In order to streamline the conversion of its 260 MGD system to chloramine in February 2004, the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) and its consultants developed an integrated water chemistry and operational strategy. This strategy provided operational guidelines to the SFPUC and its wholesale customers for starting up the chloramine disinfectant under a coordinated procedure designed to help smooth water demand variations, convert the system quickly, minimize taste and odor complaints, and meet all regulatory requirements. Implementation of chloramine was driven by a need to reduce disinfectant byproduct levels coupled with difficulty maintaining adequate free chlorine residual in San Francisco's distribution system. The ability to establish an initial steady state chloramine residual was a primary concern due to the distribution system's long detention times, aged pipeline distribution network, high chlorine demand from unfiltered source water, and the potential for prolonged blending with chlorinated water in oversized reservoirs. This prompted the need for an integrated water chemistry and operational strategy during initial chloramine implementation. The water chemistry strategy was based in part on a detailed analysis of the complex distribution system features (multiple treated water reservoirs in series with detention times up to 30 days). Since the conversion was anticipated to take a few weeks, a multi-stage water chemistry strategy was considered to facilitate a smooth transition during the conversion period to steady-state operations: a higher chloramine residual and lower chlorine-to-ammonia ratio for the first 3 weeks, followed by a lower chloramine residual and a higher chlorine-to- ammonia ratio for steady-state operating conditions. The purpose of this strategy was twofold: to initially supply more free ammonia to blend with chlorinated water in the distribution system and reduce potential for tastes and odors; and, to apply a higher dose than ultimately desired at steady state to speed conversion in the distribution system. The strategy involved coordination with the 29 wholesale suburban customers in the Bay Area served from the SFPUC regional system. The strategy was based on interviews with senior SFPUC staff, water quality and hydraulic modeling, and an evaluation of pump station, reservoir and booster chlorination operations. Travel time estimates were used to coordinate the monitoring activities, and to plan pump station, reservoir drawdown, and booster station shutdowns. Reservoir operating strategies to speed the chloramine conversion included sequential drawdown, deep cycling, and temporarily taking some reservoirs off-line. Scheduled re-fill was coordinated with the 29 wholesale customers that draw water from the SFPUC system in order to spread the demand over several days. Includes tables, figures.