Chinook salmon in the Tuolumne.

MEDIA CENTER - Press

Tuolumne pipeline in doubt
Alternative would cost less, still divert more river water
Modesto Bee
Michael Mooney
October 11, 2005

The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission today is to discuss scrapping plans for a fourth pipeline as part of a proposed $4.3 billion water system upgrade.

But the utility remains committed to its overall goal, diverting as much as 300 million gallons daily from the Tuolumne River to meet projected Bay Area water needs in 2030. That's 35 million gallons more a day than San Francisco siphons now.

General Manager Susan Leal, in a letter Friday, urged
commissioners to abandon the fourth pipeline in favor of an $80 million overhaul of three existing pipelines.

Leal also wants the commission to spend up to $100 million on a regional water desalinization plant pilot project that would be pursued with other Bay Area water utilities.

As originally proposed, the fourth pipeline would have traversed Stanislaus County — buried next to San Francisco's three existing water lines.

The recommendations come in the face of growing opposition by environmental groups.

River activists argued that once built, San Francisco would be tempted to use it to divert up to 400 million gallons of water daily from the Tuolumne — about 70 percent more than today.

Such a diversion, environmentalists contended, would have destroyed the river. San Francisco argued that while it was
entitled to that much water, it had no plans to take it.

While the pipeline discussion begins today in San Francisco, final adoption of the recommended changes will not happen until November, assuming commission members eventually embrace the proposed alternatives.

Under state law, the recommended project changes must be reported to the Legislature. That's expected to happen Oct. 25, which would trigger a 30-day public comment period before final adoption could occur.

Ultimately, commissioners are expected to support Leal's recommendations to modify the project, which is expected to take 10 years or more.

Environmentalists, led by the Tuolumne River Trust, claimed victory Monday and praised Leal in the process.

"General Manager Leal is showing leadership and foresight in her recommendation," said Jenna Olsen, trust executive
director. "Dropping the 47-mile pipeline lessens the threat to the Tuolumne River and will allow San Francisco to focus
on the urgently needed repairs to make the water system safe from earthquakes."

Leal based her recommendations on a 60-day review of the project by consultants The Parsons Corp. and CH2MHill.

"We have been questioning the need for this damaging pipeline for more than two years," said Heather Dempsey, Bay Area program director for the trust. "The Parsons report confirmed our position that the project was too costly and not necessary. The report also confirms there is a better way to meet the commission's goals."

The alternative plan Leal is recommending calls for:

Construction of a nine-mile section of pipeline — east from the Tesla Portal, near Interstate 5, about 10 miles south of
Tracy.

Adding two crossover sections to the three pipelines.

General repairs to existing pipelines, including the replacement of about six miles of prestressed concrete cylinder pipe downstream of the Oakdale Portal, about five miles east of Knights Ferry.

Tony Winnicker, director of communications for the commission, said Monday that costs to build the fourth pipeline kept escalating. The original cost was estimated at just less than $400million. By February, however, that had jumped to $553 million. The latest estimate came in at $986 million.

By comparison, the alternatives will cost an estimated $337million.

Given those figures, Winnicker said the recommendation to scrap the fourth pipeline was a "purely economic and
rational decision."

Additionally, Winnicker said construction logistics were problematic, helping inflate costs.

Plans called for the fourth pipeline to be buried on existing right-of-way owned by San Francisco.

Winnicker said the commission would have needed to acquire more right-of-way and-or temporary easements to provide room for construction equipment, as well as move overhead power lines to allow work to proceed.

Tuolumne is a protected river
Winnicker said the recommended changes still would let San Francisco realize its goal of providing a safe and reliable source of water. And part of that mix, he continued, includes moving more water from Hetch Hetchy reservoir to the city.

Environmentalists contend that taking more from the Tuolumne would harm water quality in the river and affect the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, as well as San Francisco Bay.

The Tuolumne, a major tributary to the San Joaquin River, is a federally designated Wild and Scenic river and, as a
result, must be protected. It features the largest run of salmon in the Northern San Joaquin Valley.

It also provides numerous recreational opportunities and figures prominently in Modesto's ongoing multimillion-dollar
plan to develop a riverside park. Portions of Tuolumne River Regional Park already have been developed.

Finally, the Tuolumne is a source of drinking water for Modesto and a number of surrounding communities, as well as providing thousands of acre-feet of irrigation water for farms and ranches throughout Stanislaus County.

The commission is to meet at 11:30 a.m. today in Room 400 at San Francisco City Hall, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett
Place. The special session is to feature a presentation and discussion of the utility's water system improvement
program.