At its September 19, 2017 meeting, the Coalition of San Francisco Neighborhoods (CSFN) (of which BCNA is a member) addressed the recent action by the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) to add groundwater to our Hetch Hetchy drinking water. CSFN and an advocacy group called the San Francisco Safe Water Coalition is raising the alarm about the potential health concerns and water quality impact of this plan, which took effect April 18th. BCNA supports CSFNâs efforts to ask the Board of Supervisors to overturn the SFPUCâs plan.
Please review the information about this issue, and if you share our concerns, sign the petition asking the Board of Supervisors to stop SFPUC from mixing contaminated groundwater with our drinking water at http://www.sfsafewatercoalition.com/
Summary by the San Francisco Safe Water Coalition:
- Groundwater has health risks: There are unsafe levels of nitrates, chromium 6, manganese, radon-222, pesticides, and herbicides in our groundwater, which may increase risks of cancer, birth defects, and serious illness. Testing every few months wonât help. Even âlegal limitsâ are too high!
- Groundwater isnât necessary: Even with expected future growth and droughts, San Francisco can meet its drinking water needs well beyond 2040 with continued conservation and efficiency measures. Itâs not an emergency water supply. A week after an earthquake or other disruption, a âDo Not Drinkâ order would be mandatory.
- Stop wasting drinking water on irrigation, firefighting, and street cleaning:Â Use groundwater instead.
- Voters were misled:Â Prop A was approved in 2004 for earthquake upgrades to our Hetch Hetchy system. There was no mention of spending $66 million to add polluted groundwater to our drinking water supply. We, the voters were misled by the SFPUC.
For more information, email sfsafewater4all@gmail.com.