Bay Area country club gulps over 2 million gallons of water a week

Menlo Country Club topped a list of excessive irrigation water users released Thursday, Nov. 5, 2015, by the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, slurping up 320,842 gallons a day in September — or enough to supply 7,825 typical San Francisco homes with water. less Menlo Country Club topped a list of excessive irrigation water users released Thursday, Nov. 5, 2015, by the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, slurping up 320,842 gallons a day in September — or ... more Photo: Google Photo: Google Image 1 of / 60 Caption Close Bay Area country club gulps over 2 million gallons of water a week 1 / 60 Back to Gallery

It takes a lot of water to feed the lush lawns that drape in vibrant folds across the Menlo Country Club’s golf course on the edge of Woodside. And, apparently, a crippling drought is seen as no reason to pull back on the spigot.

The exclusive, gated club topped a list of excessive irrigation water users released Thursday by the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, slurping up 320,842 gallons a day in September — or enough to supply 7,825 typical San Francisco homes with water.

That was 66,322 gallons more than the utilities commission allotted the club under drought-inspired cutbacks.

The Chronicle obtained the overuse roster through a public records request. By law, the list includes only those who were ordered, not simply advised, to shrink their water usage. For the San Francisco utility — which sells water throughout the region, not just in the city — that order pertains to about 800 customers with special irrigation accounts for landscaping.

Those customers were told in 2014 to trim their water use by 10 percent compared with 2013, and this year to cut back 25 percent. The list released Thursday detailed those who went over the limits in June, August and September, and it was immediately clear that violators came from across the demographic map.

Most going over the limits in San Francisco were businesses, nonprofits and public agencies — ranging from UCSF Medical Center to a Safeway in the Marina. There were luxury high-rise apartment towers and the Mercy Housing agency for poverty and affordable housing. Other offenders included Caltrans, the Institute on Aging, the state Department of Parks and even BART’s 24th Street Station.

A few over the line

Few individual homeowners were on the roster, but among them were the late comedian Robin Williams’ former wife, philanthropist Marsha Garces Williams, and former Chevron Corp. Vice Chairman and Director J. Dennis Bonney. They both used a lot of water, though they exceeded their allotments by relatively small amounts.

In September, there were 208 violators, who had to pay double for every gallon they used over their target. Still, it was clear on that and the other lists that some couldn’t exactly be called water hogs. A good many had innocent explanations.

The Brandeis Hillel Day School, for instance, went 9 gallons over its allotted target of 40 gallons a day in September. UCSF came in No. 1 on the list in June by going a whopping 84,424 gallons a day over its 19,600-gallon limit at its sprawling Mission Bay campus — but that was because of a big water leak that later got fixed.

UCSF spokeswoman Jennifer O’Brien said the leak was disappointing, and noted that the environmental-award-winning university “is among the greenest urban hospitals in the nation.”

Similar consternation sprang from the University of San Francisco, which made the September list three times — at three different locations — for using a total of nearly 1,000 excess gallons a day.

“I’m very surprised,” said spokesman Gary McDonald. “We just put timers on the showers of the residence halls and opened an office of sustainability with a full-time director, which advises on how to conserve resources, including water.

‘We’ll take care of it’

“We’ve got signs on our lawn that say, ‘Brown is the New Green,’ and our lawn is dry. If we’re over, we’ll take care of it.”

The Giants baseball team made September’s list by going over its 2,519-gallon daily allotment at a small park it maintains across McCovey Cove from AT&T Park by 1,770 gallons. The overage was blamed on leaks.

“We’ve had trouble with people stealing irrigation equipment there,” said team spokeswoman Staci Slaughter. “We’ve fixed it.”

But the biggest user of water, by far, was the Menlo Country Club, whose September bill topped $100,000. That month, the club — which sits at the border of Redwood City and Woodside — slopped way over its daily allotment of 254,509 gallons.

Explanations were tough to get, and there’s a wide range of estimates for how much water a typical golf course needs.

A Chronicle reporter was stopped at a security post just beyond the private club’s stately brick sign and entrance off Interstate 280.

From the roadway, the fairways and putting greens beneath redwood trees and oaks appeared a brilliant green. Much of the rough between holes, however, was brown, revealing a possible bid to save water. The club also has several tennis courts and at least one pool.

The sun shone brightly on the golf course and the temperatures were agreeable to an afternoon on the links, but few were swinging clubs.

General Manager Chris Robinson, who rolled out in a golf cart to speak briefly at the main entrance, said the club maintained a policy of not talking to the media.

One person associated with the course, who asked for anonymity, noted that many golf courses in the region remain green but aren’t being scrutinized.

Vibrant golf course

Just down the street from the club, Elward Thomas, 74, said he hadn’t given the vibrant golf links much thought, even though he’s been doing his part for the drought by taking shorter showers, washing his car less and letting his lawn wither.

“I thought because it was a golf course, they were allowed to water to keep their greens green,” Thomas said. “But if they were made aware that they should cut back, they should be no different from anyone else.”

Kevin Fagan and Kurtis Alexander are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. E-mail: kfagan@sfchronicle.com, kalexander@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kevinchron @kurtisalexander