Bay Area water district approves project after connection fees rebound
Posted by: Maven on April 6, 2012 at 7:10 amFrom the Contra Costa Times:
“Four years after the worst recession in recent history brought construction and water connections to a standstill, one Bay Area water district is showing signs of recovery.
Bolstered by an increase in connection fees, the Dublin San Ramon Services District board approved plans Tuesday to update its water delivery system to lower maintenance costs and improve service to customers in the western hills of Dublin.
The district voted 4-0 to complete design work on a new pump station and pipeline that will shore up service to more than 400 customers living in the Schaefer Ranch development. … “
Continue reading from the Contra Costa Times by clicking here.
Oakley votes no on clean water initiative
Posted by: Maven on April 6, 2012 at 7:08 amFrom the Silicon Valley Mercury News:
“Oakley City Council members on Thursday registered their dislike of increasingly stringent water quality regulations by unanimously voting against a countywide parcel fee intended to help them comply with those rules.
“Every once in awhile you’ve got to stand up to the bureaucratic behemoth and tell them it’s not right,” said Mayor Kevin Romick of the action he described as largely symbolic.
The City Council’s vote places Oakley in a distinct minority; 13 of the 19 cities in Contra Costa County along with the county board of supervisors have approved the 2012 Community Clean Water Initiative. … “
Continue reading from the Silicon Valley Mercury News by clicking here.
East Bay MUD’s $32 million upgrade diverts waste
Posted by: Maven on April 4, 2012 at 8:39 amFrom the Contra Costa Times:
“With a new jet-engine sized turbine and truckloads of chicken blood, food scraps and other nasty waste, an East Bay wastewater utility has become the first in the country to generate more power than it uses, an industry official said Tuesday.
The East Bay Municipal Utility District has been generating electricity from gas that comes off sewage and other waste since the 1980s, but the recent expansion of its power plant and aggressive collection of food waste to feed it has put the utility in a class by itself, said Matt Bond, president of the Water Environment Federation, a national organization of wastewater treatment professionals. … “
Continue reading from the Contra Costa Times by clicking here.
‘Miracle March’ rains buoy Marin reservoirs
Posted by: Maven on April 3, 2012 at 7:32 amFrom the Marin Independent Journal:
“The rain gods smiled on Marin’s water supply in the last month, delivering a “miracle March” that brought several inches of rain that boosted reservoirs on Mount Tamalpais to a point where all but one are now spilling.
And the county could see a small encore this week.
“It was one of those miracle Marches,” chuckled National Weather Service forecaster Bob Benjamin. “It went a long way in helping out, but we are still a little behind the curve.” … “
Continue reading from the Marin Independent Journal by clicking here.
Today Mayor Lee challenged San Franciscans to pledge to conserve water
Posted by: Maven on March 31, 2012 at 7:27 amFrom Examiner.com:
“San Francisco was named the Greenest City in North America, with this in mind Mayor Edwin Lee is challenging San Francisco residents and businesses to show the nation how wisely they use water by participating in the National Mayor's Challenge for Water Conservation. The challenge is an online pledge drive to conserve water, save energy, and reduce pollution.
It is a friendly competition between cities across the United States to commit the public to save millions of gallons of water during April Earth Month starting today. … ”
Continue reading from the San Francisco Examiner by clicking here.
Contra Costa clean water election draws scrutiny and public ire
Posted by: Maven on March 31, 2012 at 7:24 amFrom the Silicon Valley Mercury News:
“Everybody wants clean water but not everybody is swallowing the new stormwater fee up for a vote by Contra Costa County property owners.
Angry constituents are flooding county offices with phone calls and letters about the “2012 Clean Water Initiative,” a ballot sent to property owners countywide seeking a new stormwater fee to keep creeks, lakes, reservoirs and the bay free of garbage and toxic waste.
