Editorial

Lake Merced water worries

Published on Tuesday, August 10, 2004

Lake Merced is on the rise - literally. The natural lake in the southwest corner of San Francisco was once a recreational jewel, considered one of the best urban lakes in the country, but by the late 1990s it had declined greatly because of neglect and overzealous pumping from the aquifer that supplies its water. In the past few years, though, the lake has benefited from the attention and TLC of several dedicated groups and better awareness on the part of city officials about the importance of maintaining this civic treasure. Part of the improvement has come in the form of rising water levels, but that also has brought an unusual concern.

In addition to its recreational attraction as a pleasant place to walk, run and bike, as well as for fishing, boating and bird watching, Lake Merced serves as an emergency supply of drinking water for the city. That has some people worried about whether lead shot from target shooters at the Pacific Rod and Gun Club on the lake's southern shore could lead to contamination as rising lake levels bring more water into contact with the material. The club has prohibited lead shot for about 10 years, but it has leased the property since 1939 and pellets have settled on the shoreline and the shallow water of the lake.

Testing in recent years has indicated that lead levels in the water are far lower than state standards, but the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission plans to send scientists to conduct a more extensive survey and look for other kinds of contamination in the next few weeks.

The City hasn't used Lake Merced for drinking water in 74 years, and the testing may reveal that there is little to worry about, but it's a prudent precaution all the same. As efforts to restore the lake proceed, it makes sense to assess their impact on a body of water that must serve a variety of interests. And if the study does find that some kind of cleanup is needed, it's a good idea to work out what parties are responsible for paying for it now. In East Palo Alto, the PUC was left holding the bag for a wetlands cleanup that probably will cost millions of dollars, after another gun club that had leased the property for decades closed in 1994.