Your Dec. 28 Calaveras Dam story should have been titled “Dam rebuild will restore capacity,” not “boost capacity.”
Calaveras Dam has historically held 97,000 acre-feet of water, and its problems have been well-known for years. It must now be relocated and completely rebuilt, with a realistic completion date probably not until 2018. Why wasn’t this part of the upgrade we voted on in 2002?
Now, approximately 50 percent of local Hetch Hetchy storage capacity will be unavailable in the interim. SFPUC will not be able to meet state legislative mandates of a 2015 finish, which also is in the July agreement assuring Peninsula customers a
10 percent increase of their historical Hetch Hetchy deliveries.SFPUC planners expect to make this possible by arbitrarily cutting San Francisco deliveries by 10 percent. The SFPUC will replace pristine Hetch Hetchy water with augmented supplies that are five to six times more costly than Hetch Hetchy water and qualitatively inferior.
Brian Browne
San Francisco
Immigrants bill misguided
Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill., just introduced a massive amnesty bill with the support of more than 90 Democrats. This bill would virtually grant amnesty to every illegal immigrant who has invaded the United States.
We now have about 25 million American citizens who are unemployed or partially employed. Legalizing millions of low-skilled, low-wage workers who would depend on government services would drive our ailing economy down the drain and weaken immigration enforcement at our borders.It also would vastly expand the ability of illegal immigrants to resist their just removal from this country.
This faulty and irresponsible legislation is meant to appease illegal immigrants so Democrats can gain their votes. Under no circumstances should it be passed.
Al Eisner
Silver Spring, Md.
Do your job, Congress
I have personally spent more than a handful of Christmases away from family due to my voluntary obligations with the military, as do thousands of other selfless individuals every year. I was sickened to read that the U.S. Senate cut short the debate on health care so its members could go home for Christmas.
It is the constitutionally mandated job of the Senate to legislate for the general welfare of all Americans. Regardless of any assurances otherwise, this health “reform” bill will pile enormous debt on the American public and force taxpayers to forfeit even more of their hard-earned dollars.
We deserve — and demand — that Congress spend ample time in open and honest debate regarding the possible consequences of its actions. Every so-called “representative” in Congress needs to look in the mirror and decide if he or she is in the employ of their constituency or their pocketbook.
Jon Thorp
Coto de Caza
GOP guilty of treason
People like to describe what the Republicans are doing as “politics,” but that’s not the word I would use.
All they are proving is that it’s easier to destroy America than it is to fix it. All one has to do is look around at the way the country is today. I think it’s time to call it like I see it: When you are out to make America fail, it’s treason.
Marc Perkel
Gilroy