The Antioch and Mt. Diablo school district boards cast “no” votes, with the latter saying the $65,000 annual bill equals the cost of a teacher. Tri-Delta Transit nixed it, too. … “
Continue reading from the Silicon Valley Mercury News by clicking here.
Spreck Rosekrans: Power options are available to replace Hetch Hetchy
Posted by: Maven on March 29, 2012 at 7:57 amFrom the Sacramento Bee, this commentary by Spreck Rosekrans:
“Spreck Rosekrans, director of policy for Restore Hetch Hetchy, is responding to the March 15 Viewpoints article “Hetch Hetchy provides a clean source of energy,” by state Sen. Mark Leno, D-San Francisco. Leno wrote that the Hetch Hetchy Regional Water System “produces clean, greenhouse-gas-free energy to help meet the state’s energy needs.”
The flooding of Hetch Hetchy Valley in Yosemite National Park to create a reservoir for San Francisco is the single greatest abuse that has ever occurred in any of America’s national parks. Fortunately, thanks to advances in engineering and conservation, we now have the opportunity to retire the reservoir and return this grand valley to the American people while still meeting the water needs of those who rely on San Francisco’s water system.
State Sen. Mark Leno expressed concern that draining the reservoir would result in a loss of hydropower which warrants clarification. Simply put, nobody will have to lose power. … “
Continue reading this commentary at the Sacramento Bee by clicking here.
Calaveras Dam Replacement Project construction, March 2012
Posted by: Maven on March 29, 2012 at 7:27 amFrom the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, posted at YouTube:
“Water System Improvement Program – Calaveras Dam Replacement Project construction March 2012.”
Palo Alto’s water rates set to rise again; City considers raising residential water rates by 15 percent in July
Posted by: Maven on March 29, 2012 at 7:24 amFrom Palo Alto Online:
“Palo Alto’s residential water rates would go up by 15 percent in July under a new proposal by the Utilities Department.
The proposed rate increase aims to address projected revenue shortfalls in the city’s water operation, deficits that are driven largely by the rising cost of purchasing water wholesale. The city buys its water from the San Francisco Public Utilities (SFPUC) Commission, which is in the midst of upgrading the Hetch Hetchy water system that supplies water to Palo Alto and other members of the Bay Area Water Supply and Conservation Agency. … “
Continue reading from Palo Alto Online by clicking here.
San Francisco: Ocean Beach Master Plan charts course for future
Posted by: Maven on March 28, 2012 at 7:11 amFrom the Ocean Beach Bulletin:
“San Francisco's Ocean Beach makes up nearly the entire western edge of the city, yet it's never had a unified vision for its future or a plan to put that vision into action.
That's changing with the Ocean Beach Master Plan, an ambitious effort to address the questions of what people want out of the massive strand that is both a neighborhood playground and a national park, how the jumble of agencies responsible for the beach can work together, and what to do about increasing erosion and rising sea levels. The plan will be formally presented at an event on the beach planned for April, but on Thursday organizers offered a sneak peek at the result of more than a year of work. … “
Continue reading from the Ocean Beach Bulletin by clicking here.
MORE ON SEA LEVEL RISE: Satellites show sea level rise is here to stay
Report: San Pablo Bay receives most toxics in state
Posted by: Maven on March 24, 2012 at 6:49 amFrom the Marin Independent Journal:
“San Pablo Bay receives the highest volume of toxic discharges in the state, according to a report issued Thursday.
The report, titled “Wasting Our Waterways: Industrial Toxic Pollution and the Unfulfilled Promise of the Clean Water Act,” was issued by Los Angeles-based Environment California, which analyzed U.S. Environmental Protection Agency data from 2010. The group is a statewide, citizen-based environmental advocacy organization.
San Pablo Bay which stretches north of the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge and hugs the coasts of San Rafael and Novato ranked first among waterways in the state for highest amount of total toxic discharges. … “
Continue reading from the Marin Independent Journal by clicking here.
