Final environmental report out on SFPUC plan
Wire Report
October 1, 2008
SAN FRANCISCO — The San Francisco Planning Department issued the final environmental impact report Tuesday for 37 projects in the Regional Water System Improvement Program.
Along with the environmental report, the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission issued its recommendations for the projects.
The water system improvement program as a whole includes nearly 80 individual projects designed to ensure water supply reliability and address the projected increase in water demand between now and 2030. Current projections estimate the 80 projects will cost about $4.3 billion.
The proposed projects include repairing, replacing and seismically upgrading the system's aging pipelines, tunnels, reservoirs and dams. They would also ensure water reliability during drought, ensure continued water quality, and develop conservation and groundwater programs, according to PUC officials.
The water system crosses five active earthquake faults to deliver water to about 2.4 million residential, commercial and industrial customers in San Francisco, Alameda, Santa Clara and San Mateo counties.
Those customers currently use about 265 million gallons of water per day, an amount that is projected to increase to about 300 million gallons per day by 2018, according to SFPUC General Manager Ed Harrington.
"Frankly, every day that goes by we are concerned that if a big earthquake comes along we are not going to be as prepared as we would have wanted to be," Harrington said during a news conference Tuesday
The proposed projects included in the environmental report issued today include 17 of the largest projects, which come with a price tag of about $2.5 billion, according to Harrington.
If the projects are approved, the utility will be able to meet the projected increase in water demand until 2018 and improve the seismic stability of the system, Harrington said.
The San Francisco Planning Commission is expected to vote on the final environmental report Oct. 30. If the report passes, projects could begin within the next few months, Harrington said.
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