San Francisco Public Utilities Commission Meeting - March 25, 2025
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San Francisco Public Utilities Commission Meeting - March 25, 2025
The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) held its regular meeting on Tuesday, March 25, 2025, at 9:30 AM. The meeting included a land acknowledgment, approval of minutes, general public comment, a quarterly wastewater report, a Bay Area Water Supply and Conservation Agency (BOSCA) update, consent calendar items, and several regular calendar contracts and amendments. All votes were unanimous.
Consent Calendar
- Item 7a: Approved a $1,100,000 increase to the cost contingency for Contract No. WW-753 (Hayes Valley Sewer Improvements) with Precision Engineering, Inc. The change was driven by a switch in resin type due to community odor concerns from the original material.
- Item 7b: Awarded Contract No. WD-2901 for San Andreas Pipeline 3 – Drainage & Erosion Repair at Junipero Serra Park. The agreement was reached through negotiation with San Bruno and San Mateo County, clarifying future ownership and maintenance responsibilities for the pipeline.
Public Comments & Testimony
- General Public Comment: Two speakers addressed the commission. Mr. DeCasta criticized the SFPUC’s compliance with the Clean Water Act and urged meaningful acknowledgment of the Muwekma Ohlone tribe’s right of first refusal on the Presidio. Peter Dreckmeyer, Policy Director for the Tuolumne River Trust, urged the commission to prioritize a sensitivity analysis for population and job projections in the upcoming 2025 Urban Water Management Plan (due June 2026), noting that past workshops occurred after the plan was submitted.
- On BOSCA Report: Peter Dreckmeyer commented that the BOSCA board had never held a public discussion or vote on opposing the Bay-Delta Plan or supporting the Tuolumne River Voluntary Agreement, but he noted recent board engagement on demand projections and rates. He encouraged the SFPUC to hold a workshop on demand projections.
- On Consent Calendar and Regular Calendar Items: No public comments were offered on items 7, 8-9, 10, or 11.
Discussion Items
- Item 5a – Wastewater Enterprise Quarterly Report (Q2 FY24-25): Bessie Tan, Wastewater Enterprise Capital Programs Director, presented updates. Key highlights: the Biosolids Digester Facility Project (BDFP) is over 80% complete; the Sewer System Improvement Program (SSIP) maintains 70 projects at a $4.7 billion approved budget; a trenchless sewer lining on Golden Gate Avenue installed 400 feet of liner in four days; the Folsom area stormwater improvement project is 62% complete; and the West Side Pump Station received new primary power from PG&E. Budget variances include a $164.5 million forecast for the BDFP biogas project (due to a shift from P3 to design-build delivery) and a $44 million variance for the Lower Alemany stormwater project (due to CalTrans coordination). Four projects have forecasted budget changes: BDFP biogas, Lower Alemany, Sea Cliff Pump Station #2, and Oceanside Plant digester gas utilization. The latter two are offset by savings elsewhere. Over 20 milestones were achieved in the quarter. Commissioner questions focused on brick sewer rehabilitation (lining vs. repair) and performance testing at the headworks facility.
- Item 6 – Bay Area Water Supply and Conservation Agency (BOSCA) Report: Tom Smighel reported that BOSCA’s Board Chair reiterated the agency’s support for the Tuolumne River Healthy Rivers and Landscape Agreement (formerly the Voluntary Agreement) and urged the SFPUC to continue working with the State Water Board for a timely evaluation. BOSCA also reaffirmed its 2018 legal intervention to protect regional water supply under the Bay-Delta Plan. Vice President Arce asked General Manager Herrera about alignment; Herrera confirmed ongoing communication, including a recent letter to the Governor’s office. Vice President Arce asked Tom Smighel to convey the commission’s support back to the BOSCA board.
