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MEDIA CENTER - Press TID
says Tuolumne won't be hurt San Francisco's plan to build a new Hetch Hetchy water transmission line does not seriously threaten the Tuolumne River, a spokesman for the Turlock Irrigation District said Wednesday. Earlier the same day, American Rivers — a nonprofit organization that lobbies nationwide to protect and restore rivers — listed the Tuolumne as one of the nation's 10 "most endangered" rivers. The group based its assessment on a theory that San Francisco would dramatically increase its take of water diversion from the Tuolumne once the new pipeline is built. Representatives of American Rivers and other environmental groups discussed potential threats to the Tuolumne at Wednesday morning news conferences in Modesto, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. Modesto City Councilman Denny Jackman, in brief remarks at the Modesto conference, said the viability of the Tuolumne River must be maintained. "We do not want the health of the river threatened," he said. "We are taking steps to conserve water in Modesto. We urge the Bay Area to lead in sustainable water use." The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, meanwhile, reiterated Wednesday that it has no plans to take more water from Hetch Hetchy Reservoir. General Manager Susan Leal said the new pipeline would be used solely for operations and maintenance, and would provide a valuable backup in the event of a major earthquake. Leal also noted, in a statement posted on the utility's Web site Wednesday, that the commission had set a goal of developing local groundwater, recycled water and conservation to meet future Bay Area demand. 'We want a commitment' While applauding Leal's pledge, Jenna Olsen of the Tuolumne River Trust said the statement fell short of what she and other environmentalists are seeking. "It's the most decisive thing they've ever put in writing," Olsen said, "but it doesn't go far enough. We want it to be a commitment, not just a goal. And even if San Francisco's position changes, TID spokesman Tony Walker said, the lower Tuolumne would not be imperiled. "Any increased diversions by San Francisco will not impact flows in the lower Tuolumne River," Walker said, "since they are governed by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission license issued to the Turlock and Modesto irrigation districts to build and operate Don Pedro Dam." Under the agreement reached in 1995, the irrigation districts guaranteed that a minimum level of water would remain in the river at all times. Walker said that minimum is enough to provide protection. The MID, meanwhile, questioned the methodology behind American Rivers' decision to put Tuolumne on its list. "It does not appear to a scientific analysis," MID spokeswoman Kate Hora said. "I went to (the American Rivers) Web site and learned that rivers are nominated for the list." Hora agreed with the TID that increased water diversions from Hetch Hetchy would not harm the lower Tuolumne. In the past, San Francisco has been limited to about 300 million gallons per day because its three existing pipelines could not carry any more. The actual amount flowing to the Bay Area, however, has been reported at 235 million to 270 million gallons per day. Under the utility's $4.3 billion plan to refurbish its Hetch Hetchy pipeline and storage system, a new pipeline would increase capacity to as much as 460 million gallons per day. Agreements limit water usage Walker, however, said San Francisco would be limited to 400 million gallons per day because of agreements with the TID and MID in 1949 and 1966. That figure worries environmentalists like Olsen, director of the Tuolumne River Trust. "Why would you build a superhighway if you weren't going to use it?" she asked. Olsen said she remains convinced that taking 400 million gallons a day from Hetch Hetchy would have a devastating effect. Such a diversion, she said, would reduce riparian habitat, and, in the process, cut the number of fish and other wildlife that thrive in and around the Tuolumne. Some environmentalists, in fact, want to eliminate Hetch Hetchy and return the valley to its pre-reservoir state, a plan that San Francisco opposes. Either way, there is much more at stake along the river than salmon, trout, river otters and bald eagles, Olsen said. That same point was echoed by John Murphy, a Riverbank resident who represented the California Trout organization at the Modesto news conference. "We need to understand that it's not just a river for fish and fishermen," Murphy said. "It's a river for people." |
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