Special Feature: Local Water Supply Diversification Achievements

Transcription

1 San Francisco Public Utilities Commission Water Conservation Program Annual Report Special Feature: Local Water Supply Diversification Achievements

2 Contents Program Highlights Water Sources and Demand Water Conservation Drivers and Goals Program Performance and Water Savings Landscape Programs Achievements in the Municipal Sector Public Information Introduction The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC), a department of the City and County of San Francisco, is pleased to issue this annual report on water conservation achievements in our retail 1 service area for Fiscal Year (FY ). Highlights of this year s water conservation program include new grant opportunities and increased rebate incentives to target program participation among our commercial, industrial and institutional customers; new technical assistance services to address outdoor water use; and expansion of our popular high-efficiency toilet direct install program to include multi-family affordable housing properties. Conservation activities implemented in FY have an estimated lifetime potential water savings of 7,460 acre feet (AF). Our water conservation program is just one of the initiatives we re using to manage, diversify, and protect our resources and water supplies from possible disruption caused by drought, climate change and natural disaster. This report includes a special feature on our progress toward diversification of local water supplies, including achievements for reuse of on-site non-potable water like graywater, blackwater, and foundation drainage. Development of alternative local groundwater and recycled water supplies also help limit the amount of water we need to import from the Hetch Hetchy Regional Water System and maintain our commitment to protect and preserve the Tuolumne River and local watersheds. School Education San Francisco Water Conservation: A Look Ahead Local Water Supply Diversification Achievements Water Conservation Section Visit: waterconservation@sfwater.org Call: (415) Conservation Using Water Wisely Water conservation activities implemented from 2005 through 2011 have achieved an estimated 2.3 million gallons per day (mgd) in water savings. In addition, over the same period, we estimate approximately 6 mgd in water savings from passive conservation water savings attained through building code and law. Combined with local water supply initiatives, we are on track to meet our goal of 10 mgd reduction of imported water supplies by mgd from active conservation. The SFPUC continues to work closely with our customers to effectively manage water supplies and help ensure that future demands can be supported. 1 Retail service area refers to the water use by residential and commercial water service accounts within the corporate boundaries of the City and County of San Francisco as well as retail accounts in suburban areas outside of the City.

3 Program Highlights Indoor Incentives and Services Provided customer rebates for replacing 10,624 inefficient plumbing fixtures with high-efficiency models, including urinals, clothes washing machines and an all-time annual high for toilets. Launched a new non-residential rebate incentive program for the replacement of qualifying commercial equipment including medical, restaurant, laundry service, cooling tower controllers and more. Partnered with the San Francisco Housing Authority to complete a multi-year plumbing fixture improvement project that provided water efficiency evaluations, rebates and free devices to retrofit thousands of toilets, showerheads and faucet aerators in 38 municipal senior and affordable housing properties. The Housing Authority is one of the City s top water users and this project is estimated to reduce water use by a third in the upgraded buildings. Provided 2,656 free high-efficiency toilet installations to 561 low-income households and multi-family affordable properties. Completed more than 6,000 free Water-Wise Evaluations; identifying water savings in residential, commercial and municipal properties. Outdoor Incentives and Services Launched a new technical assistance program to provide free irrigation evaluations to San Francisco s largest outdoor water users. Ten municipal and commercial sites participated in the first year, providing surveys for more than 110 acres of landscape. 1 Launched a new irrigation meter grant program to provide free water service connections that help San Francisco s community gardens track water use for greater efficiency. Developed Water-Wise and Natural Plant Care public demonstration sites at San Francisco s Garden for the Environment to promote efficient watering and less-toxic gardening practices. Outreach Participated in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) National Fix-A-Leak week with a local television public service announcement and website to promote plumbing leak awareness and repairs in San Francisco homes. Provided 185 classroom presentations and field trip opportunities to local students, and conducted the annual Using Water Wisely illustration contest to offer water resources education curriculum in San Francisco schools. Grants Received an award for $863,000 in California Proposition 84 grant funding for continued implementation of free high-efficiency toilet installations and rebate incentives. As part of a U.S. EPA grant for sustainability improvements to Civic Center, the SFPUC received more than $700,000 in funding for water-saving plumbing fixture upgrades and improvements in City Hall, War Memorial Opera House, Davies Symphony Hall and the Department of Public Health Administration building.

