Water Innovations gives Water and Wastewater Engineers and end-users a venue to find project solutions and source valuable product information. We aim to educate the engineering and operations community on important issues and trends.
Issue link: http://wateronline.epubxp.com/i/628452
The Hetch Hetchy Regional Water System is vulnerable to both drought and earthquakes, but innovative resiliency efforts by the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) will keep the water flowing. By Greg Bartow S ince the 1930's, the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) has been largely reliant upon the iconic Hetch Hetchy reservoir and its water, originating in the Tuolumne River Watershed. Much of the Hetch Hetchy Regional Water System's supplies travel the width of the state of California to reach Bay Area taps and cross three active earthquake faults. In 2008, the SFPUC's Commission charted the current water-supply strategy and included direction to diversify its water supply by developing additional groundwater and recycled water supplies. Amidst California's historic drought, building the infrastructure to diversify the SFPUC's water supply, specifically during a severe drought or emergency, is critical now more than ever. Leading the charge to naturally recharge groundwater in the San Francisco Bay Area, the SFPUC's Regional Groundwater Storage and Recovery Project (Project) is the first of its kind by the SFPUC to form a partnership for storing water underground during dry years. The Project accomplished this by using an In-Lieu Conjunctive Use Agreement developed as a regional partnership between the SFPUC and three of its wholesale customers: the City of Daly City, the City of San Bruno, and the California Water Service Company. These agencies operate their own groundwater wells in addition to distributing SFPUC surface water to their customers. This is the first new water storage that the SFPUC has developed since 1965, and it is one of more than 80 projects that are a part of the SFPUC's $4.8 billion Water System Improvement Program to repair, replace, and seismically upgrade the Hetch Hetchy Regional Water System. The SFPUC began the planning, environmental review, and design for this Project over 10 years ago. Now in construction, the Project will provide the SFPUC with dry-year storage in San Mateo County and a backup water supply after an emergency. The Project's new regional dry-year water supply will be able to provide approximately 7.2 MGD from the South Westside G r o u n d w a t e r Basin (San Mateo County, CA). This Project balances the use of groundwater and surface water to increase dry-year water supplies. During years of normal or above- average rainfall, 24 wateronline.com n Water Innovations Leading The (Re)Charge: How The SFPUC Is Protecting San Francisco Bay Area Groundwater The blue star represents the Regional Groundwater Storage and Recovery Project within the Hetch Hetchy Regional Water System. In dry years, groundwater is pumped from storage — the "water savings account".