2.
Response
to
Comment
2.4
Master
Responses
to
Comments
It
is
expected
that
Brisbane’s
agreements
with
MID
and
the
SFPUC
would
establish
operating
rules
and
monitoring
procedures
that
ensure
that
the
OID-to-Brisbane
transfer
would
not
adversely
affect
system
operations
or
customer
deliveries
for
either
MID
or
the
SFPUC.
As
discussed
above
under
“Delivery
Reliability,”
there
may
be
water
losses
along
the
way
as
the
OID
water
is
transferred
to
Brisbane,
and
neither
MID
nor
the
SFPUC
is
expected
to
use
any
of
its
own
water
supplies
to
compensate
for
such
losses.
Further,
neither
MID
nor
the
SFPUC
is
expected
to
alter
system
operations
in
a
manner
that
adversely
affects
customer
deliveries.
Thus,
OID
water
transfer
would
not
result
in
adverse
effects
on
the
MID
or
SFPUC
system
operations
or
customer
deliveries
by
design,
as
established
in
Brisbane’s
agreements
with
these
two
agencies.
Effects
on
Tuolumne
River
and
its
Resources
As
discussed
in
the
Draft
EIR
(page
4.O-40),
to
implement
the
OID-to-Brisbane
water
transfer,
the
SFPUC
would
hold
2,400
AFY
in
Hetch
Hetchy
Reservoir
instead
of
releasing
it
down
the
Tuolumne
River
for
capture
by
MID/Turlock
Irrigation
District
(TID)
in
New
Don
Pedro
Reservoir
and
redirect
that
2,400
AFY
to
Brisbane
through
its
regional
water
system.
The
SFPUC
evaluated
the
effects
of
increasing
diversions
from
the
Tuolumne
River
and,
in
turn,
reducing
flow
releases
from
Hetch
Hetchy
Reservoir
on
the
Tuolumne
River
and
its
resources
in
the
program
EIR
it
prepared
on
its
Water
System
Improvement
Program
(WSIP)
(WSIP
PEIR;
San
Francisco
Planning
Department,
2008).
The
WSIP
PEIR
evaluated
the
impacts
of
a
range
of
possible
additional
diversions
from
the
Tuolumne
River
from
2
mgd
to
24
mgd.
As
described
and
analyzed
in
the
WSIP
PEIR
(Volume
7a,
page
13-8,
Table
13.2,
and
Volume
8,
Appendix
the
adopted
WSIP
would
result
in
an
increase
in
average
annual
diversions
of
2
mgd
from
the
Tuolumne
River
over
existing
conditions
in
the
area
along
the
Tuolumne
River
between
Hetch
Hetchy
and
Don
Pedro
Reservoirs.
The
WSIP
PEIR
described
and
analyzed
impacts
on
the
following
potentially
affected
resources
(see
PEIR
Volume
3,
Section
5.3,
and
Volume
7a,
Sections
14.5,
14.6,
and
14.7):
stream
flow
and
reservoir
water
levels,
geomorphology,
surface
water
quality,
surface
water
supplies,
groundwater,
fisheries,
terrestrial
biological
resources,
recreational
and
visual
resources,
and
energy
resources.
The
WSIP
PEIR
determined
that
impacts
of
the
adopted
WSIP
—
including
the
MID
water
transfer
—
on
potentially
affected
resources
in
the
Tuolumne
River
watershed
and
downstream
water
bodies
would
be
less
than
significant,
and
no
mitigation
measures
would
be
required
with
one
exception:
significant
—
but
mitigable
—
impacts
on
terrestrial
biological
resources
in
the
Tuolumne
River
watershed
due
to
an
increase
in
average
annual
diversions
from
the
Tuolumne
River
and
the
associated
modifications
in
releases
from
Hetch
Hetchy
Reservoir.
This
impact
was
identified
for
the
reach
of
the
river
betw
een
Hetch
Hetchy
Reservoir
(O’Shaughnessy
Dam)
and
Don
Pedro
Reservoir,
with
particular
impact
on
meadow
and
alluvial
features
in
this
reach,
including
the
Poopenaut
Valley.
The
impact
on
meadow
and
alluvial
features
would
occur
under
a
range
of
diversion
increases,
from
the
2
mgd
of
the
adopted
WSIP
up
through
the
30-mgd
diversion
increase
proposed
under
the
original
WSIP
project.
The
impact
would
result
from
both
the
increase
in
diversion
as
well
as
the
changes
in
system
operations
adopted
as
part
of
the
WSIP.
The
OID-Brisbane
water
transfer
would
contribute
to
this
potential
impact
on
the
Tuolumne
River
associated
with
changes
in
the
SFPUC’s
existing
reservoir
release
pattern
from
Hetch
Brisbane
Baylands
Final
EIR
2.4-85
May
2015