4 Water Sources and Demand 2 Hetch Hetchy Regional Water System Each day, the SFPUC s Hetch Hetchy Regional Water System delivers high-quality water collected from the Sierra Nevada Mountains at the headwaters of the Tuolumne River and watersheds in the East Bay and Peninsula to 2.6 million customers throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. Approximately 32 percent of our water supply is delivered to retail water customers including residents, businesses, and industries located in the City and County of San Francisco. The SFPUC also directly provides water to suburban retail customers located outside the City boundary such as the Town of Sunol, San Francisco International Airport (SFO), Lawrence Livermore Laboratory, NASA Ames Research Center, Groveland Community Services District, cemeteries and golf courses. Our water conservation programs and services are available to all residential and commercial retail customer accounts. The remaining water supply is delivered to 27 wholesale water customers, including water agencies in Alameda, Santa Clara, and San Mateo counties some of whom are entirely reliant on the SFPUC for their water supply. The Hetch Hetchy Regional Water System, particularly the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir, is a crucial public asset that plays a key regional role in water delivery in California. O Shaughnessy Dam/Hetch Hetchy Reservoir In addition to clean and reliable water deliveries, the Hetch Hetchy Power System s hydroelectric and solar installations provide 1.6 billion kilowatt hours of clean energy annually for vital City services, such as MUNI, public schools and libraries, police and fire stations, SFO airport, and public health facilities. Finally, as a multi-service utility, the SFPUC collects and treats San Francisco s combined wastewater and stormwater, helping reduce contaminants from entering the San Francisco Bay and Pacific Ocean Retail Water Use Over the past 15 years, San Francisco s water demand has declined, despite population growth. During the reporting period, the City s average daily water use was 64 mgd. 2 As a result of water conservation efforts, we are on track to meet our water reduction goal of 4 mgd by 2018 through active conservation, including participation of thousands of customers in our many programs that help replace water-wasting toilets, urinals, clothes washers and other plumbing fixtures, and retrofit landscapes. The water demand for residential customers represents more than half of the City s annual water use, the majority of which is multi-family housing. Customers active participation in water conservation programs has helped maintain a low per capita water use. San Francisco residents use an average of 50 gallons per person per day, making the City s per capita water use one of the lowest in the state - and across the nation. Several factors contribute to this low per capita use, including more than 20 years of conservation efforts, plumbing fixture efficiencies and codes, dense housing, and limited landscape areas. On the non-residential side, highest water use in San Francisco by business and industry type tends to be in the hotel, restaurant, office building, hospital, park, university/school, and government sectors. 2 Retail water consumption does not include system water losses and unaccounted for water, including pipe flushing, firefighting and street cleaning.

