Save Water Outdoors Don't let good water go to waste! Imagine using water from your clothes washer to help grow the plants in your garden. Using graywater can reduce the amount of drinking water used for landscape irrigation and reduce water entering our sewer system. What is graywater? Graywater is water from showers, bathtubs, clothes washing machines, and bathroom sinks. It is water that contains some soap but is clean enough to water plants. For more information about graywater and its approved uses, please read our Graywater FAQ. For laundry-to-landscape (L2L) systems, only graywater from

Leaks are common and can happen to anyone at any time. Many leaks can be easily repaired by customers, but they often go unnoticed. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that the average household's leaks can waste nearly 10,000 gallons of water every year. They also estimate 10% of homes have leaks that waste 90 gallons or more per day. The SFPUC’s Leak Alert Program helps our customers find and fix leaks faster. While we provide tools and resources as a courtesy to help, it is your responsibility to find and fix leaks on your property. Where to start: Register for My Account to track

The SFPUC's Water Conservation team wants to help you lower your water use. We offer many free devices. We also offer free evaluations of your property's water use. We call these Water-Wise Evaluations. They can be done in-person or over the phone. We will make water-saving suggestions and figure out your eligibility for our devices. To request an evaluation, please sign up online. Or leave us a message at 415-551-4730. Someone will contact you to schedule the meeting.

Trace the extraordinary history of San Francisco's water system. When the city chose a site in the pristine Hetch Hetchy valley, an epic battle was led by John Muir. Today, with the impact of climate change keenly felt, the politics of water remain front page news. Explore the ways an urban water utility, and those who depend on it, are learning to adapt and plan for an uncertain future.

We love to help inspire children to save water and protect our environment. We and our partners offer free school field trips to the following locations: College Hill Learning Garden We designed this educational and demonstration garden to teach local students about environmentally friendly water use, food, energy, and waste systems. Garden for the Environment Since 1990, we have partnered with a Garden for the Environment to support adult and youth education about sustainable gardening at this Inner Sunset teaching garden. Come learn to install water wise irrigation systems and tend your

As part of our mission, the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission works with community and education organizations to create engaging programs that teach children to make sustainable choices in everyday life. We worked with the California Academy of Sciences on The Story of Poo, an animated video following a six-year old girl from San Francisco who learns about what takes place after she flushes the toilet. The story is designed to teach elementary school students about how San Francisco’s sewer system works. It is told through the girl’s perspective and explores her curiosity and

In partnership with the Center for Ecoliteracy, the SFPUC created Big Ideas to serve as a resource for curriculum developers, teachers and schools. The idea for the book is prompted by our commitment to foster the next generation of environmental stewards and provide a water, power and sewer framework for Grades K-12. Big Ideas is aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards. Download a copy of Big Ideas

California-State-Standards-Aligned for K-12 Students Save Our Water In these programs of up to 60 minutes, students follow the water cycle and travel through history to learn about the comprehensive and impressive San Francisco Water Supply in this program. They will use inquiry-based methods to understand the importance of water conservation for the sustainability of our city's ecosystems and our own health. To schedule a presentation, contact San Francisco Department of the Environment at ENV-Education@sfgov.org or visit https://www.sfenvironment.org/campaigns/environmental-education.