SAN FRANCISCO — Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's resources secretary has directed his agency to study possible restoration of the Hetch Hetchy Valley in Yosemite National Park, giving an unexpected official boost to the controversial idea of dismantling the dam that has been integral to the Bay Area's water supply for more than 80 years.
Mike Chrisman's decision came at the request of Assembly members Lois Wolk (D-Davis) and Joe Canciamilla (D-Pittsburg), and less than two months after the nonprofit group Environmental Defense released a study detailing possible alternatives to the Bay Area's sources of drinking water and hydroelectric power.
In a written response this week to the two legislators, Chrisman said he has asked the Department of Water Resources to review 20 years' worth of restoration proposals.
He added, "California, its governor and its citizens are committed to economically feasible restoration of ecosystems and preservation of open space. This commitment translates into an interest in reasonable proposals for expanding our trust resources."
The Hetch Hetchy system supplies water to 2.4 million Bay Area customers. Key to that system is the O'Shaughnessy Dam, which submerged the Hetch Hetchy Valley, which many consider Yosemite Valley's once equally beautiful twin, under 300 feet of water in 1923.
Previous proposals to tear down the dam and restore the valley have gone nowhere, and the latest one, by Environmental Defense, was criticized as irresponsible by U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), a former mayor of San Francisco, whose support in changing federal law would be critical.
"In a state that has faced repeated droughts and is desperate for water sources, I believe this would be a terrible mistake," she said.
Agencies that own and operate the water system and represent Bay Area consumers also expressed skepticism, stressing that a safe and reliable water source is the region's top priority. The director of the Bay Area Water Supply and Conservation Assn., which represents numerous water agencies in the region, said the group would not support the idea until alternate facilities were operating.
Any solution also would have to involve the Turlock and Modesto Irrigation Districts, which own the Don Pedro Reservoir downstream on the Tuolumne River.
Still, Tom Graff, Environmental Defense's California regional director, said support from the Schwarzenegger administration for further study is a start.
