NEWS RELEASE 
SFPUC Contact:
Joseph Sweiss
(628) 231-9861
jsweiss@sfwater.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 5, 2023

World Class Water Right From the Tap
2022 Water Quality Report

Continuous daily testing all year long assures access to the highest quality water for millions of Bay Area consumers.

SAN FRANCISCO —  The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) conducted nearly a quarter of a million water tests throughout the system in 2022 to ensure healthy and safe drinking water flows to 2.7 million people and thousands of businesses across the Bay Area. The testing regimen shows that the SFPUC delivers consistently safe and clean water that exceeds all federal and state standards. 

The SFPUC’s annual Water Quality Report, released this week, demonstrates the depth of commitment to provide water that meets or exceeds all quality standards. The agency produces this annual report to clearly describe where water sources come from, how it is treated, and the tests used to determine its chemical composition. 

"A hundred years after the completion of our largest reservoir in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, we continue to ensure excellence in the quality of the water flowing to our customers," said SFPUC General Manager Dennis Herrera. "With the challenge of climate change upon us, we will continue to be thoughtful environmental stewards while protecting this vital natural resource for the next 100 years." 

The SFPUC provides drinking water to four Bay Area counties (Alameda, Santa Clara, San Mateo, and San Francisco) from a variety of protected and carefully managed sources. Those sources include: 

• Surface water from creeks and rivers stored in reservoirs located in the Sierra Nevada, as well as Alameda and San Mateo counties. 
• Groundwater supplies stored in a deep aquifer located in both San Francisco and San Mateo counties.

The Hetch Hetchy Reservoir in the Sierra Nevada remains the primary source for water throughout the region, with another significant contribution to supply coming from rainfall collected in East Bay and Peninsula reservoirs and filtering into the groundwater aquifer. 

In the face of climate change and variability in annual rainfall, the SFPUC’s ability to draw water from multiple sources helps protect customers from potential disruptions in supply. Help from business and residents is also needed to carefully manage usage and thereby ensure sufficient water every season of every year. 

To meet drinking water standards for consumption, water from all of the SFPUC’s surface water sources undergoes treatment before it is delivered to customers. This includes water from Hetch Hetchy Reservoir, which is exempt from state and federal filtration requirements but receives ultraviolet light and chlorine disinfection, pH adjustment for optimum corrosion control, fluoridation for dental health, and chloramine treatment for residual disinfection. 

The SFPUC’s lead and copper sampling studies add an additional layer of safety by testing the systems delivering its water. Notably, as part of its water quality efforts, the agency conducts studies for man-made chemicals known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, and found that none of those materials were detected in SFPUC water sources. 

For more information about the SFPUC’s commitment to water quality, visit sfpuc.org/waterquality.

About the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission

The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission is a department of the City and County of San Francisco. It delivers drinking water to 2.7 million people in the Bay Area, collects and treats wastewater for the City and County of San Francisco, and meets over 70 percent of the electricity demand in San Francisco. Our mission is to provide our customers with high-quality, efficient and reliable water, power, and sewer services in a manner that values environmental and community interests and sustains the resources entrusted to our care. Learn more at sfpuc.org.