Subj: Lake Merced questions
Date:3/31/2002 9:28:43 AM Pacific Standard Time
From:    [email protected] (Morten)
To:    [email protected]
 

Good morning Michael,  Following our hydrologist meeting I have been mulling over some questions.
Please give me a brief response.

A set of questions center around sources of water to "stop" the decline of Lake Merced and Pine
Lake. We need immediate actions while the longer term projects (e.g., DC and Oceanside recycled
water, Vista Grande) are implemented.  Joe recommended putting Hetch Hetchy water into LM
(and by guilt by association with the aquifer - Pine Lake).

1.  It was a agreed that a David Dawdy's summer hydrological 3 part test of putting HH water into
each of the three lakes over a period of time and taking measurements would be beneficial to
understanding the hydrology as well as recharging the shallow aquifer.  How do we get HH water
scheduled for the tests beginning in mid-June?

2.  Is there a cost to put surplus HH water into LM?  What is the cost?

3.  Who makes the decision to use HH water to put in the lake and recharge the shallow aquifer?

4.  How do we obtain a permanent allocation for Lake Merced and Pine Lake?

5.  When we will know whether the new disinfection method for HH water will allow the
water to be used to fill the lakes and inject into the shallow aquifer?

With regards to recycled water.  Here are some questions?

1.  Will the PUC have access to winter DC tertiary recycled water to put in LM?

2.  Does the financing for Patrick's plant require that all tertiary water be sold or is
winter tertiary water available for free for the lakes?  Did SF's $1 million buy us any water?

3.  I have read the 1996 Recycled Water Plan.  Thank you for sending it to me.  Do you have
information on the revised CIP recycled water plan that I could review with you?  I have some
thought on building support for the recycled water component of the CIP.

4.  The CIP calls for 81 mgd of new water resources within the next decade or so.  Could
the CIP help finance other recycled water projects for the HH water agencies (e.g., joint
San Bruno and SSF tertiary plant)?

Before Joe's report is made more widely available I recommend that "delay" be substituted for
"indirect" to describe the effect of water moving from the shallow to the deep aquifer.  A delayed
effect is more understandable to a broader public.

Thank you for the help.

Dick Morten