- Item 10 – Amendment No. 1 to PRO.0168A (Engineering Services for Transmission Pipelines) with AECOM: Tedman Lee presented a $7 million increase (no time extension) for planning and design on three major projects: San Joaquin Pipeline Valve and Safe Entry (budget increased from $75M to $158M, now split into six phases), Moccasin Powerhouse Bypass Upgrade (budget increased from $47M to $331M due to need for a new penstock), and Moccasin Penstock Rehabilitation (still in planning). The original capital plan for these 11 projects was $299.4 million; the current plan is $670.3 million. The $7 million will fund geotechnical investigations and alternative analysis to refine cost estimates. Commissioner questions clarified that the powerhouse bypass is at 95% design and will proceed, while the penstock project is still in planning; future connection points will be coordinated to avoid rework.
- Item 11 – Amendment No. 1 to PRO.0182 (Electrical Engineering Services for Hetch Hetchy Region) with AECOM: A $2.8 million increase and one-year extension for electrical engineering design and support for the Moccasin Powerhouse Rehabilitation and Switchyard projects. The amendment will enable maintenance without shutting down water delivery.
Key Outcomes
- Minutes of March 11, 2025 approved unanimously.
- Consent Calendar (Items 7a, 7b) approved unanimously.
- Item 8 (Award PRO.0297 to Calpine Community Energy, $17M) approved unanimously.
- Item 9 (Amendment No. 5 to CS-247, $1,192,500 extension) approved unanimously.
- Item 10 (Amendment No. 1 to PRO.0168A, $7M increase) approved unanimously.
- Item 11 (Amendment No. 1 to PRO.0182, $2.8M increase and 1-year extension) approved unanimously.
- Item 13 – Items Initiated by Commissioners: Vice President Arce suggested that future BOSCA-related issues could be added as action items on the agenda if requested in advance. No other items were initiated.
- Adjournment occurred after all business was completed.
Meeting Transcript
President Stacy, here. Vice President Arce. Commissioner Champdar. Present. Commissioner Leverone. Here. You have a quorum. Thank you. Before calling the first item, I'd like to announce that the San Francisco Public Utility Commission acknowledges that it owns and are stewards of the unceded lands located within the ethnohistoric territory of the Mawekma Allone tribe and other familial descendants of the historic federally recognized Mission San Jose Verona Band of Alameda County. The SFPUC also recognizes that every citizen residing within the Greater Bay Area has and continues to benefit from the use and occupation of the Mawekma Aloney tribe's aboriginal lands since before and after the San Francisco Public Utility Utilities Commission's founding in 1932. It is vitally important that we not only recognize the history of the tribal lands on which we reside, but also we acknowledge and honor the fact that the Mawekma Aloney people have established a working partnership with the SFPUC and our productive and flourishing members within the many greater Bay San Francisco Bay Area communities today. Thank you. Next item. Item three, approval of the minutes of March 11, 2025. Does anybody have any comments or corrections on the minutes? Commissioners. No. Seeing none, public comment, please. Remote college, please raise your hand if you wish to provide comment on item number three. Are there any members of the public present who wish to provide comment on this item? Seeing none, moderator, are there any callers who have their hand raised? Ms. Lennier, there are no callers that wish to be recognized. Thank you. Commissioners, could I have a motion in a second to approve the minutes? Motion to approve the minutes. Second. President Stacy? Aye. Vice President Arce? Aye. Commissioner Jamdar. Aye. Commissioner Leveroni. Aye. The item passes. Thank you. Item four. General public comment. Members of the public may address the commission on matters that are within the Commission's jurisdiction and are not on today's agenda. And I'd like to note that the Commission values civic engagement and encourages respectful communication at the public meeting. We ask that all public comment be made in a civil and courteous manner and that you refrain from the use of profanity. Thank you. Remote callers, please raise your hand if you wish to provide comment on item four. Are there any members of the public present who wish to comment on this item? Mr. DeCasta? I would like to make an announcement on the Muakmo Alone. You are going to exercise the right of first refusal on the presidio. It's good for you all to know that that will send a signal to the city and county of San Francisco.
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