Pushing the conservation envelope through the use of alternate water sources

摘要

The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) is a department of the city and county of San Francisco that provides retail drinking water and wastewater services to San Francisco, wholesale water to 27 customers within three Bay Area counties, and green hydroelectric and solar power to San Francisco's municipal departments. The regional water system conveys water by gravity more than 160 mi to San Francisco, bringing water directly from the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir in Yosemite National Park and protected local watersheds. Although San Francisco residential and commercial demand for water is among the lowest in all of California, the commission believed it could do more. In 2008, the SFPUC adopted a policy goal of developing 10 mgd of locally available water resources in lieu of importing drinking water from the regional water system. The commission is embarking on a number of programs and projects, including conservation, groundwater, and recycled water efforts that are anticipated to surpass the 10-mgd goal. To further expand its conservation efforts, the SFPUC is also looking to nontraditional sources of water, such as graywater and blackwater, and developing programs to target customers interested in onsite nonpotable water use.