Listed below are this year's resolutions passed by the Citizens' Advisory Committee.
- Resolution on SFPUC Solar Incentive Program
- Resolution re: Ten Year Planning
- Water for All Resolution
- WWCAC Digester Planning Process Resolution
- Resolution on Reserve Fund Allocation
- Resolution on Draft Wastewater Enterprise Master Plan Elements
- 2007 Resolutions
SFPUC Citizens Advisory Committee
Resolution on SFPUC Solar Incentive Program
Passed on May 19, 2008
WHEREAS, the SFPUC and the City and County of San Francisco have a goal of deploying more renewable energy technologies in the City to achieve the goal of more sustainable power generation, and;
WHEREAS the City and County of San Francisco currently has the least amount of solar energy systems installed out of the nine Bay Area counties, and;
WHEREAS, the SFPUC has proposed a one-year pilot program to offer a one-time, fixed dollar amount incentive to any property owner in the City who decides to install a solar electric system, and;
WHEREAS, the SFPUC Power Enterprise has identified $3 million of funding for this program in its own budget for solar projects, and;
WHEREAS, it is believed that this solar incentive program will result in a significant increase in the use of clean, solar energy in the city and a reduced reliance on fossil fuel power, especially during peak demand times;
THERFORE, be it resolved that the SFPUC Citizen’s Advisory Committee hereby strongly urges the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and the Mayor to immediately implement the $3 million one-year Solar Incentive Pilot Program as originally proposed by the SFPUC;
And FURTHER be it RESOLVED, that the SFPUC shall conduct an evaluation of the Solar Incentive Program, at or near the end the one-year anniversary, to determine efficacy and report back to the PUC and Citizens Advisory Committee.
Resolution of the Citizens Advisory Committee re: Ten Year Planning
Passed by the CAC April 21, 2008
WHEREAS the Charter, section 8B.123, requires SFPUC to adopt and annually review a ten year capital plan and related;
WHEREAS the Citizens Advisory Committee finds that SFPUC has not complied with the Charter requirement;
NOW, THEREFORE, CAC urges the Commission to bring SFPUC into compliance in 2008 by scheduling public hearing(s) culminating in the adoption by the Commission of a ten year capital plan, and related, to be annually reviewed and re-adopted in future years.
Water for All Resolution
Passed by the SFPUC CAC April 21, 2008
Whereas, public health agencies issued more than 20,000 warnings against swimming at beaches on U.S. coasts in 2005, and a majority of beach closings are due to sewage overflows and malfunctioning sewage plants; and
Whereas, the National Research Council recently warned that we should expect more water-borne disease outbreaks if there are not "substantial investments" made to improve our water pipes and systems; and
Whereas, there is currently a shortfall of more than $22 billion per year between the funds available and what is needed to keep water safe for human and environmental health; and
Whereas, many of our City's water pipes and sewers were installed in the early part of the 20th century; and
Whereas, it has been estimated that it will cost upwards of $3.5 billion to fix and upgrade San Francisco's wastewater system; and
Whereas, the upgrading our regional water system is expected to cost upwards of $5 billion
Whereas, the federal government has cut the main source of funding for clean water year after year; and
Whereas, the spirit of the Clean Water Act and Safe Drinking Water Act are threatened by lack of funding for water infrastructure; and
Whereas, according to a recent poll, nine out of ten Americans believe that clean and safe water is a national priority that deserves federal investment; and
Whereas, there are federal trust funds for other major national investment needs like highways and airports;
Therefore, The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission Citizens' Advisory Committee endorses a federal trust fund for clean and safe water based on the following principles:
• Pollution prevention and drinking water source protection;
• Water conservation by the largest water users, including agriculture and industry;
• Public participation and accountability for public officials;
• Access to affordable water;
• Public funds for public utilities;
• Environmentally sound use of our water resources so as to not subsidize sprawl;
• Developing and implementing innovative, environmentally sustainable infrastructure, appropriate for local conditions;
• Appropriate fees for industrial water polluters.
