Stanford University

Updated: July 20, 2022

327 Bonair Siding
Stanford, California 94305-7272

Phone: (650) 723-9747 Fax: (650) 723-3191

Service Area

The Stanford Sustainability & Energy Management Department supplies water to the campus area and nearby Stanford unincorporated lands.

System

Profile

Area Size	3.1 square miles
Service Population	13,629*
Number of Accounts	n/a
Number of SF RWS Connections	3
Connections To SF RWS Mains	BDPL 3 and 4, 1 turnout off Palo Alto pipeline
Avg. Day Demand (mgd)	2.46
Avg. Day Purchases From SF RWS (mgd)	1.35
% Demand Met With SF RWS Supplies	55% (100% of drinking water)
Average Day Local Water Production (mgd)	1.1
Alternative Supply Sources	Local groundwater, surface water, recycled water**
Interties With Other Agencies	Palo Alto
Local Storage (mg)	8
Days of Storage	2.5 to 4 - All 3 zones can meet the 8 hr criteria either separately or by pumping from zones with excess capacity. Wells can supply an additional 3.7 mgd in an emergency.

*Average daytime population is used for current and future projections. In FY 2020-21, Stanford’s population dropped significantly due to most students and faculty remaining home during the COVID-19 pandemic.

** In FY-08-09, Stanford completed a recycled water plant that treats wastewater from the former Cogeneration Facility cooling tower blow-down for reuse for toilet and urinal flushing in new buildings. The plant was decommissioned in 2015 with the construction of the Stanford Energy System Innovations (SESI) Central Energy Facility. Source water for the recycled water system was lost but the infrastructure remains and can resume using recycled water once another source is established.

Summary

Stanford has four sources of water supply: purchased potable water from the SF RWS, groundwater, non-potable surface water from the local watershed, and recycled water.

SF RWS water is delivered through two turnouts off BDPL 3 and 4 and one turnout off the Palo Alto pipeline. There are four wells located on Stanford property that could be used in an emergency. Three of the wells are in compliance with all drinking water standards, while the fourth well is “standby”, since its manganese levels exceed current standards.

Stanford also has a non-potable (lake) water system that supplies more than 80% of its irrigation needs, significantly reducing Stanford’s use of potable water for irrigation. This system is typically supplied by Stanford’s surface water diversions, and supplemented by ground water. The extent of ground water use depends on the amount of rainfall and resulting surface water supply availability. The lake water system can also be supplied as needed by SF RWS water.

Water Supply and Demand

Supply by Source	Actual FY 17-18 (ccf)	Actual FY 18-19 (ccf)	Actual FY 19-20 (ccf)	Actual FY 20-21 (ccf)
San Francisco Water	725,276	697,159	699,352	659,830
Local Groundwater	241,503	0	0	0
Surface Water	256,275	0	0	0
Other	41,684	531,006	521,726	538,983
Total	1,264,738	1,228,165	1,221,078	1,198,813
mgd equivalent	2.59	2.52	2.50	2.46
Note: The source of water contributing to the non-potable irrigation water have been tracked through various methods in order to fit within the format of the Annual Survey. Prior to the 2014-2015 Annual Survey, the volume entering storage was subtracted from total surface water diverted and water used from storage. Prior to the 2015-2016 Annual Survey, all water coming from storage was assumed to be surface water. In order to better reflect the sources of water used in the non-potable irrigation system, beginning in the 2015-2016 Annual Survey the source of stored water is being accounted for by tracking the volume of groundwater that enters and is used from storage. Assumptions for this new method include a starting point of zero groundwater in the non-potable irrigation system storage as of July 2013, surface water entering storage first, and groundwater used from storage first. In the FY 2017-18 and FY 2018-19 Annual Survey, additional tracking of captured construction dewatering water for use as irrigation water is also included (other, non-potable alternative water supply).
Demand by Sector
Residential	377,819	380,398	381,216	383,290
Commercial/Industrial	67,986	63,374	73,482	72,869
Other	168,057	169,600	160,343	123,189
Dedicated Irrigation	593,838	572,128	540,451	540,451
Unaccounted for	57,039	42,667	65,587	79,014
Total	1,264,738	1,228,167	1,221,078	1,198,813
mgd equivalent	2.59	2.52	2.50	2.46
Notes: The new SESI Central Energy Facility uses 70% less water than the former Cogeneration Facility, which caused the commercial/industrial demand to decrease beginning in April 2015. Due to the differing bill period schedules of SFPUC and Stanford, reporting for the Annual Surveys between 2011 and 2015 included the difference between Production and total Consumption within the customer categories. The difference between Production and Consumption totals includes both the different bill period schedules of SFPUC and Stanford, and actual unaccounted for water. Beginning in the 2015-2016 Annual Survey the full difference is reported in the "Non-Revenue Water" category.
Per Capita Use	Actual FY 17-18 (gpcpd)	Actual FY 18-19 (gpcpd)	Actual FY 19-20 (gpcpd)	Actual FY 20-21 (gpcpd)
Residential	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
Gross	80	77	78	180
Note: Due to its unique service area, Stanford’s residential per capita numbers are excluded.

Facilities and Distribution

Storage Reservoirs			Wells			Interties
Designation	Type	Capacity (gallons)	Name	Capacity (gpm)	Status	Name	No.	Diameter (in.)
Foothill 1		2,000,000	Well 1	500	Active	Roth Way	1	8
Foothill 2		6,000,000	Well 2	500	Active	Sandhill	1	8
Reservoir 3 (Formally San Juan*)		1,500,000	Well 3R	1200	Active	**Actual total well capacity will be less than total indicated. Simultaneous pumping of wells will affect the individual well pumping rates. Wells are periodically taken out of service for maintenance
Total		9,500,000	Well 4R	400	Inactive
*Rehabilitated reservoir was brought into service in November 2019.			Well 5	500	Standby
			Total	3100**