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Public urges SFPUC to drop proposed Tuolumne diversion; commissioners require further study
Summary
Environmental groups, anglers and many residents urged the SFPUC to remove a proposed average 2 MGD diversion from the Tuolumne River, citing collapsed salmon runs; commissioners adopted WSIP but directed staff to report in 90 days on options to supplement flows and to accelerate habitat and conservation work.
Environmental organizations, watershed residents and local officials used the SFPUC's Oct. 30 special meeting to press the commission to eliminate any additional diversions from the Tuolumne River, warning that the river's Chinook and steelhead runs have plunged to historically low levels.
Speakers including Peter Drechmeier of the Tuolumne River Trust, Jessie Reeder (Tuolumne River Trust), Jeff Miller of the Alameda Creek Alliance and commercial fishermen cited historic and recent counts — a drop from hundreds of thousands of Chinook in past decades to a few hundred in recent years — and said the proposed average 2 million gallons per day increase could push sensitive populations past a tipping point.
Drechmeier and others urged the commission to adopt an aggressive conservation alternative and to rely on recycled water and groundwater rather than additional diversions. The Alameda Creek Alliance and the California Native Plant Society criticized the programmatic EIR as inadequate on baseline data and mitigation commitments for fisheries and habitat restoration.
Commissioners acknowledged those concerns during deliberations. While adopting the phased WSIP variant, the commission added two specific directions: accelerated conservation and recycling goals with annual reporting, and a staff report within 90 days on efforts to supplement Tuolumne River flows to offset the proposed 2 MGD average diversion and better support salmon and steelhead. Commissioners also noted that project-level CEQA and permitting will be required for individual projects that could change diversions.
Public commenters also presented petitions, science citations and local economic testimony from fishermen and tourism interests to underscore the Tuolumne's cultural and economic value. The commission's actions commit staff to return with mitigation and flow-supplement options but do not immediately authorize additional diversions without later project-level review.