5 Water Conservation Drivers and Goals The SFPUC s conservation program is guided by several state and local directives. State Directives At the state level, these include meeting the California Urban Water Conservation Council s (CUWCC) Best Management Practices (BMP) for water conservation and meeting gross daily per capita water use per requirements of Senate Bill X7-7 (SB X7-7), also referred to as the Water Conservation Act of The SFPUC is one of the original signatories to the CUWCC Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) regarding urban water conservation, a voluntary agreement to implement water conservation programs. Our water conservation program is structured in part to meet the BMPs identified in the MOU, which include a series of measurements to achieve conservation savings from residential, commercial and landscape water uses. During FY , the SFPUC submitted BMP reports for conservation activities conducted in FY 2009 and 2010 and were found to be in compliance by the CUWCC. BMP reports for FY 2011 and 2012 will be submitted in spring Figure 1: FY Water Use by Customer Type San Francisco average water use = 64 million gallons a day (mgd) Single-Family Residential Municipal Irrigation* 1.5 mgd 3 mgd 16 mgd 24.5 mgd Commercial/ Industrial 19 mgd SB X7-7, calls for a 20 percent reduction in statewide per capita water use by Water agencies are required to measure and report baseline water use and future year water use targets in their Urban Water Management Plans. The SFPUC gross per capita per day water use baseline reported in our 2010 Urban Water Management Plan is below the state s 2015 and 2020 targets, which puts us in compliance with the legislation. The SFPUC nevertheless remains committed to an aggressive conservation program and forecasts that with ongoing conservation we will continue to see a decline in per capita water use. Local Directives Locally, as part of our $4.6 billion program to repair, replace, and seismically upgrade the Hetch Hetchy Regional Water System, the SFPUC made a significant policy decision to reduce water imported from the Tuolumne River by 10 mgd by The SFPUC plans to meet this goal through increased water recycling, local groundwater use, and conservation. For conservation, our goal is to reduce demand by 4 mgd by As of the end of FY , we estimate close to 2.3 mgd in savings from active conservation programming efforts putting us on track toward meeting our 2018 target. The SFPUC s water conservation program is also shaped by requirements of local legislation and building codes. These include San Francisco s water efficient irrigation ordinance that requires new or remodeled landscapes over 1,000 square feet to install water-efficient landscaping and irrigation; and conservation ordinances that require homes and buildings to install water-efficient toilets, showerheads, and faucets, and to fix any leaks upon resale or major retrofit for residential properties. Commercial properties must comply by The City s green building requirements mandate indoor and outdoor water efficiency in new construction. 3 * Dedicated irrigation accounts. Does not include irrigation through mixed use meters. Multi-Family Residential

6 Program Performance and Water Savings Conservation Program Overview and Savings During the reporting period, the SFPUC s water conservation programs and services continued to reach a diverse range of residential and commercial customers, including a number of the City s top water users, and saw an increase in program participation from customers in our suburban retail service area outside of San Francisco. FY program offerings included rebates for high-efficiency toilets (HET), urinals, and clothes washing machines; free installation of HETs in low-income households and affordable multi-family housing; free distribution of water-efficient plumbing devices, including showerheads and faucet aerators and discounted laundry-to-landscape graywater systems. During the reporting period, a total of 10,624 customer rebates were issued for efficient plumbing devices. Our non-residential program efforts were expanded with the introduction of a new rebate incentive for the replacement of qualifying commercial water-use equipment and an increased financial incentive for retrofits of flushometer style toilets, typically found in commercial settings. Services also included comprehensive indoor and outdoor water-use surveys, technical plan review for development projects, free school education programs and public gardening classes. In 2011, the SFPUC updated its retail water demand model to track and quantify the amount of water saved through implementation of active water conservation measures. Our model shows conservation programs implemented in FY have an estimated potential lifetime savings of 7,460 AF of water 3. In addition to reduced water demands from active conservation, the SFPUC anticipates additional savings from plumbing retrofits defined as passive conservation including, fixture replacements and improved efficiency standards required by the San Francisco plumbing and building codes. We estimate passive water conservation to date to be approximately 6 mgd. 4 Table 1: FY Conservation Program Performance and Potential Lifetime Water Savings Water Conservation Program FY Program Activity Total FY Estimated Water Savings (Acre Feet) Water Evaluations/Surveys 6, Direct Toilet Installations 2,656 1,295 Toilet Rebates 6,122 3,810 Clothes Washer Rebates 4,157 1,234 Urinal Rebates Landscape Grants Plumbing Device Distribution 31, Showerhead Distribution 13, Estimated Cumulative Water Savings from Measures Implemented 7,460 Estimated water savings are based on 30-year cumulative water savings estimates from the updated Retail Water Demands and Conservation Potential Model. They account for water conservation codes and natural replacement of water using fixtures. 3 Water conservation savings estimated using the Water Demand Conservation Model, Retail Model for the City and County of San Francisco, Version 2.0 February Savings are estimated lifetime cumulative water savings, up to 30 years. 4 The estimated lifetime water savings for Large Landscape Grant projects are counted in the year they are awarded; savings actually begin when the projects are completed.

