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SFPUC delays vote on Bay Area regional desalination study after public concerns; staff to return with outreach plan
Summary
The commission declined to approve a $200,000 MOU contribution today and asked staff to develop a robust public outreach plan and return at the next meeting after further engagement with stakeholders and partner agencies.
The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission postponed a decision on whether to commit up to $200,000 toward a regional study of desalination feasibility, following sustained public comment and commissioners’ questions about environmental and energy impacts.
Steve Ritchie, assistant general manager for water, described a proposed memorandum of agreement among five Bay Area agencies to fund up to roughly $1 million of site‑specific analysis (SFPUC’s share up to $200,000) including hydraulic modeling, water‑quality and marine‑life impact work, carbon‑footprint analysis and public outreach. Ritchie emphasized that the MOU was a study step, not a proposal to build, and that other partner agencies had already approved similar commitments.
Environmental and community groups warned of marine‑life impacts, endangered species take, and high energy use associated with desalination, and urged a more open public scoping process before the commission authorized study funds. Commenters also noted prior pilot work (Mallard Slough) and asked how earlier investments (~$283,000 in SFPUC share since 2003 plus Prop 50 grants and pilot costs) informed the new study.
Commissioners debated two options: approve the MOU immediately with a condition that staff run a workshop and return results, or delay action to allow a structured outreach/scoping process. The commission voted to continue the item to the next regular meeting and asked staff to return with an amended outreach plan that would be embedded in the proposed study work plan. Staff said the regional study will include stakeholder engagement and existing data from CalDesal and previous pilot testing.