Be it Further Resolved, that the PUC CAC calls on the SFPUC, the Board of Supervisors, and the Mayor to work with their counterparts and urge our Federal elected officials to support the establishment of a federal clean water trust fund
WWCAC Digester Planning Process Resolution
Passed by the SFPUC CAC April 21, 2008
WHEREAS the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) has approved the development of a comprehensive Master Plan for rebuilding San Francisco sewage and stormwater collection and treatment system, and has allocated significant staff resources towards that end
WHEREAS the rebuild of the Southeast Treatment Plant sewage digesters was understood to be a fundamental aspect of the Master Plan at the time of the PUC's approval but has not yet advanced beyond preliminary discussion.
WHEREAS the development of the Master Plan has been predicated upon extensive public participation throughout the planning process
WHEREAS alternative locations exist for rebuilding the digesters
WHEREAS Staff have proposed commencing a targeted community planning process to help plan, design and locate the digester facility
RESOLVED, that the PUC Citizens’ Advisory Committee urges the PUC to advance the digester planning process without delay;
FURTHER RESOLVED, that the PUC Citizens’ Advisory Committee urges the Commission, General Manager, and staff to institute a stakeholder-driven public process that addresses the location and design of the new digesters.
Resolution on Reserve Fund Allocation
Passed by Citizens’ Advisory Committee Water Subcommittee
November 28, 2007
Passed by the CAC on February 25, 2008
Whereas, the Charter of the City and County of San Francisco, Section 16.103 (a) and (b) requires that the Public Utilities Commission create a Reserve Fund for Capital Assets and,
Whereas, SFPUC up to this point has not complied with the Charter provision and,
Whereas, such assets are found within the Power Enterprise, Water Enterprise and Wastewater Enterprise
Be it Resolved, that the Citizens Advisory Committee demands that the Public Utilities Commission develop a Reserve Fund allocation plan and said Commission begin funding said plan on July 1, 2009 and,
Be it Further Resolved, that said plan development, implementation and operation be presented to the Citizens Advisory Committee on a quarterly basis.
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Resolution on Draft Wastewater Enterprise Master Plan Elements
Passed by Citizens’ Advisory Committee Wastewater Subcommittee October 18, 2007
Passed by CAC January 28, 2008
Whereas, The SFPUC Wastewater Enterprise has presented the key elements of the Wastewater Master Plan to the Commission and to the Wastewater Subcommittee;
Whereas, the Wastewater Subcommittee has received regular updates and in-depth presentations on these Master Plan elements;
Whereas, the draft Master Plan is currently being written, and will be presented to the commission in the Spring of 2008 before being submitted to the Planning Department for environmental review;
Whereas, the Citizens Advisory Committee has a responsibility to comment on the plans and policies of the PUC.
Therefore, be it resolved that the PUC Citizens’ Advisory committee supports the proposals in the Master Plan for
- for an Integrated Urban Watershed Management Plan
- increased use of recycled water to reduce potable water usage, particularly for non-irrigation uses that increase the drought reliability of the system
- development of a proactive program to renew our aging collection system.
- prioritization of a new biosolids handling facility.
Be it further resolved that the PUC Citizens’ Advisory committee urges additional consideration of the following elements in the Master Plan;
- Site opportunities for stormwater detention in low-lying areas (for example in Channel Basin);
- A public review of options for rebuilding Southeast Treatment Plant that bring a broad range of stakeholders together.
- Development of a “Good Neighbor Policy” that involves local community in both short and long-term efforts to reduce negative impacts of the plant.
- Decentralized treatment options (for instance secondary treatment at Northpoint) to reduce impacts on the southeast neighborhood, improve flexibility of system, and address climate change impacts on system
- Opportunities to provide environmental enhancement (such as wetlands construction and stream daylighting) as part of planning effort
Be it further resolved that the PUC Citizens’ Advisory committee urges that any decision to rebuild the Southeast Treatment Plant incorporate a full life-cycle cost/benefit analysis and not be solely based on limited economic forecasts.
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