7 Program Performance Water-Wise Evaluations Over the years, customers have improved the water efficiency of their homes, apartment buildings businesses, and other facilities by participating in the SFPUC s free Water-Wise Evaluation program. This program offers expert evaluation of indoor and outdoor water use for any building type, including assessment of the water efficiency of plumbing fixtures and landscape irrigation, identifying leaks, and distributing free water-savings devices, such as showerheads, faucet aerators, and standard toilet leak repair parts. Our water conservation technicians also provide information about incentives available for replacing inefficient fixtures and review customer water use history. Evaluation services often provide technical consultation to many of the City s top water using accounts, including hotels, commercial office buildings, laundromats, schools, large mixed-use and multi-family buildings, many of which apply for our plumbing fixture rebate incentives. During the reporting period, 6,002 Water-Wise Evaluations were completed in: 2,590 residential single-family homes 3,325 residential multi-family dwelling units 87 commercial/institutional buildings High-Efficiency Toilet Rebates This program provides residential and commercial customers rebates for the purchase and installation of high-efficiency toilets (HET) that replace water-guzzling models of 3.5 gallons per flush (gpf) or more. In FY , incentives for toilet tank type retrofits remained constant at a maximum of $125 per toilet while we increased incentives for flushometer toilets from $200 to up to $300 to help expedite retrofit of this type of fixture, most commonly found in commercial properties. Compared to last fiscal year, toilet rebates participation increased by 36 percent, mainly due to an increase in flushometer toilet rebates issued. High-Efficiency Urinal Rebates This program provides commercial customers rebates for replacing urinals that flush at 1.5 gpf or greater with new qualifying high efficiency urinals (HEU) that flush at 0.5 gpf or less. To promote inefficient urinal retrofits, we increased the rebate amount from $200 to $300 during this reporting period. A total of 345 HEU rebates were issued during the reporting period a 66 percent increase over last year s program participation. High-Efficiency Clothes Washer Rebates High-efficiency clothes washers (HEW) use approximately 40 percent less water and energy than inefficient models. Clothes washer water efficiency is rated by its Water Factor (WF), defined as the gallons required per cubic foot of laundry washed per load. The SFPUC participates in a regional partnership program with Pacific Gas and Electric Company to provide residential customers a $125 rebate for qualifying HEWs (WF of 4.5 or below). The SFPUC also provides customers with coin-operated common area commercial style clothes washers rebates up to $200 for installation of HEWs (WF 4.5 or below). During the reporting period, 4,157 HEW rebates were issued: 4,037 residential 120 commercial Figure 2: FY Rebates by Customer Type (10,624 Issued) 9% Multi-Family Residential 2% Municipal & Schools Commercial / Office 10% Hotels 26% 5 During the reporting period, 6,122 HET rebates were issued: 2,283 residential (2,275 tank style/8 flushometer) 3,839 commercial (2,837 tank style/1,002 flushometer) 1% Other Non-Residential 1% Laundromats Single-Family Residential 51%

8 Program Performance and Water Savings (continued) Figure 3: Five-Year Summary of High-Efficiency Plumbing Incentives Toilet Rebates and Direct Installations Urinal Rebates (Total Issued: 771) Clothes Washer Rebates (Total Issued: 22,331) (Total Issued: 20,850 Rebates & 5,749 Direct Installations ) FY FY FY FY FY ,000 2,000 3,000 4,000 5,000 6,000 7,000 8,000 9,000 10,000 11,000 12,000 13,000 14,000 6 Water Savings in San Francisco and Beyond. The SFPUC partnered with NASA s Ames Research Center - one of our largest suburban retail customers - on a water conservation and energy upgrade project at Moffett Field, in Silicon Valley. Water efficiency surveys were conducted along with providing 1,200 free showerheads, aerators and rebates to replace more than 950 toilets and urinals with highefficiency models. Plumbing fixture retrofits covered 85 office and research facilities, in addition to a 170-unit guest hotel. The project has an estimated lifetime potential water savings of 764 AF. High-Efficiency Direct Toilet Install Program Since its start in 2010, the HET Direct Install Program has provided free toilet installations to households participating in the SFPUC s low-income rate discount and to non-profit multi-family affordable housing providers. Participating properties receive comprehensive Water-Wise Evaluations that also detect and repair leaks, installation of efficient plumbing devices and free replacement of old toilets. The goal of the program is to reduce water use and costs among customers most severely impacted by rate increases, least likely to participate in traditional rebate programs, and often likely to live in homes and buildings with inefficient or leaking plumbing fixtures. During the reporting period, 2,656 HET installations were completed: 758 residential single-family 1,898 residential multi-family Efficient Plumbing Device Distribution The SFPUC encourages San Francisco building owners, tenants and property managers to achieve immediate water savings by installing water-efficient devices that we offer for free, including several types of showerheads and faucet aerators, as well as toilet repair parts and other supplies. In FY , we provided 13,567 showerheads and 31,657 water saving devices to residential and commercial customers through our Water-Wise Evaluations and customer service distribution center.

