SF Engineer To Head Hetch Hetchy Repairs

San Francisco City Engineer Harlan Kelly Jr. has been tapped to head the $3.6 billion project to repair and upgrade the Hetch Hetchy water delivery system.

The Hetch Hetchy reservoir feeds water to the city and a number of surrounding communities.

Mayor Willie Brown announced yesterday he wants Kelly to run the project which will fix and improve the century-old system. San Francisco voters in November approved $1.6 billion in bonds to help pay for the fixes. The rest will come from a new regional water authority which represents suburban customers.

Kelly has overseen several successful capital projects, including the seismic overhaul of City Hall and the rebuilding of Laguna Honda Hospital. His appointment must be confirmed by the city Public Utilities Commission.