Bay Area Water Stewards (BAWS) Presentation to San Francisco Public Utilities Commission

1
Bay Area Water Stewards (BAWS) Presentation to
San Francisco Public Utilities Commission Regular
Meeting December 1, 2003
2
Participants to date in BAWS

• Alameda Creek Alliance
• Alameda Creek Fisheries Restoration Workgroup
• Alliance for a Clean Waterfront
• Clean Water Action
• Environmental Defense
• Environmental Water Caucus
• Friends of Lake Merced
• Golden Gate Audubon

• League of Women Voters - San Francisco
• Natural Heritage Institute
• Sierra Club, Loma Prieta Chapter
• Sierra Club, San Francisco Bay Chapter
• Restore Hetch Hetchy
• SF League of Conservation Voters
• SF Tomorrow
• Tuolumne River Trust
• And growing!

3
Preliminary Goals for BAWS

• To ensure the SF CIP supports
• 1) Protecting and restoring ecosystems of the
  Tuolumne and other watersheds
• 2) Study of restoring Hetch Hetchy Valley
• 3) Restoring the Lake Merced ecosystem
• 4) Protecting and restoring Alameda Creek

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Preliminary Goals for BAWS (continued)

• To ensure the SF CIP supports
• 5) Aggressive conservation, recycling, and
  efficiency projects and programs
• Limiting sprawl
• Recreational flows on the Tuolumne River
• 8) Sustainable energy in San Francisco and
  surrounding communities

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Preliminary Goals for BAWS (continued)

• To ensure the SF CIP supports
• 9) environmental justice
• 10) Coordination with the SF Clean Water Program
  to improve the sewage system
• 11) Consideration of regional, state, and
  national water policy implications in
  decision-making

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Primary Concerns of BAWS

• Transparency of CIP process and inclusion of
  public in process
• Time-frame and pace of process
• Proper environmental review prior to beginning
  engineering of project components

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Suggested Changes to CIP Goals Add Overall
Objectives

• Overall Objectives of the CIP
• The SFPUC will integrate environmental benefits
  into all local, regional, and power CIP projects,
  and will monitor the environmental effects of its
  actions in order to avoid or mitigate any adverse
  impacts.
• The SFPUC will develop and adopt goals for
  addressing Environmental Justice issues in San
  Francisco and the other areas where it owns and
  manages property.

8
Suggested Changes to CIP Goals Revise Regional
Objectives

• Regional Water Objectives as defined in the CIP
  final report.
• The SFPUC, in cooperation with its wholesale
  customers and the public, will develop and adopt
  system-wide goals for water supply reliability
  that include both water supply sources and
  demand-side management programs.
• The SFPUC, in cooperation with its wholesale
  customers and the public, will develop and adopt
  system-wide goals for infrastructure maintenance
  to ensure dependable delivery of water supplies.
• The SFPUC will provide safe water that meets or
  exceeds current state and federal regulations and
  will strive to achieve the highest level of
  customer satisfaction.

9
Suggested Changes to CIP Goals Revise Local
Objectives

• Local Water Objectives as defined in the CIP
  final report.
• The SFPUC will develop and adopt goals for
  recycled water, groundwater management,
  conservation, rainwater catchment, and other
  measures to increase City water supply
  reliability and reduce the exposure to
  catastrophic events and other regional water
  system failures.
• The SFPUC will become the state-wide leader in
  innovative water conservation and efficiency
  practices, at a minimum meeting the Best
  Management Practices developed by the California
  Urban Water Conservation Council.
• Provide high quality safe water in the city
  that meets or exceeds current state and federal
  regulations, recognizing water as a resource that
  provides multiple benefits.

10
Suggested Changes to CIP Goals Add Stewardship
Objectives

• Stewardship Objectives of the CIP
• Protect and restore the Tuolumne River and
  its watershed
• Protect and restore local lakes, creeks,
  rivers, and watersheds under ownership or
  administration of the PUC, including Alameda
  Creek.

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Progress To Date

• Agreement to meet with SF PUC on a monthly basis
  for updates and discussion
• Information exchange of CIP and background
  materials
• Tutorial of water system by SF PUC staff
• Overview of studies on Calaveras Dam, Irvington
  Tunnel, and San Joaquin Pipeline 4
• Overview of Water Demand Projection Model in
  progress for wholesale customers