Hetch Hetchy Upgrade Will Cap Water Withdrawn From Tuolumne River

Moccasin, Ca — The Hetch Hetchy Water system will receive a $4.4 billion upgrade to help it withstand any potential major earthquakes.

As part of the decision made by the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, water sales will be capped at current levels until 2018. The Tuolumne River supplies 85% of the water utilized by the SFPUC.

?This is a major victory for the wild and scenic Tuolumne River,? says Peter Drekmeier of the Tuolumne River Trust. ?A year ago we faced a proposal to divert an additional 25 million gallons of water per day from the Tuolumne, enough to fill 1,000 swimming pools. We´ve come a long way.?

The decision was made at an SFPUC meeting Thursday evening. In addition, a biological study will be conducted on the Tuolumne River to determine when additional water should be released from Hetch Hetchy to benefit wildlife and vegetation downstream.

Written by BJ Hansen