San Francisco is moving ahead with a project to replace drinking water used to irrigate Sunset Boulevard’s landscaped medians and green spaces with recycled water, a change city officials say will conserve water and help the west side prepare for future droughts.
Mayor Daniel Lurie signed a resolution authorizing the Department of Public Works to accept and spend up to $1 million in state grant money for the project. State Senator Scott Wiener secured the funding and joined Lurie, District 4 Supervisor Alan Wong, and Public Works Director Carla Short at a press conference announcing the milestone.
The project will connect the existing irrigation system serving approximately 60 acres of landscaped medians and roadside green space to the city’s recycled water network. Once completed, it is expected to save about 40 million gallons of drinking water annually.
“This is about taking care of Sunset Boulevard today, and making sure it remains green, resilient, and well maintained for generations to come,” Wong said.
The Board of Supervisors approved the resolution last week, and Lurie signed it Friday. The measure now goes to the California State Water Resources Control Board, which administers the grant.
The project is not yet ready for construction. Public Works must complete additional administrative and technical steps with the state. Short said she could not announce a construction date but would share a schedule once it became clearer.
“Our role is to take the policy decisions and public investments being discussed today and turn them into infrastructure that works reliably for our residents,” Short said.
A long-term investment in the boulevard
The project is part of a broader effort to improve Sunset Boulevard’s landscaping. In 2025, Wiener, then-District 4 Supervisor Joel Engardio and the mayor’s office announced a $1.5 million investment in the boulevard, including $1 million for recycled water and $500,000 for maintenance and workforce training.
The Westside Recycled Water Project is designed to supply highly treated wastewater for nondrinking uses, like irrigation. SFPUC has identified Sunset Boulevard’s medians as a new recipient of recycled water, possibly starting in 2030.
Lurie said the boulevard’s irrigation system currently relies on drinking water, making it harder to maintain the landscaping during droughts.
“We know that California will face droughts again,” he said. “We should prepare for them now instead of waiting until the next one arrives.”
Wiener called the project an important part of the city’s climate efforts and a way to make better use of limited water supplies.
“Water recycling is an essential part of the future,” he said. “When it comes to irrigation, we should never be using potable water. That should be recycled water.”
He also praised the boulevard’s green space as an important public asset, providing residents with places to walk and spend time outdoors.
“This improvement to Sunset and to the green space here will have a tangible benefit for people’s day-to-day lives in the Sunset,” Wiener said.
Short said the project would support the city’s biodiversity efforts by providing a more sustainable way to water new trees and plants along the boulevard.
“When people drive, walk, bike, or live along this corridor, they see the trees, plants, medians, and green space,” she said. “They may not see the infrastructure underneath that landscape that allows us to maintain it, and to maintain it responsibly.”
Wong credited Wiener with securing the state funding, Lurie with supporting the project, and Public Works with advancing the technical work. He also thanked Friends of Sunset Boulevard and other neighborhood advocates.
“Projects like this remind us that government works best when we work together,” Wong said.
The city’s Sunset Boulevard Master Plan outlines improvements to the corridor.
