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It has been raining the least few days, and one of the sewers near my apartment overflowed, causing a huge mess. It also affected the water in our neighborhood, and this got me thinking: where does San Francisco's water come from? The Bay is salty, so do we desalinate? |
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Water Supply San Francisco residents enjoy some of the highest-quality water in the country—mostly high Sierra snowmelt from the pristine Hetch Hetchy Reservoir—our 167-mile SFPUC Regional Water System is vulnerable. It crosses three major seismically active earthquake faults on its way to City taps, and long-term climate change is expected to reduce the snowpack runoff that provides a substantial part of our water supply. To supplement the imported water supply, and to help maintain delivery of drinking water in the event of a major earthquake, drought or decline in the snowpack, the SFPUC proposes to take advantage of several alternative locally produced, sustainable water sources. The Water Supply Diversification Program would reduce City dependence on imported water by incorporating recycled water for irrigation, local groundwater for potable purposes, and increased conservation to save water. The SFPUC is also looking at the possibility of desalination for use during drought periods. The Water Supply Diversification Program is part of the $4.3 billion voter-approved Water System Improvement Program to upgrade the SFPUC Regional Water System and ensure reliable water delivery for more than 2.4 million customers in San Francisco and parts of three neighboring counties.
Desalination The Bay Area’s four largest water agencies, the East Bay Municipal Utility District, the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, the Contra Costa Water District and the Santa Clara Valley Water District, are jointly exploring the development of regional desalination facilities that would benefit over 5.4 million Bay Area residents and businesses served by these agencies. The Bay Area Regional Desalination Project could consist of one or more desalination facilities, with an ultimate total capacity of up to 65 million gallons per day. The four partner agencies are focusing on optimizing technologies that minimize power requirements and environmental effects. |
