S.F. concerned about fines for using water to clean streets City says washing away filth a health issue and will seek reprieve from proposed water rules

Steve Mahoney of the S.F. Department of Public Works sprays disinfectant on the ground before using a power washer to clean Jack Kerouac Alley in May. Steve Mahoney of the S.F. Department of Public Works sprays disinfectant on the ground before using a power washer to clean Jack Kerouac Alley in May. Photo: Paul Chinn, The Chronicle Buy photo Photo: Paul Chinn, The Chronicle Image 1 of / 12 Caption Close S.F. concerned about fines for using water to clean streets 1 / 12 Back to Gallery

San Francisco officials say something smells funny about a state proposal to rein in water hogs.

The new regulations, expected to be adopted Tuesday, include a statewide ban on washing streets and sidewalks, which could put a damper on a critical municipal chore: sending out city trucks to spray away the heaps of filth downtown.

"Our very strong concern is that human feces or heavy urination, which we get quite a few complaints about, still get cleaned up," said Public Works Department spokeswoman Rachel Gordon. The rules sought by the State Water Resources Control Board come as California is gripped by three years of drought. They target outdoor water use, where state officials say there is huge potential for savings.

Among the proposals: no more washing cars without a shut-off nozzle. No more watering lawns to the point of causing runoff. No more fountains with drinking water.

And no more spraying down paved surfaces.

It would be the first time the water board has passed mandatory conservation measures statewide, and violations would come with fines of up to $500.

But questions have bubbled up about just how far people must go to comply with the regulations. One city has asked if it can continue to run a fountain where children play and cool off in the summer.

Many requests

A couple of people asked whether, if they refrain from washing their cars with a hose, they might still perform a rinse.

Perhaps more important - at least in San Francisco - is whether some cities can continue to run flusher trucks and spray washers to keep streets and sidewalks free of human excrement.

In San Francisco, cleaning crews routinely scrub 50 alleys and plazas north and south of Market Street, from Van Ness Avenue to the Embarcadero, in the predawn hours, public works officials said. That's on top of handling thousands of special requests for cleanup.

Records show the city counted 16,164 reports of streets and sidewalks in need of cleaning in the past year, the bulk of which concerned human waste.

"We give very high priority to responding to the pee and poop requests," Gordon said.

State officials said Friday that the proposed regulations provide room for interpreting legal water use. For example, the rules would be lifted for an "immediate health and safety need."

"There are going to be some close calls, but overall I think people understand what is intended here," said Max Gomberg, senior environmental scientist for the state water board.

Protecting public

City officials say they've already reduced the amount of water used in their street-cleaning trucks in light of the drought, and they don't spray the sidewalks unless necessary.

But they said they do need to continue using water to clean human waste and will tap whatever exemption they can to keep doing so.

"This is not about aesthetics," Gordon said, "as much as public health."