Bay Point water bill increases heading to court
Posted by: Maven on March 23, 2012 at 7:36 amFrom the Silicon Valley Mercury News:
“The ongoing battle between many Bay Point residents and the water company that serves them will make its way into a courtroom in a few weeks.
Bay Point, home to more than 21,000 people and about 4,800 water customers, has a struggling population facing devastated housing prices, with about a third of its residents living below the poverty line. It’s also among the few communities in the Bay Area served by a private water utility — Golden State Water.
That company’s executives are asking state officials to approve a rate hike for Bay Point and a handful of other communities across the state. They argue that maintaining the aging infrastructure and making capital improvements to give customers better service is expensive and necessary, and they are legally allowed to pass some of that cost on to their customers. … “
Continue reading from the Silicon Valley Mercury News by clicking here.
Marin County declares drought emergency
Posted by: Maven on March 22, 2012 at 8:00 amFrom the Marin Independent Journal:
“Marin Municipal Water District reservoirs are filling with water after last week’s downpour.
But the deluge that left the water supply a bit better than average for this time of year made little difference Tuesday as top county officials declared a drought emergency. … “
Continue reading from the Marin Independent Journal by clicking here.
Santa Cruz: Desalination task force reviews $2 million in spending for coming year
Posted by: Maven on March 22, 2012 at 7:59 amFrom the Silicon Valley Mercury News:
“A task force overseeing preparations for a proposed desalination plant reviewed nearly $2 million in anticipated expenses for the next 15 months as design work and environmental analysis on the controversial facility continues.
The four-member task force did not need to grant approval for the $1.9 million in spending expected in the 2012-2013 fiscal year because the funds have already been authorized through existing contracts covering the environmental study, design, water delivery system and permitting. … “
Continue reading from the Silicon Valley Mercury News by clicking here.
Dangerous levels of DDT pollution remain in Richmond Harbor
Posted by: Maven on March 20, 2012 at 7:33 amFrom the Bay-Citizen:
“There wasn't a cloud in the sky last Thursday morning, and the sun beat off Richmond Bay in an inlet just east of Point Richmond. In this part of Richmond, the natural mixes closely with the industrial: construction equipment and piles of scrap metal standing a quarter of a mile high jutted obtrusively into the view of the sun on the water. From the dock, a group of Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) representatives quietly watched a snorkeler on the side of a small pontoon boat as he pulled on bright blue flippers. A minute later, he slipped off the edge, and with a small splash, he was in the water, swimming toward a deflated soccer ball floating in the middle of Lauritzen Channel, a trail of bubbles tracking behind him.
The soccer ball was tied to a basket of mussels embedded in the sediment at the bottom of the channel. In the past, when EPA officials attached the mussels to a normal buoy, people would steal them, possibly thinking they were lobster traps, says Penny Redding, an EPA project manager for the Lauritzen Channel. The soccer ball deceptively looks like a piece of trash floating in the water, which protects the mussels from thieves. … “
Continue reading from the Bay-Citizen by clicking here.
EPA mystified by stingy DDT pollution in San Francisco Bay
Posted by: Maven on March 18, 2012 at 7:01 amFrom the Fresno Bee:
“A half-century after California officials discovered that large amounts of the pesticide DDT had been discharged into a San Francisco Bay canal, the chemical is still poisoning fish and posing a threat to human health there despite numerous cleanup attempts.
DDT, a chemical banned by the U.S. in 1972, was dumped into a shipping channel near the city of Richmond by the pesticide processing company United Heckathorn starting in the late 1940s and ending in 1966.
In 1990, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency listed the former plant and the adjacent canal, called the Lauritzen Channel, as one of the most polluted places in the nation, and began the laborious and expensive process of trying to clean it up – so far with limited success. … “
Continue reading from the Fresno Bee by clicking here.
AlterNet: Are we ready to kiss our big dams goodbye?