9 Landscape Programs Over the past year, the SFPUC continued to expand its landscape conservation programs available to in-city and suburban retail water customers. Achievements this year include publication of a new Water-Wise Gardening for San Francisco guidebook and the launch of two new programs: a Landscape Technical Assistance Program and an Irrigation Meter Grant Program. Both programs are designed to assist customers with assessing and tracking their irrigation water use. This year, four of the Large Landscape Grant projects we awarded in FY moved from planning to construction with one site completing its project on-time and on-budget. We also began development of a new water budget program for customers with dedicated irrigation meters and expect the program to launch next year. Establishing water budgets for landscapes (that is, determining the maximum amount of water needed to efficiently irrigate a site) is one of the California Urban Water Conservation Council s directives for best practices, and is also a state and local requirement for new or modified landscape areas over 1,000 square feet. The SFPUC program will provide municipal, commercial, and large multi-family sites with monthly reports that compare their actual water use to a site-specific water budget. Landscape Evaluations Our new Landscape Technical Assistance Program (LTAP) offers sites with over 1.5 acres of landscape a comprehensive site survey and a detailed summary report with recommendations, a cost estimate for implementing water-saving improvements, a site-specific water budget, and an analysis of potential water and cost savings. This year, ten of the City s largest landscape customers participated in the LTAP program and more Maintain a beautiful water-efficient landscape with the help of our new guidebook, Water- Wise Gardening for San Francisco. than 110 acres of landscape and irrigation were surveyed. Participation is limited to sites that can commit to making some or all of the recommended water-saving improvements within three years of our analysis. We will be tracking progress and expect to see participants start implementing recommendations next year. Large Landscape Grants The SFPUC s Large Landscape Grant Program currently provides financial assistance to sites with over 2.5 acres of landscape that demonstrate irrigation efficiency and planting improvements resulting in significantly reduced potable water used for irrigation. Over the reporting period we oversaw the continued progress of six grant projects selected in FY Of these, improvement projects at Laguna Honda Hospital and the National Park Service s Fort Mason are completing design; three municipal park projects are under construction; and a large segment of a median improvement project for Sunset Boulevard is complete. In FY , we solicited proposals for additional projects. Among proposals received, the San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department was selected for irrigation and landscape improvements at Alamo Square Park. The community outreach and design phase is expected to begin early 2013 with construction anticipated in early Sunset Boulevard Before & After A new efficient irrigation system and California Native Bentgrass were installed along 6.5 blocks of Sunset Boulevard s 19-block median improvement project. Before After

