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SFPUC warns 40% Bay‑Delta flow requirement could force steep rationing; environmental groups press for stronger flows
Summary
At a committee hearing on the State Water Resources Control Board’s proposed Bay‑Delta plan, SFPUC warned a 40% unimpaired flow requirement for San Joaquin tributaries could increase rationing and force costly supply projects. Environmental advocates urged higher flows and quicker action to restore salmon; business groups warned of housing and economic risks.
The Public Safety and Neighborhood Services Committee held a hearing on the State Water Resources Control Board’s proposed Bay‑Delta Water Quality Control Plan and heard a detailed presentation from the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC), followed by more than a dozen public speakers representing environmental groups, fisheries interests, residents and business groups.
SFPUC Assistant General Manager Stephen Ritchie told the committee the Tuolumne River and Hetch Hetchy system are central to the Bay Area’s supply: the Tuolumne supplies an estimated 85 percent of the San Francisco regional water system and the SFPUC serves roughly 2,600,000 customers across the Bay Area. Ritchie said the state board’s draft proposal to require about 40 percent of unimpaired flows on San Joaquin River tributaries during February through June — with possible variability between 30 and 50 percent mentioned in the draft — is significant because it would reduce water available for storage and increase the frequency and severity of dry‑year shortages.
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