Water Conservation Programs ( continued ) DEMONSTRATION GARDENS AND GARDENING CLASSES
In April 2016 , the SFPUC celebrated the opening of College Hill Learning Garden , a new education and demonstration garden located in San Francisco ’ s Bernal Heights neighborhood . The garden teaches local students how to create and sustain ecologically-friendly water , food , energy , and waste systems . The garden showcases sustainable features such as rain gardens , native plantings , water hand pumps , a green roof , and a composting toilet .
The SFPUC is an ongoing sponsor of the Water-Wise and Natural Plant Care Demonstration Gardens in partnership with Garden for the Environment . Open to the public year-round , this half-acre site showcases small-scale urban organic food production , climate appropriate plantings , and water-efficient irrigation systems . The SFPUC sponsored 22 free workshops and tours at the garden to help San Francisco residents create and maintain beautiful , water-efficient landscapes , and learn about alternate water supplies , such as graywater and rainwater harvesting .
The College Hill Learning Garden showcases sustainable features and is open to class field trips for students in Kindergarten through 5th grade .
Garden for the Environment is located at 7th Avenue and Lawton Street in San Francisco and offers free or low-cost public workshops . To register for a workshop , visit gardenfortheenvironment . org .
CUSTOMER WATER USE TOOLS
SFPUC ’ s My Account web portal allows customers to view their daily water use and track their progress toward meeting SFPUC drought targets . Since its launch in 2014 , registration for My Account has steadily increased to over 24,000 users , or 14 % of the retail customer base . By fall 2016 , customer use increased to about 30 % with the consolidation of electronic bill payment functionality into My Account , allowing customers to now pay their bill and access daily water use under one account . Account holders can register at myaccount . sfwater . org .
LEAK ALERT PILOT PROGRAM
Automated water meters are now in place for more than 96 % of San Francisco ’ s 178,000 water accounts , providing the SFPUC with hourly water consumption data . Utilizing this data , the SFPUC developed a pilot leak detection program to notify single family customers whose water meters recorded continuous use for three or more days . Through this program , 13,187 postcards were sent to 3,331 single family customers indicating they may have a leak and should inspect their indoor plumbing fixtures and irrigation system . Almost 70 % of the homes notified addressed the leaks within four weeks . In the coming year , the SFPUC will be expanding its leak detection program to alert customers with continuous use by phone call , voicemail , text message , e-mail , and letter . The SFPUC will also be exploring potential high usage alerts for nonresidential customers and providing customers with hourly data on My Account .
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