Posted by: Maven on March 17, 2012 at 8:14 amFrom AlterNet:
“In 1941, Woody Guthrie had one of the most unlikely muses. The soon-to-be folk legend wrote 26 songs in just one month espousing the glories of hydroelectric dams. He did pick up a government paycheck for $266.66 for his efforts, though. In “Grand Coulee Dam,” Guthrie likened the structure to the “greatest thing yet built by human hands,” and sang, “she ripped our boats to splinters but she gave us dreams/dream of the day the Coulee Dam would cross that wild and wasted stream.”
Guthrie captured the sentiment of the time perfectly: If you weren’t damming a river, then it was being wasted. The 1930s and ’40s saw the creation of mammoth projects like Hoover and Bonneville and Coulee. Those weren’t the first and surely won’t be the last. The US has an estimated 80,000 dams. In the American West, dams turned desert into farmland, and supplied power and drinking water to cities that couldn’t have existed without them. The people of Guthrie’s time heralded these accomplishments. … “
Continue reading from AlterNet by clicking here.
Sewer, water upgrades may mean rate increases
Posted by: Maven on March 17, 2012 at 7:58 amFrom the Daily Journal:
“Redwood City residents are looking at sewer and water rate hikes to help the city absorb wholesale utility costs and fund multi-million dollar upgrades to both systems.
City officials say the 12 percent water increase and 9 percent sewer rate hike proposed to start in July shouldn't be that surprising to residents, coming on the heels of two previous 9 percent increases. However, the city will hold public meetings and hearings in the next two months to insure home and business owners are aware of what's coming and have the chance for input before the changes are implemented. … “
Continue reading from the Daily Journal by clicking here.
Sewer, water rates headed up in San Bruno
Posted by: Maven on March 16, 2012 at 2:52 amFrom the Silicon Valley Mercury News:
“As part of an effort to replace San Bruno’s aging sewer and water system, rate payers could see their bills climb by more than 50 percent in the next five years.
Officials are moving forward with a plan to push bimonthly rates up from $10 to $15 per year until 2017. This week, the City Council approved sending out notices to rate payers that would allow them to protest the proposed increases.
A majority of the more than 13,000 city rate payers would have to object in order to block the hikes.
An average household spends about $105.08 every two months on water. Under the new rates, that same family would pay $10 to $14 more each year until 2017, when their bill would hit $168.84, according to city projections. That’s a 60 percent total increase over that period. … “
Continue reading from the Silicon Valley Mercury News by clicking here.
San Benito district to transfer extra water
Posted by: Maven on March 16, 2012 at 2:50 amFrom the Morgan Hill Times:
‘With a surplus of water at its disposal, the San Benito County Water District has agreed to transfer up to 12,000 acre feet of its Central Valley Project supply to the Santa Clara Valley Water District.
“Last year was a very good water year and I had more water than I had customers for, so I had extra water available,\” said Jeff Cattaneo, manager of the local water district. “I took as much of the water as I could and put it in all the places that I have to store water and I still had 12,000 acre feet left over.
Any water that the district couldn't use or carry over to the next year would end up going back to the Bureau of Reclamation, which sells Sacramento Delta water to agencies in Central and Northern California, and the district would have been reimbursed. … “
Continue reading from the San Benito Times by clicking here.
Hetch Hetchy provides a clean source of energy, says commentary
Posted by: Maven on March 15, 2012 at 5:21 amFrom the Sacramento Bee, this commentary by Mark Leno:
“In recent months there have been numerous articles, in The Bee and other newspapers, about the water implications of draining Hetch Hetchy reservoir. And in San Francisco, there is a misguided ballot initiative, the Water Sustainability and Environmental Restoration Act, that is asking voters to take the first step toward dismantling the dam and fostering water insecurity in the Bay Area.
What hasn’t received as much attention is the clean energy implications if Hetch Hetchy is drained. Energy security and reliability are at the core of a sustainable future. This is true not just for San Francisco, but for the whole of California and the world. … “
Continue reading this commentary at the Sacramento Bee by clicking here.