10 Landscape Programs (continued) 8 Laundry-to-Landscape Now in its second year, the Laundry-to-Landscape (L2L) Graywater Program continues to spark interest among San Francisco homeowners who want to take their conservation efforts to the next level. Our program is open to qualifying one- and two-unit residential homes in San Francisco, and provides assistance for diverting clothes washer water for subsurface landscape irrigation. Participants receive a discounted kit including components for the L2L system, guidance manual, training workshop, free on-site technical assistance and access to installation tools. To date, we have received over 90 applications (over 60 were received this reporting period). We conduct participant surveys and analyze water use before and after installation. The program received national recognition this year when it was featured on the PBS television program Ask This Old House. Irrigation Meter Grants In FY , the SFPUC launched a Community Garden Irrigation Meter Grant Pilot Program, designed to help urban agriculture, community, and demonstration gardens in San Francisco track and manage irrigation water use through the installation of a dedicated irrigation water service. Up to $10,000 in SFPUC fees are waived to cover the cost of a new irrigation service, in order to accurately track water use and to stay within a water budget. This year, the program received three applications for new irrigation services. Demonstration Gardens and Classes Our Water-Wise and Natural Plant Care Demonstration Gardens received a new look in FY thanks to educational signage that provides both novice and expert gardeners with best practices for creating and maintaining a water-wise garden without the use of pesticides or herbicides. On a self-guided tour of the demonstration gardens, visitors can learn the benefits of drip irrigation, mulch and compost, beneficial bugs and more. The project is a joint effort between the SFPUC and Garden for the Environment, a local nonprofit organization that provides education to the public on sustainable food production, pollution prevention, and water-wise landscaping. Through this partnership we also provide an annual series of free hands-on public classes to promote water-efficient and less-toxic gardening practices. During the reporting period, more than 300 residents participated in gardening classes and guided demonstration garden tours. Visit the Water-Wise demonstration garden at the corner of 7th Avenue and Lawton Street in San Francisco. Community gardens receive support for installing irrigation meters to efficiently manage landscape water use.

11 Achievements in the Municipal Sector 525 Golden Gate Avenue The SFPUC is now located in a more sustainable, greener headquarters at 525 Golden Gate Avenue. Considered to be one of the greenest buildings in North America, 525 Golden Gate is designed to be LEED Platinum Certified and represents a significant, longterm investment in San Francisco s environmental and economic future. Through innovative water, wastewater, and energy-saving designs, the building uses 32 percent less energy, 60 percent less water, and has a 50 percent smaller carbon footprint compared to similarly-sized office buildings. An onsite Living Machine reclaims and treats the building s wastewater (graywater and blackwater), which provides all of the daily water needed to flush the building s high-efficiency toilets and urinals. The building s rainwater harvesting system also can store up to 250,000 gallons of water each year for use by the exterior irrigation system. San Francisco Housing Authority During the reporting period, one of San Francisco s top ten water users completed a multi-year water and energy-savings improvement project for 38 senior and low-income affordable housing properties. The San Francisco Housing Authority replaced 5,400 toilets, 4,000 showerheads, and 8,200 faucet aerators, helping to improve the kitchen and bathroom amenities for residents while reducing indoor water use. The SFPUC worked closely with the Housing Authority to conduct free Water-Wise Evaluations and provide $225,000 in high-efficiency toilet rebates and free water-efficient devices. The improvements are estimated to reduce water use in all the buildings together by about a third, and have an estimated lifetime savings of 5,176 AF of water. New SFPUC headquarters at 525 Golden Gate Avenue. In the neighborhood? Visit the lobby for a self-guided tour of the digital arts wall and rain portal art installation. 939 Eddy Street The SFPUC provided financial incentives for plumbing fixture improvements in Housing Authority properties like 939 Eddy Street which is seeing up to 50 percent reduction in water use. This affordable public housing apartment building for seniors installed highefficiency toilets, showerheads, and faucet aerators in 36 residential units Eddy Street Water Use Before and After Plumbing Retrofits 180, , ,000 60,000 20,000 Jan Mar May 2011 July 2011 Sept Nov Jan Mar May July Sept Consumption (gallons) Efficient Plumbing Fixtures installed Billing Date

