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Public commenters urge SFPUC to review socioeconomic claims tied to Bay-Delta Plan
Summary
Speakers at the SFPUC meeting raised concerns about a socioeconomic study and editorial related to the State Water Resources Control Board's Bay-Delta flow objectives, calling for staff review and correction if needed.
At the start of its Oct. 11 meeting the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission heard several public commenters raise concerns about published socioeconomic estimates tied to the State Water Resources Control Board's draft flow objectives.
Peter Drechmeyer of the Tuolumne River Trust told commissioners he found figures cited in an op-ed attributed to SFPUC leadership and in a related socioeconomic analysis to be flawed and, in some cases, misleading. Drechmeyer said the analysis used an atypical baseline for water supply calculations and conflated regional systems, producing high estimates of job and sales losses under hypothetical rationing scenarios.
Drechmeyer cited what he described as a $37 billion to $49 billion range in decreased sales transactions and a potential loss of between 140,000 and 188,000 Bay Area jobs under extreme rationing scenarios, figures he said derive from earlier testimony and interim reports and that warrant closer scrutiny.
Bill Martin and Heinrich Albert, representing local Sierra Club interests, urged the commission not to oppose the State Water Board's proposed flow objectives and asked the SFPUC to engage constructively, citing documented ecological declines in the Bay-Delta system and the need for science-based restoration.
Commission staff acknowledged the public comments and said they would take a closer look at the concerns and consider whether further discussion or agenda placement is warranted. No formal action was taken on the remarks during the meeting.
