findings (74kb)