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To conserve water under drought conditions nationwide, the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission announced Thursday that it is expanding a leak warning program that will notify customers of uninterrupted water usage.

The program now notifies both commercial and industrial buildings as well as apartment buildings if they have been using water continuously for three days, which could indicate a leak.

The program will continue to serve single-family and small apartment buildings as it did before, SFPUC officials said.

“I applaud SFPUC for this proactive move to expand the city’s Leak Alert program at such a critical time,” Mayor London Breed said in a statement. “Given the historic drought, we must do everything we can to fix leaks, protect our water supplies, and cut costs for our residents and local businesses.”

“As long as this drought persists, we need to save the best we can of water, and often that simply means fixing leaky pipes, faucets and toilets,” said Michael Carlin, deputy director general of SFPUC.

In addition to the expansion, the SFPUC will also examine industrial and multi-family houses with more than three units for an increase in water consumption of 50% and more within the last 90 days as well as for peaks in night-time use.

SFPUC officials estimate the Leak Alert program saved 47 million gallons of water in the past fiscal year.

As drought conditions continue to intensify across the state, Governor Gavin Newsom urged all Californians last month to voluntarily reduce water use by 15%.

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SAN FRANCISCO (BCN) – In light of arid weather conditions across California, the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission on Thursday urged irrigation customers and city departments to voluntarily reduce their water use by 10 percent.

According to the agency, the SFPUC’s water reservoirs are currently filled to 76.8 percent of their maximum storage capacity – slightly less than the historical average of 81 percent at this time of year.

SFPUC’s water comes from a variety of sources, including Hetch Hetchy Reservoir near Yosemite and five other reservoirs in the Bay Area. It serves around 2.7 million customers across the Bay Area.

“This is the second dry year in a row for the state of California and we must do all we can to get the most out of our water supplies if this trend continues,” Mayor London Breed said in a statement. “San Francisco is a leader in water conservation thanks to our innovative water policy and strong management, but we need to look ahead. The steps we are now taking to use our water wisely will help us become more resilient and weather future dry years. “

According to SFPUC, Franciscans use an average of 42 gallons of water every day, one of the lowest rates in California.

Even so, the SFPUC’s request to its 1,600 irrigation customers, who rely on SFPUC to irrigate their landscapes to reduce their consumption by 10 percent, is to ensure that water in the agency’s reservoirs and aquifers will last during the prolonged dry spell.

“We are fortunate to have multiple sources of water supply, which makes our system more resilient in dry years,” said Michael Carlin, acting general manager of SFPUC. “However, we don’t know how long this dry weather will last. We also want to support our communities as we recover from the devastating effects of this pandemic. Because of this, we are calling for small changes for irrigation customers that can make a big difference in the expansion of our water supply. “

To further encourage customers to use water efficiently, the SFPUC offers free irrigation studies and landscape assessments on site. Grants; and a program that informs customers about possible leaks.

In addition, the agency offers indoor water conversation assistance, including free replacement of old toilets. Discounts for water-saving washing machines and other devices; and individual home and business consultations.

SFPUC customers who pay their bills online can also track their water usage daily or even hourly at www.myaccount.sfwater.org.

For more information about the programs and services offered by SFPUC, residents can visit www.sfpuc.org/savewater.

Copyright © 2021 Bay City News, Inc.

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SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX 5) – California’s power grid is set to be fossil-free by 2045, and solar is part of the solution. Homeowners with solar panels are being paid by PG&E for energy bringing them back on-line, but utilities are pushing to cut loans.

PG & E’s proposal would cut credits for future solar users by more than half.

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Add to this a utility-backed bill passed this week by the Legislative Committee on Utilities and Energy. If passed, the proposal would also take into account monthly fees for future and current solar users.

“It really hurts. For us, the incentives would have been a big deal, ”said Concord Resident Nick Dragich.

Bernadette Del Chiaro of the California Solar & Storage Association told KPIX 5, “PG&E and other utilities don’t like it when you generate your own energy. They want you to buy their product and commit to their system. “

The utility is proposing to lower the balances of users who are now paying 25 cents per kilowatt hour to less than half that rate.

“Now is the time to make sure we don’t burden customers who can’t or won’t install a solar system,” said Ari Vanrenen, spokesman for Pacific Gas & Electric Company.

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San Francisco-based consumer advocacy groups like TURN (The Utility Reform Network) want a credit cut but don’t believe PG & E’s proposal will ultimately benefit lower-income homeowners and renters.

“We have to have a solar plan that is fair for people who don’t benefit from it. That’s why we need to lower the solar tax, ”said Mark Toney, Executive Director of TURN.

The solar industry said the utility’s proposal would undo progress toward a greener future, create more profit for PG&E, and less incentive for rooftop systems, which are utilities’ most threatening competitor.

“This would fundamentally affect the profitability of solar energy for consumers. Most people won’t, and it’s going to kill a lot of jobs and businesses, ”said Del Chiaro.

The public utility commission overseeing PG&E is expected to take a decision on the proposal in January 2022.

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PG&E said the latest proposal would not affect current solar users, but if pressed, they couldn’t guarantee that these loans will remain untouched forever.

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