San Francisco Bay Area utilities enhance stormwater management with advanced radar network
A coalition of public water, wastewater and flood control agencies across the Bay Area that includes the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, has deployed an advanced weather radar network aimed at strengthening stormwater management and emergency response. The system transforms scientific research into operational tools, improving how utilities anticipate and respond to extreme rainfall events.
Known as Advanced Quantitative Precipitation Information (AQPI), the network combines five X-band radars distributed across the region with a complementary C-band radar positioned on Mount Barnabe. Together, these systems provide high-resolution precipitation data updated every one to two minutes, allowing agencies to monitor rainfall intensity and location with far greater precision than conventional radar.
AQPI supports more proactive stormwater system management, flood mitigation, and reservoir operations
This level of detail is particularly relevant in a region characterised by complex terrain, where traditional systems often fail to detect localised heavy rainfall. By offering near real-time insights, AQPI supports more proactive stormwater system management, flood mitigation, and reservoir operations.
Mayor Daniel Lurie underscored the importance of the initiative: “This regional radar system will give the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission the tools they need to make timely decisions, manage San Francisco’s stormwater effectively, and keep San Francisco neighborhoods and families safe during a storm.”
From an operational perspective, SFPUC General Manager Dennis Herrera highlighted the added value of improved data: “This advanced radar system gives us more precise, real-time storm data so we can better manage stormwater and our reservoirs before and during major storms. Earlier and more accurate information helps us make critical operational decisions that strengthen reliability for the communities we serve.”
The system, supported by a $19.7 million grant from the California Department of Water Resources, also underpins a broader regional strategy for water management in California. As highlighted by Mike Anderson, the approach focuses on making the most of each storm while reducing associated risks, reinforcing the role of improved data in both hazard mitigation and water supply optimisation.
The AQPI initiative reflects more than a decade of collaboration between public agencies and research partners, including the Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Marty Ralph, Director of the Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, noted that the system brings together years of research tailored to the Bay Area’s complex terrain, enabling detection of rainfall patterns that conventional radar often misses and translating scientific advances into actionable forecasts for water and emergency management agencies.
