Water Enterprise Level of Service Goals

Objectives:

• Operate and maintain Regional Water System facilities to comply with or surpass all current and future federal and state drinking water quality requirements.
• Provide clean, unfiltered water originating from Hetch Hetchy Reservoir, filtered water from Bay Area watersheds, and appropriately treated water from other sources.
• Continue to implement watershed protection measures in the SFPUC’s Peninsula, Alameda and Tuolumne watersheds to protect watershed ecosystems and drinking water quality.
• Maintain applied research, planning and outreach programs to ensure customer water quality expectations are met.   
• Respond to 100% of In-City customer service inquiries or complaints about water quality within 2 business hours of initial contact and regional water system events upon exceedance of established threshold criteria.

Objectives:

• Design and construct water and related power system improvements to meet current seismic standards (e.g., Division of Safety of Dams), and regularly evaluate the ability of the system to meet current seismic standards.
• Maintain or resume delivery of 229 million gallons per day (mgd) to the three regions in the SFPUC service area (East/South Bay, Peninsula, and San Francisco) within 24 hours after a major earthquake. The performance objective is to provide delivery to at least 70 percent of the turnouts in each region, with 104, 44, and 81 mgd delivered to the East/South Bay, Peninsula, and San Francisco, respectively.
• Restore facilities to meet a daily demand of 265 mgd within 30 days after a major earthquake.
   

Objectives:

• Meet all local, state, and federal water, power, and environmental regulations to support the proper operation of the water system and proper operation of power facilities essential to the operation of the water system.
  • Kirkwood and Moccasin penstocks and powerhouses; electric transmission lines 3 – 6 and 9 - 11; and Intake, Warnerville and Calaveras substations/switchyards.
• Provide operational flexibility to allow planned maintenance shutdown of individual facilities without interrupting customer service.
• Provide operational flexibility to minimize the risk of service interruption due to unplanned facility upsets or outages.
• Maintain emergency response and recovery plans for major water delivery assets to minimize the duration of unplanned outages.
• Provide operational flexibility and system capacity to replenish local reservoirs as needed.
• Operate and maintain Regional Water System facilities to meet a daily peak demand of 300 mgd.
• Operate and maintain Regional Water System facilities to meet a daily demand of 265 mgd under the conditions of one planned shutdown of a major facility for maintenance (a reach of a San Joaquin Pipeline or a reach of a Bay Division Pipeline) concurrent with one unplanned facility outage due to a natural disaster, emergency, or facility failure/upset. During planned shutdowns of the Tuolumne River supply, the system is able to meet full winter demands (approximately 150 mgd). In the event of an unplanned loss of one water treatment plant, the water system can still meet a minimum delivery of 115 mgd, until the Tuolumne River supply can be returned to service. Planned shutdowns of the Tuolumne River supply are restricted to the period November 1 through March 31, and no longer than 60 days with special exceptions for shutdowns of up to 100 days. The return-to-service goal for planned shutdowns of the Tuolumne River supply is no more than 7 days.
• Operate upcountry and Bay Area water reservoirs to optimize water supply and comply with environmental regulations while mindful of downstream conditions.
• Provide Wholesale Customers with timely information and data sufficient to support operational decision-making of their retail systems.

Objectives:

• Storage. Maintain seismically reliable potable water storage to provide at least 20 pounds per square inch (psi) pressure throughout each pressure zone.
• Fire Suppression.  In conjunction with the Emergency Firefighting Water System, within three hours of a major earthquake, provide at least 50% of anticipated water demand from post-seismic fires in each of 46 Fire Response Areas, and at least 90% of City-wide average water demand from post-seismic fires.
• Water Supply Restoration.  Deliver basic life sustaining water supply (for hygiene, sanitation, and consumption if boiled or disinfected) and ensure potable water system restoration.
  • Within 24 hours, limited network of critical transmission mains (greater than or equal to 12-inch diameter) that serve major hospitals will be pressurized.
    • (Current goal is major trauma centers - UCSF Medical Center and SF General Hospital -  but may be expanded to additional critical care facilities in coordination with San Francisco Department of Emergency Management and other City agencies.) 
  • Within 72 hours, limited network of critical secondary distribution system pipelines (< 12-inch diameter) will be pressurized.
  • Within 7 days, limited network of critical transmission and distribution mains will be disinfected and restored to potable service.
  • Within 90 days, secondary distribution system will be restored to potable service.
  • Utilize alternative water sources such as groundwater to supplement Sunset & Sutro Reservoirs.

