A positive direction for a once-strained relationship

Now that attitude may be changing. On Monday, 11 members of the Bay Area Water Supply and Conservation Agency - or BAWSCA - met with San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom to express concern over a number issues that have direct impact on every person who drinks water on the Peninsula.

The agency formed because of legislation written by former Assemblyman Lou Papan to give other cities and districts who use the Hetch Hetchy water delivery system more say. So far, it seems to be working.

San Francisco and its Public Utilities Commission has operational control over Hetch Hetchy and is taking on a $3.6 billion retrofit of the aging system. The retrofit is critical since there are 1.7 million customers in the area represented by BAWSCA who depend on that vital link.

Ira Ruskin, BAWSCA chair, outlined specific concerns the organization has regarding the retrofit. The project is 10 times the size of any previous plan by the PUC and Ruskin said he had concerns that the PUC may not be able to meet the challenge. Ruskin's second concern is that San Francisco's recent $3.7 million overcharge of water customers indicates serious flaws in the city's accounting practices.

The last concern centered around delays in the multi-billion dollar project. Ruskin asked Newsom to personally assure him that he would make sure the project came in on time and under budget. With San Francisco and the PUC in flux, Ruskin and the other 10 members of BAWSCA want to make sure the Peninsula has a safe and reliable source of water. It also wants to make sure we are not left holding the bag for San Francisco's shortcomings.

In short, Ruskin said he was given the assurance that Newsom would personally oversee the major retrofit project and that members of BAWSCA would have quarterly reports on the project's progress. That in itself is progress not only toward getting a truly reliable water supply but in a stronger and more positive relationship with our neighbors to the north.

With a new administration in San Francisco, Ruskin and his fellow BAWSCA board members were aggressive in sharing their - our - concerns.

So far, Newsom has kept his word on a number of issues and has shown he is willing to get his hands dirty. If he keeps his promise, Peninsula residents won't have to go through a lengthy process of getting their money back when they are overcharged for a runaway project with little oversight.