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MEDIA CENTER - Press Letter
to the Editor: Not a progressive solution To the Editor: I appreciated very much the opportunity to hear directly from the City of San Francisco Planning Department and the SF Public Utilities Commission regarding the proposed Water System Improvement Program (WSIP) for San Francisco. The presentation in Sonora was well attended by local and vocal citizens. I certainly understand the need to repair and replace decades old conduits to meet San Francisco's needs and to provide for the future. However, it was extremely disappointing to find that the proposed improvement plan calls for more — in the case of the Tuolumne River potentially a whole lot more — of the same, i.e., moving more water from the Sierra, specifically Tuolumne County, to the San Francisco Bay Area. At a time when we have at last become aware of our mutual dependence on the state of our environment, there appears to be only the slightest of nods to environmental issues and conservation solutions in the proposal. WSIP goals appear to be built on an old way of thinking, more and more and as cheap as possible. There is a vast amount of study going on and there are models extant in the field of water capture, conservation, and reuse. Before opting to secure its rights to, potentially, drain the life out of the Tuolumne River and its watershed, I have asked the SFPUC to please explore every possible conservation solution. San Francisco has long been a leader in progressive action. The WSIP as it is currently being presented is neither a progressive solution nor an environmentally responsible action. Marlee
G. Powell |
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