Column: Why not tear down the Crystal Springs Dam as well
Posted by: Maven on March 15, 2012 at 5:18 amFrom the Mercury News, this column by John Horgan:
“Brace yourself. Another wacky idea from the nation’s certified capital of weird is heading our way.
An activist group in San Francisco, along with Republican Congressman Dan Lundgren, of all people, is proposing to dismantle a key Bay Area lifeline, the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir.
In other words, this outfit appears to be hell-bent on cutting off an absolutely vital supply of water and electrical power for more than 2.5 million customers. Why Because the environmentalists and Lundgren say they want to restore the Hetch Hetchy Valley in Yosemite National Park.
It is their stated contention that other, reliable water/power sources can be found. Their hypothesis apparently trumps history, common sense, vast outlays of public funds to maintain and upgrade the existing system and the health and welfare of much of the entire region, both city and suburb. … “
Continue reading this column at the Mercury News by clicking here.
Deluge boosts reservoirs in Marin, ‘wettest spot in Bay Area’
Posted by: Maven on March 15, 2012 at 12:20 amFrom the Marin Independent Journal:
“The rain deluge in Marin this week has been a blessing for the county’s water supply, which was dwindling so much earlier this month that officials tapped an emergency reservoir to boost supplies.
Since rain started to fall late Monday, more than 5 inches have been recorded at Lake Lagunitas, one of the reservoirs operated by the Marin Municipal Water District. Phoenix Lake, another reservoir, has seen 6.2 inches. Similar figures have been recorded at the district’s five other reservoirs. … “
Continue reading from the Marin Independent Journal by clicking here.
Marin Municipal Water District to discuss proposed rate increase
Posted by: Maven on March 15, 2012 at 12:18 amFrom the San Rafael Post:
“The Marin Municipal Water District will host a forum to discuss a proposed 6 percent rate increase, which would raise the average customer's bill by a maximum of less than $3 a month.
MMWD is holding a public workshop on the rate increase proposal March 29, 6:30-8 p.m., in the MMWD boardroom, 220 Nellen Ave., Corte Madera.
The board of directors will vote on the proposal at a public hearing April 29, 7:30 p.m., in the San Rafael council chambers, 1400 Fifth Ave., San Rafael.
“There was no rate increase at all from 2004 to 2007. Before that, there was no rate increase from 1999 to 2004, and before that, there was no rate increase from 1994 to 1999,\” said Libby Pischel, MMWD spokesperson. … “
Continue reading from the San Rafael Post by clicking here.
Water and sewer rates may jump steeply again in Redwood City
Posted by: Maven on March 15, 2012 at 12:01 amFrom the Silicon Valley Mercury News:
“Redwood City plans to raise its water and sewer rates — again.
On May 7, the city council will be asked to increase water rates 12 percent and sewer rates 9 percent.
In each of the two last years, both rates were increased 9 percent, said Marilyn Harang, the city’s interim assistant public works director.
As was the case then, Harang said the city needs to raise rates to help finance major repair and replacement projects for both systems. … “
Continue reading from the Silicon Valley Mercury News by clicking here.
Critics question why Redwood City lets developer control environmental studies of Saltworks project
Posted by: Maven on March 14, 2012 at 12:45 amFrom the Mercury News:
“Even though consultants already have begun studying the potential environmental impacts that the controversial Redwood City Saltworks project might cause, opponents of the massive housing development are suggesting they should stop.
That’s because most of the consultants are paid by, overseen and required to answer to DMB Pacific Ventures, the developer that wants to build as many as 12,000 homes on 1,436 acres of salt flats owned by Cargill along San Francisco Bay.
Although it may be legal for the developer to control the analysis work being done instead of Redwood City, opponents say the arrangement smells like a conflict of interest and could swing results in favor of the project. … “
Continue reading from the Mercury News by clicking here.
