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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Friday, April 5, 2002
©2002 San Francisco Chronicle
SAVE THE AQUIFER
Editor -- Regarding Rachel Gordon's article, "Supervisor takes aim at paved front yards" (March 28): This type of ordinance is extremely important for neighborhood aesthetics and for efforts to maintain or increase the groundwater recharge capacity of San Francisco, which has been vastly reduced by development in the past 50 to 100 years.Effects of the dramatic decline of the Westside Basin aquifer can be seen in the rapidly decreasing water levels of Lake Merced, which has lost 50 percent of its volume in 60 years.
The remaining unpaved yards are the only conduits left through which rainwater can enter the ground and make its way down to the aquifer that supports Lake Merced and may potentially provide potable water in some parts of the city. We need every square inch of the remaining unpaved yards to allow rainfall to recharge the aquifer, a vital part of San Francisco's water supply system.
Three cheers to Supervisor Gerardo Sandoval for cracking down on the illegal loss of urban greenery.
KATIE PILAT
HydrologistNeighborhood Parks Council
San Francisco
