Denise Johnson-Kula
Sunday, October 9, 2005

On Feb. 2, 2004, with no public input and minimal notification, the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission switched from chlorine to sanitize its water supplies to chloramine, a combination of chlorine and ammonia.

The introduction of chloramine has compromised our safety. Many residents, unaware of the changeover, suddenly began to experience health effects: burning skin; red rashes; itching; dry mouth and throat; digestive problems; coughing; wheezing; sinus congestion; and severe asthma symptoms. Some individuals’ serious and debilitating symptoms were documented by their physicians. Foul taste and odor of the water were also reported.

Read more at the San Francisco Chronicle.

By Jay R. Lund and Sarah E. Null — Special To The Bee
Published 2:15 am PDT Sunday, June 26, 2005

San Francisco’s Hetch Hetchy water supply system was a marvel of engineering and public administration when constructed in the 1920s and now provides reliable, inexpensive and high-quality water to 2.4 million people in the San Francisco Bay area. It is also the heart of a conversation about tradeoffs.

From an engineering perspective, the Hetch Hetchy water project is a classic, early 20th century system that used a remote, largely inaccessible, mountain watershed to deliver pristine water requiring minimal treatment. Hydropower was a side benefit.

New York City, Seattle, Portland and Los Angeles’ Owens Valley and Mono Lake supplies are other such systems. After many decades, these systems, with modifications, still serve their original purposes.

The last 80 years have brought great improvements in drinking-water technology. Water treatment was in its infancy when the Hetch Hetchy system was built. It is now nearly universal. Waterworks filtration is now required for all surface drinking-water sources – with rare exceptions for heavily monitored remote watersheds – including Hetch Hetchy. If Hetch Hetchy lost its status as an unfiltered supply, then filtration, costing roughly $1 billion, would be required, just as it is for municipalities across the nation.

During the same eight decades, the country has experienced tremendous growth in demand for public recreation and national parks. When O’Shaughnessy Dam was built at Hetch Hetchy, John Muir and others valued the quality of Hetch Hetchy Valley, but such wilderness resources were relatively abundant for California’s 1920 population of 3.4 million. Now that California has 35 million souls, a more prosperous economy and alternative water supply options, the tradeoff of a unique recreational valley for one part of a classical water supply is being revisited.

Research at the University of California, Davis, explored water supply alternatives for San Francisco if O’Shaughnessy Dam were removed, allowing the Hetch Hetchy Valley to be restored. A pipeline between the Hetch Hetchy Aqueduct and the much larger New Don Pedro Reservoir downstream would allow almost all of the water captured at O’Shaughnessy Dam to be captured downstream with little loss of water quality. Drinking water supply is less of a problem than the costs.

The idea of connecting the Hetch Hetchy Aqueduct to additional existing storage on the Tuolumne River shows promise for restoring Hetch Hetchy Valley but is far from a detailed proposal and does not prove that removing O’Shaughnessy Dam is worthwhile.

Even if shown to be worthwhile, substantial economic and political barriers must be crossed, including how to pay for the changes and deal with lost hydropower, perhaps some lost flood control and cooperative agreements between San Francisco and local agricultural water users. If the Tuolumne River System can provide substantially similar benefits without O’Shaughnessy Dam and the people of San Francisco come to support change, the political and media controversy on this issue might well melt away, as it did with the more drastic case of Mono Lake restoration. For restoration to occur, a renewed Hetch Hetchy Valley, like O’Shaughnessy Dam 80 years ago, probably must become a source of pride for San Francisco.

As California’s population grows, drinking water standards become more stringent and water supply options for cities diversify (with desalination, treatment, water trades and water conservation), a restored Hetch Hetchy Valley might become a feature of a multiple-use Tuolumne River system.

To some, Hetch Hetchy will represent the defense of traditional water projects versus the opportunity to restore a unique valley. Nevertheless, this example of examining changes and opportunities that entail difficult decisions illustrates the challenges and the need for more serious and creative water analysis and management for all of California. Much like Mono Lake, Owens Valley, the Salton Sea and the Delta, the case of Hetch Hetchy is merely a vignette in the continuing saga of California noisily adapting its water resources to changing technologies, economic conditions and social expectations.

About the writers:

Jay R. Lund is a professor of civil and environmental engineering and Sarah E. Null is a doctorate student in geography, both at the University of California, Davis. The two used a computer model known as CALVIN, invented by Lund, to study Hetch Hetchy and the possibility of removing the dam.