Stuart Leavenworth: Chronicle gets huffy if others opine on Hetch Hetchy
Posted by: Maven on March 11, 2012 at 8:27 amFrom the Sacramento Bee, this commentary by Stuart Leavenworth:
“Back in the frontier days when newspaper editors packed pistols and kept whiskey bottles in their desks, it wasn’t unusual for them to settle their disputes in barroom brawls.
Since then, we’ve advanced somewhat as a profession. As the saying goes, “The pen is mightier than the sword.” So today I use mine to poke a few jabs at my illustrious counterpart, John Diaz, editorial page editor of the San Francisco Chronicle.
For the past several weeks, Diaz and I have engaged in a good-natured jousting of tweets over our respective editorial positions on the topic of Hetch Hetchy. This, of course, is the magnificent canyon in Yosemite National Park that San Francisco has kept submerged for 89 years to serve as a reservoir for the city’s rarified citizens. … “
Continue reading this commentary at the Sacramento Bee by clicking here.
Commentary: Don’t be fooled by effort to empty Hetch Hetchy
Posted by: Maven on March 10, 2012 at 6:52 amFrom the San Francisco Examiner, this commentary by Ed Lee, mayor of San Francisco:
“You may soon be asked to sign an innocuous-sounding petition urging The City to develop “a sustainable water supply. A laudable goal and one that San Francisco voters and city leaders have already committed to and are spending billions of dollars to achieve.
But don't be fooled. Camouflaged in the petition's language is the real goal of this measure: to drain the Bay Area's largest and most important source of drinking water and clean energy the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir. … “
Continue reading this commentary at the San Francisco Examiner by clicking here.
Hetch Hetchy Reservoir required for Bay Area water needs, says Harrington of SFPUC
Posted by: Maven on March 7, 2012 at 7:52 amFrom the San Francisco Examiner, this commentary by Ed Harrington, the general manager of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission:
“San Francisco and the 2.6 million Bay Area customers of the Hetch Hetchy Regional Water System have a sustainable water system with storage reservoirs in place to maintain our water supply. We have worked hard to address the constant threats of drought, climate change, and earthquakes to our water.
Last Wednesday, 59 million gallons of water flowed down the Tuolumne River into Hetch Hetchy Reservoir. Of that, we released 35 million gallons downstream for river users and wildlife. At the same time, we put 170 million gallons into our pipelins to take care of our customers. Hetch Hetchy stores water for times, just like now, when rain is scarce. … “
Continue reading this commentary at the San Francisco Examiner by clicking here.
Marin Municipal Water District plans to extend $75 annual fee for 19 years to fix pipes
Posted by: Maven on March 7, 2012 at 7:27 amFrom the Marin Independent Journal:
“Marin Municipal Water District officials want to extend for 19 years an annual $75 parcel fee to help replace pipes and improve the water system to fight fires.
The agency is also looking to boost water rates by 6 percent beginning July 1.
The fee, which finances the district’s so-called Fire Flow Master Plan, has been in place since 1997 and has generated $70 million to replace more than 60 miles of undersized pipes, install 750 hydrants and improve seismic safety of treatment facilities, storage tanks and pump stations. … “
Continue reading from the Marin Independent Journal by clicking here.
Spreck Rosekrans commentary: Hetch Hetchy restoration and the Tuolomne River
Posted by: Maven on March 6, 2012 at 8:01 amFrom the Modesto Bee, this commentary by Spreck Rosekrans, director of policy of Restore Hetch Hetchy:
“The Feb. 24 op-ed by the general managers of the Turlock and Modesto Irrigations Districts mischaracterized the critical role that Don Pedro reservoir plays in the operations of Hetch Hetchy and San Francisco’s other reservoirs. The Hetch Hetchy system is, in fact, dependent on Don Pedro for its operations and any changes to Don Pedro’s federal power license are likely to affect San Francisco’s operations upstream.
As a result, Restore Hetch Hetchy has much at stake in the relicensing process under way for Don Pedro.