12 Achievements in the Municipal Sector (continued) Civic Center Grant The SFPUC was awarded a $970,000 grant from the U.S. EPA to develop a Civic Center Sustainable District Plan that will evaluate opportunities for sustainable management of water, wastewater, stormwater, and energy resources, and develop projects and strategies that will result in measurable demand reductions over time. A portion of this grant is being used to retrofit inefficient toilets, urinals, and other water-using fixtures in the Civic Center s historic buildings, including City Hall, Department of Public Health Administration building, War Memorial Opera House, and Davies Symphony Hall. In FY , the SFPUC partnered with the San Francisco Department of Public Works to conduct planning efforts that included historic preservation approval, detailed plumbing evaluations, and identification of highefficiency fixtures. Retrofits began in FY New highefficiency urinals installed at the Moscone Center. Moscone Center Moscone Center completed a multi-phase water and energy improvement project, recently achieving LEED Gold Certification and making it the first convention center on the West Coast to attain this honor. The SFPUC worked closely with Moscone Center and provided rebates for 190 high-efficiency toilets and 99 urinals. The fixtures are expected to reduce indoor water usage by more than 40 percent. Moscone Center also promotes on the go access to the SFPUC s pristine Hetch Hetchy tap water with beverage bottle refilling stations. 10 Public Information Educating San Franciscans on the need to conserve water and our goals to diversify local water supplies is a key factor in the success of our water conservation programs. Throughout the year, the SFPUC markets our conservation services and financial incentives through social media, trade/media publications and the SFPUC website. Practical water conservation tips and promotion of our free gardening workshops are regularly featured in our Currents bill-insert and electronic newsletters that reach more than 175,000 customer accounts. In FY , we also reached thousands of customers through participation in more than 60 local festivals, street fairs and community presentations. energy and reduce pollution. We also launched a new website and developed a television public service announcement to promote awareness of wasteful plumbing leaks that aired in March 2012 to coincide with the U.S. EPA s National Fix-A-Leak week. Visit sfwater.org/homeleaks to learn more. During the reporting period, the SFPUC also participated in two national water conservation media events. We partnered with San Francisco Mayor Edwin M. Lee to join the Wyland Foundation s 2012 J. National Ash Bowie Mayor s Challenge for Water Conservation, an online competition held throughout April that encouraged residents in all 50 states to conserve water, save

13 School Education The SFPUC administers a number of school-age education programs. From promoting watershed stewardship to keeping contaminants out of the San Francisco Bay and conserving our precious water supplies, we promote environmental education initiatives through a comprehensive mix of curriculum, classroom presentations and field trips. The Our Water curriculum, developed by the SFPUC Water Enterprise, is a free, California standards-based, classroom material designed to introduce students to the history of San Francisco s water system and the importance of conservation and development of alternative water resources. To complement the curriculum, we promote an annual Using Water Wisely illustration contest. Water conservation program staff also partner with a number of non-profit and community based organizations to conduct in-class presentations that provide a greater understanding of water conservation principles and behavioral changes that can lessen our impacts on water supplies and protect watersheds throughout the Hetch Hetchy Regional Water System. We support place-based education, connecting classroom activities with outdoor experiences through visits to local community gardens and watersheds. In FY more than 185 classroom presentations and field trips were provided by the Water Enterprise to City SFUSD students are learning the value of our tap water thanks to new efficient Drink Tap refill stations and stainless steel bottles provided by the SFPUC. Photo courtesy of San Francisco Department of the Environment. schools, reaching more than 4,500 students and teachers. During the reporting period, the SFPUC also entered into an exciting new partnership with the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) to fund the installation of Drink Tap stations in schools. In response to a federal mandate to provide access to free drinking water in food service areas, the stations are designed to allow students to fill their own beverage bottles using new water conserving fixtures that replace older, less water efficient drinking fountains, and to encourage students to drink our highquality tap water as part of a healthy lifestyle. School sites that received installations in FY were provided with free refillable stainless steel water bottles for the entire student body and the SFPUC sponsored school assemblies to kick-off use of the filling stations. 11 San Francisco Water Conservation: A Look Ahead Automated Water Meter Program Plumbing Code Amendments In 2010, the SFPUC began an Automated Water Meter Program to replace meters for 175,000 retail customer accounts. The automated meters will provide accurate, hourly water use data, enabling the SFPUC and our customers to monitor water use and detect and fix leaks faster. During the reporting period, installation of these new meters continued and is expected to be complete in An online web interface is also being developed that will allow customers to view and track their water use and to receive alerts if excessive or unusual water use occurs. Effective July 2011, local plumbing code updates required that any new toilets installed in San Francisco have a rated water consumption of 1.28 gallons per flush or less and meet U.S. EPA WaterSense criteria, and any new urinals installed have a rated water consumption of 0.5 gallons per flush or less and also meet WaterSense criteria. Looking ahead, per California Assembly Bill 715, in 2014 all toilets and urinals sold or installed within California must be high efficiency. For toilets this means only models with a rated water consumption of 1.28 gallons per flush or less and for urinals only models with a rated consumption of 0.5 gallons per flush or less.