Glen Martin, Chronicle Environment Writer
Monday, June 13, 2005

The debate over the proposal to breach the Sierra’s O’Shaughnessy Dam, drain the reservoir behind it and restore Hetch Hetchy
Valley to its former natural splendor is apt to intensify this summer with the release of a California Department of Water Resources study on the issue.

But preliminary comments from the agency indicate two things:

First, the restoration is technically possible without disrupting water supplies to San
Francisco, Modesto and Turlock, the cities that are the beneficiaries of Hetch Hetchy water.

Second, it will cost a lot of money: From $4 billion to $8 billion, depending on whom you
talk to.

Read more at the San Francisco Chronicle.

Ken Garcia
Monday, January 31, 2005

THERE ARE at least a few million good reasons why San Francisco needs to fix the aging and fragile Hetch Hetchy water system within the next decade, but the most compelling one is a simple number: 37.

That figure represents how many years it has been since city engineers were able to inspect the condition of the Irvington Tunnel, a critical part of the pressurized labyrinth through which 95 percent of all the crystal clear Sierra water — on which 2.5 million Bay Area residents depend — passes.

Read more at the San Francisco Chronicle.

Spreck Rosekrans, Nancy E. Ryan
Tuesday, November 30, 2004

Sometimes you can have your cake and eat it, too. In this case, we can have Hetch Hetchy Valley and still drink the Tuolumne River’s water. As San Francisco undertakes a major revamping of its water system, the time is right to consider how to provide reliable water and power without a reservoir in Yosemite National Park. The Schwarzenegger administration apparently agrees: It is planning a study that will examine the feasibility and potential benefits of bringing back this national treasure.

Read more at the San Francisco Chronicle.

Jim Wunderman
Tuesday, November 30, 2004

On this we can agree: Today, the Hetch Hetchy Valley is one of the most beautiful places on the planet. Nearly 50,000 hikers, campers and visitors spend time there each year. Given the valley’s beauty, it’s understandable that a group of people wants to increase access to Hetch Hetchy Valley. Unfortunately, here’s their price: removing O’Shaughnessy Dam and the water supply for 2.4 million people in Santa Clara, San Mateo, Alameda and San Francisco counties — roughly one-third of all Bay Area residents.

Read more at the San Francisco Chronicle.

Glen Martin, Chronicle Environment Writer
Sunday, November 21, 2004

It has been more than 80 years since the Hetch Hetchy Valley disappeared under the waters gathered behind O’Shaughnessy Dam, but its lost High Sierra splendor still resonates with nature lovers. John Muir called Hetch Hetchy the “wonderful exact counterpart” to Yosemite Valley; old photos and narratives bear him out.

It is a valley about 9 miles long and 1 mile wide, ringed by granite walls and spires towering 2,000 feet. Before the dam, the Tuolumne River tracked through the valley floor, past verdant meadows and copses of black oak and ponderosa pine.

Read more at the San Francisco Chronicle.

OPINION
From the November 12, 2004 print edition: Loud and clear
Jim Wunderman

It can be tempting to take the Bay Area for granted, to presume that this beautiful urban metropolis, this vibrant and creative economy, and this tolerant and diverse culture was inevitable and preordained. Yet the fact is that the Bay Area of today is built upon the visionary accomplishments of those who came before us.

Nowhere is this more true than with the Hetch Hetchy water system, which has fed and nourished the growth of the Bay Area as we know it today.

Water has always been the most precious commodity of economic growth in California, the lack of water always the most difficult barrier. Following the Gold Rush boom, and then the devastation of the 1906 earthquake, Bay Area leaders recognized that limited water would obstruct the promise of a growing region. Because they thought big, the Hetch Hetchy water system that they created now provides water to 2.4 million people in Santa Clara, San Mateo, Alameda and San Francisco counties – roughly one-third of all Bay Area residents.

In spite of Hetch Hetchy’s importance to the Bay Area, a dedicated group of environmental activists is engaged in a long-haul campaign to drain the Hetch Hetchy reservoir and dismantle the dam. The advocates sell their plan based on the appealing image of a restored Hetch Hetchy Valley, but the more appropriate image would be one of Bay Area unemployment, shuttered factories and severe economic dislocation.

