May 20, 2002

Ms. Patricia Martel
General Manager
San Francisco Public Utilities Commission
1155 Market, 4th Floor
San Francisco, California 94103

Dear Pat:

As you suggested in your introduction to the review of the Scalmanini report, it is most likely that a series of meetings will be required to fully explore issues related to Lake Merced and the Westside Basin aquifer.  In fact, at that meeting there was not adequate opportunity to discuss many of the issues raised by Joe Scalmanini in any comprehensive way.

We suggest that the next meeting be held at the earliest possible opportunity to address the development of a short-term program to halt the decline of Lake Merced.  While we applaud the efforts being made to generate a long-term solution, those will not be in place quickly.  We need, in medical terms, to stabilize the patient so that the condition of Lake Merced does not further deteriorate.  I am attaching an outline for such a meeting that was prepared for us by hydrologists Gus Yates and John Fio, with some editing by Katie Pilat and myself.

I might add that the rapid infusion of large quantities of water designed to quickly restore the level of Lake Merced to the targeted 26 feet, as suggested in Michael Carlin's letter to Dick Morten of May 13, is unlikely to be successful for a number of environmental reasons.  A more gradual approach to restoring the lake, with mitigating actions taken to preserve habitat and prevent further deterioration of water quality, will almost certainly be required.

A second meeting is needed to discuss issues raised by the Scalmanini report, and to integrate those findings into a comprehensive model of the Westside Basin that can be used for planning purposes.  Patrick Sweetland has offered to host such a meeting under the auspices of the AB303 program.  I hope that the PUC will cooperate with Patrick in making this meeting a success.

I await your suggestions as to how we should now proceed.

Sincerely,

(signed)

John Plummer
Chairperson

electronic c.c.:

Dennis Normandy, Vice President, Public Utilities Commission

Patrick Sweetland, Manager of Water and Wastewater Resources, City of Daly City

Michael Carlin, Public Utilities Commission

Josh Milstein, City Attorney's Office

Lisa Wayne, Manager of the Natural Areas Program, Recreation and Park Department

Gus Yates, John Fio, David Dawdy and Katie Pilat, Consulting Hydrologists

Dan Murphy, Audubon Society

Howard Strassner and Ruth Gravanis, Sierra Club

Dick Allen, Tim Colen, Dick Morten, Jerry Cadagan and Tony Jones, members of the Lake Merced Task Force Water Committee