Opposition to O'Shaunessy Dam Modification Project and to diverting more water from the Tuolumne River

San Francisco Board of Supervisors
War Memorial/Veteran's Building
401 Van Ness, Rm. 308 San Francisco, California 94102
Re: O'Shaunessy Dam Modification Project and diverting more water from the Tuolumne River

Members of the Board of Supervisors:

Friends of Yosemite Valley (FoYV) objects to any additional diversion of the waters of the Tuolumne River in Yosemite National Park.

The Public Utilities Commission's (PUC) plans to add an additional pipe consisting of 60" diameter output to O'Shaunessy Dam in order to fix a silt problem that has not been demonstrated to exist. Conversely, the most recent Water Quality Report from the PUC states that Hetch Hetchy water is among the most silt-free in the state.

We understand that the National Park Service has given permission, to the City of San Francisco, to proceed with this project and in so doing has failed to conduct any environmental analysis or required the City to conduct any environmental analysis. If this understanding is incorrect, please advise.

The Tuolumne in Yosemite National Park above the dam, and downstream, is a federally designated Wild and Scenic River which requires certain protections. The requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) also need to be met.

The Wild and Scenic River and wilderness area protections must be adhered to. After adherence to those provisions, an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) by the National Park Service and an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) by the City of San Francisco and/or the San Francisco Public Utility Commission will need to determine the effects of the stated diversion, if found appropriate and legal, on wildlife and the Park as well as a programmatic EIS and EIR to determine the environmental damage that this project would enable when the $3.6 billion Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) is completed. This includes increased sprawl, effects on wildlife and plants, river hydrology, riparian areas, fisheries, and effects on downstream river rafting and other recreational activities.

Thank you,
Joyce M Eden, for Friends of Yosemite Valley

cc: Superintendent Michael J. Tollefson, Yosemite National Park,
San Francisco Public Utilities Commission

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