It’s not just 2.4 million residents who rely on Hetch Hetchy water; their jobs are also fed by Hetch Hetchy. Factories, hotels and offices in four counties use its water. Industrial processes such as chip-making and biotech production use Hetch Hetchy water and rely upon its unparalleled purity. The NUMMI automobile factory in Fremont was consciously designed to take advantage of the purity and quality of Hetch Hetchy water for sanding and rinsing auto bodies.

As just one measure of the economic importance of Hetch Hetchy, a 2002 study by the Bay Area Economic Forum found that the region would suffer $29 billion of losses if a major earthquake on the San Andreas Fault interrupted Hetch Hetchy water service.

There are many and numerous opportunities to restore and improve environmental quality without harming the economy. The Bay Area Council has, in fact, championed environmental causes because it’s important to our region and it’s the right thing to do. We were instrumental in organizing employers to reduce air emissions through the Spare the Air program. We have raised more than $30 million for the California Environmental Redevelopment Fund. We co-founded the Bay Area Alliance for Sustainable Communities, and organized energy conservation efforts among Bay Area businesses. The Council worked with others in 1995 to craft the CalFed agreement – essentially a peace treaty between farmers, environmentalists and residential water users, and a critical step in preventing water wars.

To protect Hetch Hetchy is not to be hostile to environmental quality; it is to be honest and rational about the importance of water to theBay Area. California’s water infrastructure hasn’t been expanded or improved since the 1960s, despite population that has more than doubled. All that it will take is one drought to expose the hidden water supply shortage, triggering economic disruption much worse than the electricity supply crisis of 2000 and 2001.

The Hetch Hetchy water system was left to us by our predecessors who had the vision, took the risks, and laid the foundation for the Bay Area of today. It’s a legacy that the region should be proud of and our generation has a responsibility to protect.

Jim Wunderman is president and CEO of the Bay Area Council in San Francisco.

OPINION
From the October 29, 2004 print edition – Guest comment
Jim Wunderman

It can be tempting to take the Bay Area for granted, to presume that this beautiful urban metropolis, this vibrant and creative economy, and this tolerant and diverse culture was inevitable and preordained. Yet the fact is that the Bay Area of today is built upon the visionary accomplishments of those who came before us.

Nowhere is this more true than with the Hetch Hetchy water system, which has fed and nourished the growth of the Bay Area as we know it today.

Water has always been the most precious commodity of economic growth in California, the lack of water always the most difficult barrier. Following the Gold Rush boom, and then the devastation of the 1906 earthquake, Bay Area leaders recognized that limited water would obstruct the promise of a growing region. Because they thought big, the Hetch Hetchy water system that they created now provides water to 2.4 million people in Santa Clara, San Mateo, Alameda and San Francisco counties – roughly one-third of all Bay Area residents.

In spite of Hetch Hetchy’s importance to the Bay Area, a dedicated group of environmental activists are engaged in a long-haul campaign to drain the Hetch Hetchy reservoir and dismantle the dam. The advocates sell their plan based on the appealing image of a restored Hetch Hetchy Valley, but the more appropriate image would be one of Bay Area unemployment, shuttered factories and severe economic dislocation.

The Bay Area has grown up with the nourishment of Hetch Hetchy water, and today that reliance is unbreakable. It’s not just 2.4 million residents that rely on Hetch Hetchy water; their jobs are also fed by Hetch Hetchy. Factories, hotels and offices in four counties use its water. Industrial processes such as chip-making and biotech production use Hetch Hetchy water and rely upon its unparalleled purity. The NUMMI automobile factory in Fremont was consciously designed to take advantage of the purity and quality of Hetch Hetchy water for sanding and rinsing auto bodies. Likewise, Intel uses more than 1 million gallons of Hetch Hetchy water daily in its Santa Clara wafer fabrication plant. Roche Pharmaceuticals uses nearly 2 million gallons of water a month in its Palo Alto research facility, for developing drugs for treatment of viruses and diseases.

As just one measure of the economic importance of Hetch Hetchy, a 2002 study by the Bay Area Economic Forum found that the region would suffer $29 billion of losses if a major earthquake on the San Andreas Fault interrupted Hetch Hetchy water service. To forestall this disaster, users of Hetch Hetchy water have agreed to finance a $3.6 billion seismic safety improvement program to ensure that an earthquake will not deprive users of Hetch Hetchy water. Notwithstanding this responsible action, all of the benefits of Hetch Hetchy could be lost if we now lose sight of the value of this system and allow it to be destroyed.

