Accomplishing OneWaterSF
Adapting to Future Changes
Expanding Recycled Water Impact: Examining Reuse
Opportunities for Recycled Water in San Francisco
Water is too precious a resource to use just once. Treated effluent from our water
treatment and recovery plants offers a new water source for various purposes.
The SFPUC has prepared a White Paper to review the evolution of water reuse in
San Francisco and to assess future opportunities. Recycled water can be used for
several non-potable uses, such as landscape irrigation of parks, toilet and urinal
flushing, decorative fountains, soil compaction, and dust control. Additionally,
purified water refers to drinking water produced from recycled water using the
most advanced purification treatment processes available. The White Paper lays
out the SFPUC’s planning strategy for current and near-term recycled water reuse
projects in San Francisco and recognizes future challenges and opportunities for
expanding non-potable and potable reuse to maximize the use of our water to
meet existing and future needs.
Getting Creative with Space
San Francisco covers area less than 50 square miles, making space a premium.
Ensuring that all the available space for the SFPUC is used to its full potential,
the SFPUC has embarked on a concerted effort to co-locate solar panels on its
water and wastewater properties and facilities. The most visible example of this
is the solar array located above the Sunset Reservoir. The Sunset Reservoir Solar
Array is San Francisco’s largest solar installation. With a generating capacity of
up to 5 megawatts, the Sunset Solar Array was the largest urban municipal solar
array in California when completed in 2010. In addition to Sunset Reservoir, the
Southeast Plant and North Point Wet Weather facilities are both equipped with
solar panels, and a solar photovoltaic system has been installed at the Tesla Light
Water Treatment Facility; there are also plans to outfit the Oceanside Treatment
Plant. Co-locating solar panels on existing infrastructure allows the SFPUC to
provide energy benefits while also maximizing the use of space.
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Co-Locating Solar Panels