Laura Spanjian and Ed Harrington with the SFPUC
The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission's (SFPUC) General Manager, Ed Harrington, and Assistant General Manager, Laura Spanjian spoke to the BOMA San Francisco's Government and Public Affairs Committee (GAPAC) today about what the SFPUC is currently working on. Here are the highlights:
What services does the SFPUC provide?
- Water
- Wastewater (collection, treatment, disposal)
- Power
What are the goals of the SFPUC?
- Seismic Reliability
- Water Quality
- Delivery Reliability
- Water Supply
Why are the water and sewer rates going up on July 1?
The SFPUC will increase water and sewage rates over a five year period to both residential and commercial customers to pay for the Water System Improvement Program (WSIP)—mostly for seismic improvement projects.
SFPUC is working to reduce the city's water usage, but how?
The commission wants to reduce water usage in the city from 91 million gallons of water used per year (in 2004) to 81 million gallons by 2018. One of the steps to accomplish this goal is via a local measure--the commercial water conservation ordinance--to help reduce water usage in commercial and hotel properties by installing water conserving devices (e.g., low-flow toilets, urinals, showerheads and faucets) no later than January 1, 2017 or upon major additions or improvements costing $150,000 or more. BOMA San Francisco worked with the SFPUC on this ordinance, and we support the legislation. Indeed, the ordinance was approved by the Board of Supervisors yesterday and is going to the Mayor's office for his signature.
This is all well and good, but how can I reduce the water bill for my building?
Regular blog readers may recall that we previously posted information on the SFPUC's FREE Water-Wise evaluation program. Using your billing history as a guide, a water conservation technician is dispatched to your site and will provide a comprehensive review of your water usage and produce a report with water saving recommendations. Please be aware that there is a 2-3 week lead time to schedule an appointment, so call the SFPUC Water Conservation Section today (415) 551-4730.
Will my wastewater bill be going up?
Not in the short-term. The commercial wastewater rate will stay flat for the next four years.
What else was discussed (please click on the links below for more information)?
Great! Who do I call at the SFPUC for more info?
Water Saving and Rebate Programs: Dana Hass (415) 551-4739
Biofuel Program: Karri Ving (415) 695-7366
We would like to thank Mr. Harrington and Ms. Spanjian for taking the time to meet with the GAPAC committee, and we look forward to working the the SFPUC in the future.
No comments:
Post a Comment