There are many and numerous opportunities to restore and improve environmental quality without harming the economy. The Bay Area Council has, in fact, championed environmental causes because it’s important to our region and it’s the right thing to do. We were instrumental in organizing employers to reduce air emissions through the Spare the Air program. We have raised more than $30 million for the California Environmental Redevelopment Fund. We co-founded the Bay Area Alliance for Sustainable Communities, and organized energy conservation efforts among Bay Area businesses. The Council worked with others in 1995 to craft the CalFed agreement — essentially a peace treaty between farmers, environmentalists and residential water users, and a critical step in preventing water wars. After nearly 10 years of struggle, a few days ago the Bay Area Council helped finally secure federal authorization of CalFed.

To protect Hetch Hetchy is not to be hostile to environmental quality; it is to be honest and rational about the importance of water to the Bay Area. California’s water infrastructure hasn’t been expanded or improved since the 1960s, despite population that has more than doubled. All that it will take is one drought to expose the hidden water supply shortage, triggering economic disruption much worse than the electricity supply crisis of 2000 and 2001. Indeed, the supply is so short that federal and state officials are currently considering plans to increase pumping from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta by 27 percent, further reducing the fresh water flow into our Bay.

Clearly, this is no time to discuss or study the destruction of the Hetch Hetchy system.

The Hetch Hetchy water system was left to us by our predecessors who had the vision, took the risks, and laid the foundation for the Bay Area of today. It’s a legacy that the region should be proud of and our generation has a responsibility to protect.

Jim Wunderman is president and CEO of the Bay Area Council, a federation of CEOs of 275 of the largest employers in the Bay Area.

By Allen Short and Larry Weis
Published 2:15 am PDT Monday, October 25, 2004

The restoration of the Hetch Hetchy Valley in Yosemite National Park has been discussed time and time again over the years. The latest effort has spawned a number of news stories and editorials supporting the undertaking. While the restoration effort may be a noble cause to some, it would not come without consequences and impacts to the entire state of California.

We are in the water and power business, and as such, live in the here and now. Our energies are focused on providing essential supplies of water and electricity to an ever growing region of California. It is a formidable and challenging task.

Consequently, we don’t have much time to contemplate the wisdom or merits of removing a reservoir providing drinking water to 2.4 million Bay Area residents in hopes that the long submerged portion of a valley will some day be as spectacular as the one down the road. However, we do feel compelled to correct some of the inaccuracies that invariably are being repeated in news stories and editorials on this issue. Let’s set the record straight:

• Hetch Hetchy Reservoir provides no water benefits to the districts.
• San Francisco does not “divert” water from Hetch Hetchy to the districts. San Francisco must respect the districts’ senior water rights on the Tuolumne River and allow the required stream flow to reach Don Pedro Reservoir.
• San Francisco does not own any water or storage rights in Don Pedro Reservoir.
• There is no surplus storage or water available in Don Pedro Reservoir.
• Don Pedro Reservoir provides adequate flood control protection for the Tuolumne watershed. Its spillway gates have been opened only once in 33 years.
• As far as we know, the UC Davis “study” is little more than a master’s thesis that contains fundamental errors that call into question the validity of the entire work.
• The CALVIN model relied upon is overly simplistic and based upon flawed assumptions.

It is important to realize that any change to Hetch Hetchy impacts the entire river system.

The Tuolumne River is a complex, integrated water system that was developed over the course of 100 years of conflict and cooperation. The system must be operated in a coordinated fashion. Environmental gains in one area may be offset by losses in another area.

Tearing down any dam in California is tantamount to closing down an interstate highway, totally removing the pavement and not replacing it – at a time when transportation needs are increasing. If society values are such that the restoration of Hetch Hetchy is desirable, at any cost, then equivalent or greater surface water storage should be built, in place and operational, before any such removal project is undertaken.

Rather than tearing down major pieces of California’s water infrastructure, we should work together to meet the state’s growing water needs. It is unfortunate that too often Californians react emotionally to water issues. So, think about it. How long can you live without water?

About the writer:

Allen Short is general manager of the Modesto Irrigation District. Larry Weis is general manager of the Turlock Irrigation District.