Willie Brown: Securing the City's Water Supply

Securing the City's water supplyt is hard to imagine the public health and safety hazards Bay Area residents would face if we were to be cut off from our primary source of water for any extended period of time. Nevertheless this is a realistic concern for the SF Public Utilities Commission and the 2.4 million customers that rely on the Hetch Hetchy water system here in the City and down the peninsula.

Today, Hetch Hetchy, San Francisco's water system, faces great risks and challenges. Built in the early 1900s, the pipes and tunnels that transport our water from the Sierra Nevada are vulnerable due to age and deterioration. Seismic studies indicate that major components of the system lack critical back-up capabilities and could not withstand a major earthquake.

To address these immense concerns and maintain reliable water services for the Bay Area, the PUC has proposed a long-term capital improvement plan.

The comprehensive proposal consists of 87 projects to repair Hetch Hetchy's aging infrastructure and seismic vulnerabilities. The plan also considers the region's growing population - the PUC expects water usage to increase by 64 million gallons per day over the next 30 years.

With Hetch Hetchy serving customers in San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara and Alameda counties, there is no question that it is in everyone's best interest to swiftly repair the system. Yet the capital improvement plan's $3.6 billion price tag has Bay Area lawmakers debating over how taxpayers should share this burden.

My office, in partnership with the PUC, is supporting Sen. Jackie Speier's San Francisco Bay Area Water Reliability Financing Authority Act. Passed by the Senate in May, Speier's legislation will create a regional financing agency and ensure that each community drawing water invests in the rebuilding process.

At one time, the PUC anticipated San Francisco voters would have to approve a bond financing the entire cost of system upgrades. Under Speier's plan, surrounding communities will contribute $2 billion in bond money and San Francisco will provide the remaining $1.6 billion.

Board of Supervisors President Tom Ammiano is leading a public consensus-building process, to bring all stakeholders together on the issue and forge a clear path on Hetch Hetchy's future. By bringing together all the interested parties, including tenants, environmentalists and the Chamber of Commerce, Ammiano is developing legislation for the November ballot that keeps Hetch Hetchy under San Francisco control.

The PUC must undertake a significant rehabilitation of our water system to ensure delivery of services to all its customers.

Willie Brown Jr. is the mayor of San Francisco.