Abstract: The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission is the third largest municipal utility in California, providing drinking water for more than 2.7 million residents and businesses within San Francisco and three other Bay Area counties. San Francisco customers enjoy some of the nation’s highest quality drinking water.  The Regional Water System delivers pristine high Sierra snowmelt and water from protected local Bay Area reservoirs directly to our tap.  Extreme weather events and future regulatory uncertainties could exacerbate the need for new diversified and distributed supply sources. The good news is that the SFPUC has a long history of preparing for and adapting to change. The lecture will address the SFPUC initiatives and projects to improve water supply reliability.

Bio: Paula Kehoe has over 30 years of experience working on urban environmental initiatives, including water pollution prevention, solid waste management, and water and wastewater management for the City and County of San Francisco. Currently, she serves as the Director of Water Resources with the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) and is responsible for diversifying San Francisco’s water supply portfolio though the implementation of water conservation, groundwater, recycled water, onsite water reuse, and innovation programs.  Paula guided San Francisco’s landmark legislation allowing for the collection, treatment, and reuse of alternate water sources within buildings and districts. Paula leads SFPUC’s OneWaterSF Program which has cultivated a shift to integrate approaches to water, wastewater, and power management. Paula Chairs the National Blue Ribbon Commission for Onsite Water Systems (NBRC) and Building Infrastructure Locally for Decentralized Water Systems (BILD) and is a Board Member of the WateReuse Association.