The Hetch Hetchy system and Don Pedro reservoir both store Tuolumne River flows. Like all streams in California’s Sierra Nevada, the Tuolumne is a hard working river. In the upper watershed, San Francisco operates the Hetch Hetchy, Eleanor, and Cherry reservoirs. Releases from these reservoirs provide water supplies for San Francisco and other Bay Area communities and generate hydropower. … “
Continue reading this commentary at the Modesto Bee by clicking here.
Redwood City: Saltworks shoreline development plan being revised
Posted by: Maven on March 6, 2012 at 7:38 amFrom the San Francisco Chronicle:
“Developers who want to build 12,000 homes on the Redwood City shoreline said last week they’re close to releasing an overhauled plan, four months after withdrawing the proposal due to public concerns over traffic, water, the environment and other issues.
“We’re as anxious as anybody to bring a revised plan to the city,” said David Smith, senior vice president for DMB Pacific Ventures, developer of the Saltworks project. “We had hopes it’d be out by now, but we wanted time to do our own internal evaluations. … It’s important to get this right.” … “
Continue reading from the San Francisco Chronicle by clicking here.
San Francisco: Sharp Park workers killed rare frogs, groups say
Posted by: Maven on March 6, 2012 at 7:35 amFrom the San Francisco Chronicle:
“Environmental groups Monday accused San Francisco of killing California red-legged frogs and illegally moving their eggs during winter flooding at Sharp Park Golf Course, the latest volley in an ongoing scrap over the endangered species that inhabits the city-owned links.
The accusations by the Center for Biological Diversity, Sierra Club and National Parks Conservation Association were filed in U.S. District Court in San Francisco in an attempt to win an immediate judgment against the city for the frog deaths. The complaint alleges that golf course employees or contractors moved stranded frog eggs to another pond to hide evidence that their pumping activities were killing frogs. … “
Continue reading from the San Francisco Chronicle by clicking here.
San Francisco needs to help in restoration of Hetch Hetchy Valley, says commentary
Posted by: Maven on March 6, 2012 at 7:34 amFrom the San Francisco Chronicle, this commentary by Dave Mihalic, superintendent of Yosemite National Park from 1999 to 2003 and a member of the national advisory board of Restore Hetch Hetchy:
“As superintendent of Yosemite National Park from 1999 to 2003, I regretted that Congress had long ago allowed San Francisco to clear-cut and flood the spectacular Hetch Hetchy Valley in Yosemite for use as a water storage tank. Such a proposal would be firmly rejected today.
I was also disappointed, and remain so, that San Francisco officials show no interest in taking steps to return the Hetch Hetchy Valley to the National Park Service so it may be restored and enjoyed once again by all visitors. Instead, officials seem stubbornly attached to the status quo. While cities throughout California have developed more sustainable water resource management, San Francisco has only fallen further behind. The City recycles none of its water and virtually ignores local resources such as rainwater and groundwater.
So, I am heartened that San Francisco voters will have the opportunity this fall to move their water system into the 21st century. … “
Continue reading from the San Francisco Examiner by clicking here.
It’s time for San Francisco to end its hypocrisy toward water, says commentary
Posted by: Maven on March 5, 2012 at 6:30 amFrom the East Bay Express, this commentary by Robert Gammon:
“Few things are more hypocritical than San Francisco's cavalier attitude toward water. It's 2012, and yet the ostensibly progressive city has no water-recycling program. That's right, none. By contrast, Orange County, that bastion of liberalism, recycles 92 million gallons of water a day.
San Francisco also has no system for capturing and using the twenty inches of rain that falls on the city each year, even though that rainfall equals roughly half of the city's annual water needs. Instead, nearly all of San Francisco's rainwater ends up in the city's sewage system, treated with chemicals and flushed into the bay and the Pacific Ocean.
In short, San Francisco, a city that prides itself on being among the most ecologically conscious places on Earth, wastes huge amounts of water every year, and has no plans to do anything about it. … “
Continue reading this commentary at the East Bay Express by clicking here.
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