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MEDIA CENTER - Press SF
water plan panned at meeting About a fifth of the 100 people gathered last night at the Sonora Opera Hall told San Francisco environmental planners they favor aggressive water conservation in the Bay Area instead of taking more water from the Tuolumne River. Twenty-two people spoke during the two-hour meeting, designed to get public feedback on what planners should consider in the environmental review of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission's Water System Improvement Program. The program is a $4.3 billion effort to repair, replace and seismically upgrade aging pipelines, tunnels and reservoirs that deliver water to 2.4 million Bay Area customers. "People in this neck of the woods have been asking the Bay Area to look at other water sources since John Muir," said 32-year Tuolumne County resident Doris Grinn at last night's meeting. A retired U.S. Forest Service hydro technician in watershed management, Grinn said she favors San Francisco storing its storm runoff in reservoirs and using treated wastewater for landscaping and in toilets. San Francisco's planning department will conduct an environmental impact report on SFPUC's project, which calls for possibly taking an additional 35 million gallons a day from the Tuolumne River and adding a controversial fourth pipeline underneath the Central Valley. Monica Weakley, Sierra Nevada program director for the Tuolumne River Trust, is against the $500 million pipeline. "Drop the pipeline," the Groveland woman told planners. "Invest in conservation." She questioned what impact taking more water from the Tuolumne would have on animal habitats, river recreation and water quality. SFPUC officials said the fourth pipeline will be used only as a back-up when another pipe needs repairs or if an earthquake hits. The Tuolumne River Trust, a conservation group based in San Francisco with offices in Sonora and Modesto, handed out neon green "Protect the Tuolumne!" stickers, which many people wore while speaking at the microphone. A draft EIR on the project is due next year, while construction on the water system is expected to continue until 2013. About 85 percent of SFPUC's water is taken from the Tuolumne River and Hetch Hetchy Reservoir in Yosemite National Park. The remaining 15 percent comes from Bay Area water sources. The Utilities Commission distributes about 265 million gallons a day, 225 million of which comes from its Sierra watersheds. By 2030, SFPUC plans to increase its daily usage to 300 million gallons. To get the additional 35 million gallons, SFPUC officials asked the Planning Department to look at several options, including getting water from non-Tuolumne River sources, taking all the additional water from the Tuolumne, and making up the difference by conserving and recycling the entire amount. San Francisco has been criticized for not utilizing water recycling. SFPUC spokesman Tony Winnicker said the Utilities Commission's preferred option is taking 25 million gallons a day from the Tuolumne and conserving and recycling 10 million gallons. Winnicker, who was not at last night's meeting, said San Francisco's water rights allow the city to take up to 400 million gallons a day from the Tuolumne River and Hetch Hetchy. Water from the Tuolumne River and Hetch Hetchy travels down tunnels to the Oakdale area, where a pipeline system takes it 47 miles under the Central Valley. From there, other tunnels deliver the water throughout the Bay Area. Members of Restore Hetch Hetchy spoke at last night's meeting about their proposal to drain the reservoir and restore the Hetch Hetchy Valley. Winnicker said talking about tearing down O'Shaughnessy Dam at a meeting on environmental impacts of SFPUC's water system infrastructure improvements is like "comparing apples and oranges." "It's a forum for them (Restore Hetch Hetchy) to get attention for their proposal," he said. Speakers were allowed to talk for three minutes each. Because there was extra time at the end of the meeting, Grinn and two people from Restore Hetch Hetchy were allowed to speak again. Mark Thornton, who said he spoke at the meeting as an individual, not as District 4 Tuolumne County supervisor, asked planners to extend the scoping period and hold more meetings, including one in Groveland. Last night's scoping meeting was the first of five. Other meetings are scheduled for this evening in Modesto, Oct. 11 in Fremont, Oct. 18 in Palo Alto and Oct. 19 in San Francisco. All meetings are from 7 to 9 p.m., except for Fremont, which is from 6 to 8 p.m. Tonight's Modesto meeting will be held in the Thomas Downey High School cafeteria at 1000 Coffee Road. |
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