Objectives:

• Maintain potable water storage to provide at least two days of winter day demand plus minimum 2 hours of fire suppression at 3 hydrants (1,500 gallons per minute [gpm] from each hydrant) in each pressure zone with storage greater than one million gallons, and two hydrants (1,500 gpm from each hydrant) for each pressure zone with storage ≤  one million gallons.
• Maintain minimum pressure of 20 psi throughout the distribution system.
• Respond to 100% of customer service inquiries or complaints regarding water service within 2 business hours of initial contact.
• Maintain deliveries such that ≤ 1.0% of service connections are without water for up to 4 hours as a result of an unplanned outage per year.
• Maintain deliveries such that ≤ 0.5% of service connections are without water for 8 hours or longer as a result of an unplanned outage per year.

Objectives:

• Meet an average annual water demand of 265 mgd from the SFPUC watersheds for retail and wholesale customers during non–drought years consistent with the Water Supply Agreement between San Francisco and its Wholesale Customers in Alameda, San Mateo, and Santa Clara Counties.
• Meet dry-year delivery needs while limiting rationing to a maximum 20 percent system-wide reduction in water service during extended droughts.
• Diversify and improve use of new water sources and drought management, including groundwater, recycled water, conservation, transfers, storage expansion, purified water, desalinated water, and technological innovations that can increase supply and/or water use efficiency.
• Maintain San Francisco retail residential potable water use below 45 gallons per capita per day.
• Realize annual Real Water Losses ( Water that escapes the water distribution system, including leakage and storage overflows.)  of less than 10% of water supplied to San Francisco.
• Meet 80% of San Francisco’s Recreation and Parks Department irrigation demands with recycled water by December 31, 2025.

Objectives:

• Meet all current and anticipated environmental legal requirements.
• Manage SFPUC watershed and right of way lands to protect and restore native ecological resources, protect and preserve cultural resources, and minimize wildfire risk.
• Manage and operate the Water Enterprise assets consistent with the Water Enterprise Environmental Stewardship Policy.
   

Objectives:

• Energy Utilization
  • Maintain a gravity-driven water system.
  • Minimize the carbon footprint of all water system operations through sustainable design and operational practices.
• Security
  • Comply with or surpass all current and future federal and state physical and cyber security requirements.
• Workforce Support
  • Attract, develop, and retain a healthy, safe, well-trained, productive, and well-equipped workforce, reflective of the communities the SFPUC serves.
  • Provide and promote opportunities for knowledge transfer and staff development in areas critical to meeting the Levels of Service.
  • Implement the Water Enterprise Racial Equity Action Plan.
• Community Support
  • Be mindful of and responsive to community needs throughout the SFPUC service area, as part of operating and maintaining the water system.
  • Maintain a proactive program of public outreach regarding all aspects of the water system.
  • Provide the public with appropriate educational opportunities by providing education programs and recreational opportunities (where appropriate) in cooperation with other local, state, and federal agencies.
  • Expand targeted, thoughtful efforts to build relationships with Federally Recognized Tribes and other California Native Americans. ( California Governor Executive Order B-10-11 and Native American Heritage Commission)
  • Manage watershed and right of way lands to protect cultural and tribal resources.

• Effective Asset Management
  • Ensure cost-effective use of funds and other resources.
  • Implement effective asset management programs for all assets (facilities, lands, and equipment) consistent with the SFPUC’s Asset Management Policy.
  • Adequately maintain Regional Water System assets - annually complete 80% of preventive maintenance work, 80% of corrective maintenance work, and have <10% of assets in unserviceable state.
  • Provide water meter data for fair and timely billing of both wholesale and retail water customers, as well as effective management of water supplies.

• Strategic Planning
  • Continually evaluate and plan for changing environmental, fiscal, and social conditions, (e.g. climate change, development, regulation and other factors outside of the SFPUC’s control) that influence the ability to achieve these Levels of Service.