River advocates report spring-run Chinook and press SFPUC for workshop on alternative water supply

Peter Drechmeyer, policy director for the Tuolumne River Trust, used the public-comment periods at the June 10 SFPUC meeting to report a conservation observation and to press the commission on planning and public engagement.

Drechmeyer said “a hundred spring run Chinook salmon entered the Tuolumne River” and that the fish were holding below La Grange Dam. He told the commission those fish were once thought extirpated from portions of the Tuolumne after dam construction, described the life-cycle needs of spring-run versus fall-run Chinook and said staff and the public should plan for summer holding conditions below the dam to prevent fish mortality.

In a second public comment, Drechmeyer raised concerns about the SFPUC’s borrowing capacity and the cost estimates in the agency’s alternative water supply plan. He stated that the SFPUC budget had reached about $1.8 billion and warned of potential borrowing limits if the agency borrows for large alternative-supply projects. He estimated that overly aggressive alternative supply planning could call for between 92 million and 122 million gallons per day of new supply and suggested costs in the range of $17 billion to $25 billion, though he said smaller-scale options (for example 20 million gallons per day) might be a more affordable insurance policy.

Drechmeyer asked the commission to convene a workshop on the alternative water supply plan; he noted the Tuolumne River Trust participated in workshops from 2020 to 2022 and requested an opportunity to present further analysis.

Ending: Commissioners acknowledged the comments; the commission did not take formal action on the specific workshop request during the meeting.