Statement from Arthur Jensen, General Manager
Bay Area Water Supply and Conservation Agency (BAWSCA)
May 4, 2007
Potential Water Shortage in the Hetch Hetchy Service Area
BAWSCA supports the SFPUC’s cautious management of the limited water supply and the timely and prudent call for customers’ continued conservation of water and further reductions in water use as we go into the hot summer season.
In summary, there is cause for concern.
- March precipitation was 75 percent less than average and April precipitation was about 25 percent less than average.
- The April 1st snow pack is less than half of average.
- If no further rainfall occurs, this will be the 15th driest year in the last 88 years.
- Water currently available to the City is only 20% of normal for this time of year and most of the wet months are behind us.
- The system’s reservoirs in the Sierras are projected to fill by June. However, there will be little water stored as snow in the Sierras.
- The limited supply may represent the first year of a drought.
- A 10 percent system-wide reduction in water use may be necessary to preserve the limited supply and avoid significant water use reductions next year.
Like San Francisco, 19 of BAWSCA’s 27 agencies rely on San Francisco’s regional water system for over 90 percent of the supply for their residents, businesses and community organizations. The remaining agencies get a portion of their supply from other sources of water that may or may not be affected by the current dry conditions.
In 2005-06, the average water use per person throughout the 27 agencies was 88 gallons per person per day. That’s 15 percent lower than in 1986-87, prior to the last drought, and 23 percent lower than in 1976-77.
Of the water used by the 27 agencies, about 60 percent is used by 1.7 million residents and 40 percent by businesses and community organizations
Letter
to the Editor: On Chloramine, SF Department of Health,
June Weintraub
San Francisco Chronicle,
October 15, 2005
OPINION:
Examining our H20
San Francisco Chronicle,
October 9, 2005
SAN
FRANCISCO: The Hetch Hetchy Pipe Dream
San Francisco Chronicle,
August 5, 2005
SAN
FRANCISCO: More Conservation, Not Capacity
San Francisco Chronicle,
August 5, 2005
EDITORIAL:
Restore the Valley
San Francisco Chronicle,
August 5, 2005
Tribes
weigh in on dam removal
Sacramento Bee,
July 15, 2005
SACRAMENTO:
Hetch Hetchy restoration discussed
Sacramento Bee,
July 14, 2005
SAN
FRANCISCO: Don't Tear Down Yosemite's Dam; Drain the reservoir...
San Francisco Chronicle,
July 10, 2005
OPINION:
Hetch Hetchy Reclaimed: Water questions are always flowing
Sacramento Bee,
June 26, 2005
OPINION:
Hetch Hetchy Reservior, To Drain or not ro drain
San Francisco Chronicle,
June 13, 2005
SAN
FRANCISCO Interior chief pans Hetch Hetchy plan
Contra Costa Times,
May 26, 2005
EDITORIAL:
Hetch Hetchy ignores the future, Part II
El Dorado Mountain
Democrat, April 13, 2005
SAN
MATEO Hetch Hetchy costs to get review
The Daily News,
March 23, 2005
OPINION:
Adding the figures up on Hetch Hetchy
San Francisco Chronicle,
January 31, 2005
EDITORIAL:
Hetch Hetchy plan all clogged up
San Francisco Chronicle,
January 24, 2005
SAN
MATEO County Group wants to keep chloramine out ot water
San Mateo County
Times, January 22, 2005
EDITORIAL:
It's time that San Francisco let go of Hetch Hetchy
San Francisco Chronicle,
January 16, 2005
EDITORIAL:
Hope grows for Hetch Hetchy rebirth
San Mateo County
Times, December 4, 2004
SAN
MATEO County wants clues about chloramine
San Mateo Daily
Journal, December 3, 2004
REDWOOD
CITY State local water lead-free
San Francisco Examiner,
December 3, 2004
SAN
FRANCISCO Supes question effects of chloramine
San Francisco Examiner,
December 3, 2004
OAKLAND
Group mobilizes to save dam
Sacramento Bee,
December 2, 2004
OPINION:
What to do with Hetch Hetchy Restore a treasure
San Francisco Chronicle,
November 30, 2004
OPINION:
What to do with Hetch Hetchy We cannot lose this resource
San Francisco Chronicle,
November 30, 2004
EDITORIAL:
Hetch Hetchy Reclaimed: Shades of Mono Lake
Sacramento Bee,
November 28, 2004
OPINION:
Yosemite National Park Underwater Wonder
San Francisco Chronicle,
November 21, 2004
EDITORIAL:
The pendulum shifts State to lead a Hetch Hetchy study
Sacramento Bee,
November 14, 2004
OPINION:
Bay economy would wither without Hetch Hetchy
East Bay Business
Times, November 12, 2004
OAKLAND
State to examine Hetch Hetchy restoration
Sacramento Bee,
November 12, 2004
OPINION:
Hetch Hetchy water system needs our protection
Silicon Valley /
San Jose Business Journal, November 1, 2004
OPINION:
The reality behind fantasy of restoring Hetch Hetchy
Sacramento Bee,
October 25, 2004
EDITORIAL:
Lines in the sand A Hetch Hetchy debate slowly begins
Sacramento Bee,
October 25, 2004
OPINION:
Restoring Hetch Hetchy deserves some thought
Daily Republic,
October 5, 2004
EDITORIAL:
Left-wing conspiracy? Restoring Yosemite is not a water scheme
Sacramento Bee ,
September 29, 2004
OAKLAND
Study says Hetch Hetchy Valley can be restored; ciritcs pouince
Sacramento Bee,
September 28, 2004
EDITORIAL:
Drain it, then what?
Sacramento Bee,
September 19, 2004
EDITORIAL:
Yosemite on the cheap
Sacramento Bee,
September 7, 2004
OPINION:
Hetchy clients need equal water supply
Sacramento Bee,
September 7, 2004
EDITORIAL:
Muir's Plea
Sacramento Bee,
September 5, 2004
EDITORIAL:
Hetchy Hetchy Reclaimed: San Francisco's Paradox
Sacramento Bee,
August 30, 2004
OPINION:
Hetch Hetchy Reclaimed: 1n 1987, an attempt to bring
back the valley
Sacramento Bee,
August 30, 2004
EDITORIAL:
Hetch Hetchy Reclaimed: The dam downstream
Sacramento Bee,
August 29, 2004
OPINION:
Hetch Hetchy Reclaimed: CALVIN says the dam can go
Sacramento Bee,
August 29, 2004
SAN
FRANCISCO Hetch Hetchy project may be done early
San Francisco Chronicle,
August 25, 2004
EDITORIAL:
The lost Yosemite
Sacramento Bee,
August 22, 2004
OPINION:
Looking again at Hetch Hetchy
Sacramento Bee,
August 22, 2004
Suburbs
to San Francisco: Get going -- fix water system
The Almanac, July
14, 2004
EDITORIAL:
Mayor Newsom: Please fix our water system
The Almanac, July
14, 2004
SAN
FRANCISCO City Management of Water Criticized Suburban users
call for more oversight
San
Francisco Chronicle, June 30, 2004
IN
DEPTH: PENINSULA STRUCTURES 2003
Region’s Dry Climate Poses Challenge; Huge Water
System Upgrade, Conservation are Keys to Growth
San Francisco Business
Times, August 29, 2003
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