 |
|
|||||
|
|
||||||
|
|
|
|||||
MEDIA CENTER - Press Dropping
pipeline plan will help the Tuolumne The decision was made in San Francisco, but the benefit will be felt in Stanislaus County. General Manager Susan Leal on Tuesday recommended that the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission drop its plans to build a fourth pipeline from Hetch Hetchy Reservoir to the Bay Area. Leal's move was a momentous decision, but not for the 2.4 million people in the Bay Area who depend on water from the Tuolumne River. They never will notice a change. It was momentous for people living in and around Modesto. The fourth pipeline would have followed the path of the existing three pipelines, which cross neighborhoods in south Riverbank and north Modesto. The towers above those pipes are strung with high-voltage lines; had a fourth pipeline been laid, it would have required that those towers be moved out of the way. Construction would have taken months or longer. Such problems caused consultants to double the SFPUC's cost estimates, and that's how this pipe dream died. Dropping the fourth pipeline caused celebrations for groups such as The Tuolumne River Trust and Friends of the Tuolumne, which feared that San Francisco literally was laying groundwork for a future water grab. Without the fourth pipe, San Francisco will not be able to increase by up to a third what it takes from Hetch Hetchy. The 1913 Raker Act created Hetch Hetchy and gave the city rights to some of the Tuolumne's peak flows. San Francisco claims it is entitled to 400million gallons a day, but its three pipelines can carry only 300 million gallons. Turlock and Modesto irrigation districts have first rights to the river; presumedly, they would have disputed any additional water being taken by San Francisco. With a fourth pipeline, it would have been easier for San Francisco to have taken the water it thinks it owns, then let lawyers sort out the details. Losing that much water in dry years would be catastrophic for the Tuolumne. Ceres, Modesto and Turlock all have plans that depend on a healthy river. San Francisco will need more water by 2030, when the SFPUC and its 26customer cities expect to use about 300million gallons a day. That would be an increase of 13percent from today's 265 million gallons a day. Dropping plans for a fourth pipeline restores credibility to SFPUC's insistence that it will turn first to conservation and recycling to find that extra water. That credibility is essential in working with its partners in the Central Valley. SFPUC's plans still will require careful consideration by those who also depend on the Tuolumne River. For instance, Leal suggested the repair and replacement program for the pipelines through the Valley be greatly accelerated. Considering the age of the system, that's understandable. Overall, the changes Leal proposed in Tuesday's workshop for SFPUC commissioners appear positive for the health of the Tuolumne River. The commissioners will decide next month whether to accept her proposed changes. It is likely they will. Their decision will be made in San Francisco; its greatest impact will be felt here. Our Point Dropping plans for a fourth pipeline through the Central Valley improves the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission's credibility and will help keep the Tuolumne River healthy. |
||||||
