Bad idea to drain reservoir

Regarding “Hetch Hetchy plan stirs little worry” (Bay Area, July 26): Hetch Hetchy Reservoir is the main source of drinking water for 2.7 million people in four Bay Area counties. That’s why our ratepayers just invested $4.8 billion dollars on our Water System Improvement Program over the past 10 years to make sure it remains reliable well into the future.

Dismantling this system would have major financial, environmental and water supply consequences. First, at an estimated cost of $10 billion, it would cost more than twice the amount of money spent to improve the system to take it down. Second, this system generates 100 percent greenhouse-gas-free electricity. We would lose 410 megawatts of clean hydropower generation, equal to powering more than 400,000 homes. Finally, the loss of the dam would mean a loss of more than 117 billion gallons of high-quality water storage. In times of global climate change and increasing droughts, this would be particularly foolish.

No matter how many times they’ve been told no, this group will go to any lengths to destroy our precious drinking water system. In fact, just this month, the Fifth District Court of Appeals upheld a decision to dismiss a lawsuit pushing to drain Hetch Hetchy. Because it’s a bad idea. We will continue to work with our local, state and federal partners to protect the Bay Area’s vital water resources.

Harlan Kelly Jr., general manager, San Francisco Public Utilities Commission