San Francisco declared a water shortage emergency two days before Thanksgiving.
San Francisco Mayor London Breed and the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission called for a 10% reduction in voluntary water usage due to a water shortage emergency.
“With California still experiencing devastating drought and the uncertainty around this rainy season, we need to make tough decisions that will ensure that our water source continues to be reliable and dependable for the future,” Breed said in a press announcement.
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The shortage will affect more than 2.7 million residents in San Francisco, Alameda, Santa Clara, and San Mateo counties, and SFPUC will institute a temporary drought surcharge for retail water and wastewater customers of up to 5% on part of their bill.
SFPUC will not introduce the surcharge until April 1, 2022. The mayor’s office estimates that the additional charges on their water system will increase by a maximum of $6.
The commission also asked agencies in other counties that purchase water from San Francisco to cut their use by 14%, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
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San Francisco’s reservoir supply is currently at 73%, but the reservoir has typically been at 80% at this time of year. One-third of that water cannot be used due to state policies regarding the drought.
San Francisco residents only use an average of 42 gallons of water per day, less than half of what average Californians use, according to the mayor’s office.
