October 30, 2001

Aquifer Plan Reached

Daly City and SFPUC start work on water issues at Lake Merced

by Matthew Verrinder
Staff Reporter

DALY CITY -- After nearly six months of negotiations, the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission and Daly City officials, for the first time, have reached a mutual agreement on ways to protect water supplies at Lake Merced and the Westside Basin Aquifer.

Together, Daly City and the SFPUC plan to restore the declining water levels of Lake Merced, protect against contamination of the Westside Basin Aquifer, and as a conservation measure, provide recycled water to the three golf courses surrounding the Lake.

The beachside lake sits just above the San Mateo County line in San Francisco County, less than half a mile from the Pacific Ocean, and provides Daly City with 43 percent of its drinking water.

"This is the first evidence in many years that San Francisco and Daly City are taking seriously the problems at Lake Merced and the underlying aquifer and intend to do something about those problems," said Jerry Cadagan, a member of environmental watchdog Friends of Lake Merced.

San Francisco Supervisor Tony Hall, the SFPUC, California Trout, Lake Merced interest groups and Daly City have all had input on the new plan, which Daly City Councilmember Adrienne Tissier described as the reason for the long study and negotiation period.

Daly City officials announced Tuesday a plan that will allow the water levels of the lake to be replenished by channeling cleaned rainwater back into it from its southern watershed, with the effort appropriately beginning this rainy season.

They've also announced that they are currently designing a $4 million water facility on Lake Merced Blvd. that will irrigate the Olympic Club, San Francisco Golf Club, and Lake Merced Golf and Country Club with recycled water.

Using recycled water to irrigate the golf clubs will halt the overuse of the Westside Aquifer, which has been providing water for over 700 acres of fairways and greens.

In addition to reducing well pumping from the aquifer, the recycled water will now flow back into the aquifer.

Lake Merced interest groups and hydrologists have long stated that if more water is pumped out of the aquifer than can be replenished, it will become contaminated from saltwater intrusion.

The third element of the agreement, already in effect, is described as a "conjunctive use" program.

In wet years, Daly City reduces its pumping from the aquifer, and instead buys extra water from the SFPUC's Hetch Hetchy system.  In dryer seasons, the city pumps more from the aquifer, allowing the Hetch Hetchy water to be used by other regional water consumers who didn't have any alternatives.

Through the years, the program has slowly enhanced the aquifer as a maintainable resource, city officials said.

Daly City has also received $250,000 under Assembly Bill 303, a ground water assessment grant that officials plan to use to build two monitoring wells to protect against saltwater intrusion of the aquifer.

"It took awhile to get all of the affected parties at one table, sharing similar ideas and agreeing on the same goals, but the result is something we can be proud of," said Daly City Councilmember Adrienne Tissier.  "Because of this partnership, future generations will be able to continue to enjoy Lake Merced."

Daly City has spent more than $2 million in the study and design phases, city officials said.

Matthew Verrinder can be reached via e-mail at mverrinder@smindependent.com or at 652-6739.