Hetch Hetchy water-delivery projects to start flowing
By: Brent Begin
Examiner Staff Writer
October 31, 2008
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| New tubes: One project in the works to shore up delivery of Hetch Hetchy water is to replace an aging pipeline. (Cindy Chew/The Examiner) |
SAN FRANCISCO — Billions of dollars in water projects stretching from Yosemite to San Francisco cleared an important hurdle Thursday as city officials approved a massive environmental report for the Hetch Hetchy water-delivery system.
Approval of the report allows the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission to begin individual projects to shore up the aging system, which delivers water to about 2.6 million residents in San Francisco, Alameda, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties. The projects include a plan to rebuild the Calaveras Dam and replace miles of steel pipelines and a number of seismic upgrades. However, opponents could appeal to the Board of Supervisors.
Although San Franciscans endorsed a revenue bond project in 2002 for $4.4 billion in seismic upgrades, environmentalists say some elements threaten wildlife.
For example, steelhead trout in the Sunol Valley and the already-sparse Tuolumne River Chinook salmon could be affected by the projects.
To address the various environmental impacts, the commission has agreed to flush clean water into fisheries to enhance their habitats. The City has also agreed to increase water-conservation practices, concentrating on recycling rather than diverting the 300 million gallons per day expected to be consumed by 2030.
In addition to water-recycling projects at Sharp, Park and Harding golf courses, the commission is also building a series of wells that will suck fresh water from aquifer basins that stretch from San Francisco to Santa Clara County.
The commission also agreed to set a limit on the amount of water that can be tapped per day at 265 million gallons, a move that pleased environmentalists.
