Fri, 09/12/2014 - 00:00

SAN FRANCISCO (Sept. 12, 2014) – An important Bay Area groundwater supply project by the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) that will provide a water "savings account" to protect against future drought and earthquakes has now completed environmental review and is moving forward to construction later this year. Once completed in 2018, this project will provide 7.2 million gallons of water per day, through 16 new recovery wells, stations, pumps and pipelines constructed in the San Francisco Peninsula to benefit the 2.6 million people in the Bay Area who rely on the Hetch Hetchy Regional Water System. The $113 million Regional Groundwater Storage and Recovery project balances the use of both groundwater and surface water in the peninsula to increase available water supplies during dry years. During years of normal or heavy rainfall, the project will provide additional surface water to partner agencies in San Mateo County to reduce the amount of groundwater pumped from the South Westside Groundwater Basin. Over time, the reduced pumping will create a groundwater savings account of up to 60,500 acre-feet of water or 20 billion gallons—a volume equivalent to that of the SFPUC's Crystal Springs Reservoir. “Groundwater is an essential part of our water supply,” said SFPUC General Manager Harlan L. Kelly Jr. “This project will help us diversify and stretch our drinking water supply. Every drop of water stored by this project will help our region during times of drought." The project is a partnership between the SFPUC and three San Mateo County agencies: the California Water Services Company (serving South San Francisco and Colma), the City of Daly City and the City of San Bruno. These agencies provide drinking water from two sources, local groundwater from the South Westside Groundwater Basin and surface water supplies from the SFPUC. "Daly City is proud to be part of a collaborative partnership that has demonstrated significant commitment toward diversifying local water supplies for the benefit of residents in the region,” stated Patricia E. Martel, city manager of Daly City. “As we confront the worst drought in our state's history, it is essential that we sustain our efforts and continue to identify opportunities to better serve the public through cooperative solutions to our mutual concerns." Within the City of San Francisco, the SFPUC is starting construction on the San Francisco Groundwater Supply Project to diversify the City's local water supply portfolio. This project will provide up to 4 million gallons of local, sustainable groundwater every day.