Hetch Hetchy Reservoir on the Tuolumne River.

Members of BAWS include:

Tuolumne River Trust

Clean Water Action

Sierra Club

Alameda Creek Alliance

Environmental Defense

Friends of Lake Merced

Restore Hetch Hetchy

Golden Gate Audubon Society

PROGRAMS - Promote Bay Area Water Stewardship

Campaign Updates - SFPUC adopts environmental stewardship policy

On June 27, 2006, the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) adopted an Environmental Stewardship Policy which establishes environmental stewardship as a fundamental part of their mission.

Many of the recommendations provided by the Tuolumne River Trust and our coalition partners (starting as far back as January of 2005) were incorporated into this new policy including commitments to:
• protect and restore native fish and wildlife populations downstream of their dams;
• monitor the health of terrestrial and aquatic habitats affected by their operations; and
• engage the public in their planning and stewardship activities.

The policy provides important guidance for future restoration work and operational decisions in the Tuolumne River, Alameda Creek, and San Francisco Peninsula watersheds.

Read the new environmental stewardship policy here.

Read the SFPUC resolution that adopted the environmental stewardship policy.

Bay Area Water Stewardship Program

The Trust advocates that the City of San Francisco act as a good steward of the Tuolumne River since it relies on the river for 85% of its water. Tuolumne water is delivered to 2.4 million people in San Francisco and surrounding Bay Area communities via the Hetch Hetchy system, as well as to Groveland and other areas.

The goal is to make San Francisco's current $4 billion water plan (Water System Improvement Program, formerly Capital Improvement Program) a just and sustainable one that invests in water use efficiency and stewardship. Originally sold to bond voters as a seismic safety program, the $4 billion plan is now burdened with expansion projects that can harm the Tuolumne.

We are working with the Bay Area Water Stewards to stop San Francisco's proposal to import an additional 25 million gallons a day from the Tuolumne River by the year 2030.  (That is enough water to cover the City of San Francisco with a foot of water every year!)   

Taking more water from the Tuolumne would damage important habitat for fish and wildlife and would mean less fresh water flowing into the Delta and San Francisco Bay.

Increasing diversions is unnecessary because San Francisco and its customers do not need more water from the Tuolumne. Unlike other urban areas, San Francisco has yet to implement aggressive conservation measures or water recycling. 

Program Goals

Recent Successes - SFPUC Scraps new 4th Pipeline!

On November 29 2005, the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission unanimously decided to scrap the plan to build the new 47-mile pipeline across the San Joaquin Valley.  Instead, the SFPUC is opting for a much less expensive and less damaging alternative. This important decision removes the project that had the most potential to harm the Tuolumne River and the Bay-Delta ecosystem.  Because of the threat posed by the pipeline, the Tuolumne was placed on the list of America's Ten Most Endangered Rivers of 2005 by American Rivers.

Check out our most recent media coverage.

You can visit the SFPUC website for more information about the recent revisions to the water plan. While defeating this pipeline is an important victory for the Trust and our partners, the Tuolumne remains under threat.   San Francisco still wants to import an additional 25 million gallons a day from the Tuolumne River by the year 2030, which will harm the Tuolumne as well as the Delta and San Francisco Bay.

Take Action

Write a letter to San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom urging him to protect and restore the Tuolumne River and not divert more water from the Tuolumne!

Also, please sign-up to receive our Action Alert e-mails.