14 SPECIAL FEATURE Local Water Supply Diversification Achievements The SFPUC continues to undertake multiple efforts to conserve our Hetch Hetchy drinking water and develop and diversify our local water supply portfolio to meet our goal of 10 mgd reduction of imported water supplies by These initiatives reduce San Francisco s dependence on imported water and help ensure water supply reliability and protection from possible disruption caused by climate change and natural disasters. Recycled Water A Reliable and Sustainable Choice 12 Several recycled water projects are underway to help provide a drought-resistant and sustainable water source for non-drinking uses. In FY , the SFPUC completed construction on a project to deliver recycled water produced by Daly City to irrigate over 160 acres of public golf course greens in San Francisco s Harding Park and Fleming Park golf courses. On the west side of the City, the SFPUC is proposing a new recycled water treatment facility at the Oceanside Water Pollution Control Plant that will provide water for irrigating Golden Gate Park, Lincoln Park Golf Course, Presidio Golf Course, ornamental lakes in Golden Gate Park, and toilet flushing at the California Academy of Sciences. On the east, planning continues for a proposed Eastside Recycled Water Project. The SFPUC is working on two major groundwater projects. The San Francisco Groundwater Supply Project will provide up to 4 mgd of groundwater from a large underground aquifer that extends from Golden Gate Park to the city of Burlingame. The water will be blended with Hetch Hetchy supply and distributed through most of San Francisco. The project is expected to be completed in two phases; the first phase providing up to 2.8 mgd of groundwater is expected to be in operation in The Regional Groundwater Storage and Recovery Project is a partnership with the California Water Service Company (serving South San Francisco and Colma) and Daly City and San Bruno, to manage this shared groundwater aquifer to ensure a local source of water during dry years and droughts. Harding Golf Course is irrigated with recycled water. Recycled water flowing at the new Harding Park Pump Station.

15 On-Site Nonpotable Reuse San Francisco has long been a leader in water conservation and expanding local water supplies to protect against droughts and the effects of climate change. In a dense, urban area like San Francisco, the capture and reuse of water generated on-site from graywater (sinks, washers, and showers), rainwater, blackwater (graywater and toilets), and foundation drainage (water that floods basements) is a key strategy for expanding water savings and diversifying our water supply. Reuse at SFPUC s Headquarters Our new headquarters is one of the first buildings in the nation with onsite treatment of gray and black water. An onsite Living Machine reclaims and treats all of the building s wastewater (5,000 gallons a day) to satisfy 100% of the water demand for the building s high efficiency toilets and urinals and interior/exterior plantings. The SFPUC has made significant progress in exploring opportunities to reuse non-potable water supplies. We initially focused efforts on developing residential rainwater and graywater programs, less complex than commercial programs to develop and implement. Since then, we expanded our efforts to explore opportunities for on-site treatment of alternate water sources on a larger scale. Notable recent achievements include: Completion of a study of the potential potable water savings from existing and new residential and non-residential applications of onsite treatment in San Francisco that concluded the greatest potential lies with new construction. 13 Passage of a local ordinance that establishes a clear City process for developers interested in collecting and using nonpotable water. The SFPUC worked closely with the City s Department of Public Health and Department of Building Inspection to define water quality standards and permit requirements. Development of a water use calculator that developers can use to estimate a building s supply and demand for water. We also are working on a step-by-step guidebook detailing technical and regulatory requirements to aid project applicants in implementing on-site water treatment systems. Launch of a financial incentive program. The SFPUC plans to launch a grant assistance program in FY to provide up to $250,000 for qualifying projects over 100,000 square feet that implement on-site non-potable water use to replace all toilet flushing with on-site non-potable water or replace 40 percent of the project s total water use with on-site non-potable water.

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