Yes, the NPR article is alarmist, verging on irresponsible.
A few facts, with sources:
- The water coming out of Hetchy Hetchy is still well within the 'usable' range [1]
- The total loss of power is 293 MW (Holm and Kirkwood), which is a tiny percentage of the power generated in CA [1,2]
- The SF PUC is already dealing with the loss of those 293 MW: San Francisco is making up the difference in power generation by accessing power in an existing power bank and purchasing power on the open market. [1]
- PG&E is reporting no problems in their network (at 10:20 PT) [3]
Keep calm, carry on. Perhaps take it as an opportunity to turn of the lights you're not using, like you should every day ;)
Its only alarmist if it doesn't get worse :-) Seriously though, alarmist or not, its serious. This fire is growing and not contained. There exists a non-zero chance of it creating a serious impact into the available clean water supply. And this is to a county not exactly known for its fiscal responsibility or ability to respond well to crisis.
Comments
Yes, the NPR article is alarmist, verging on irresponsible.
A few facts, with sources:
- The water coming out of Hetchy Hetchy is still well within the 'usable' range [1]
- The total loss of power is 293 MW (Holm and Kirkwood), which is a tiny percentage of the power generated in CA [1,2]
- The SF PUC is already dealing with the loss of those 293 MW: San Francisco is making up the difference in power generation by accessing power in an existing power bank and purchasing power on the open market. [1]
- PG&E is reporting no problems in their network (at 10:20 PT) [3]
Keep calm, carry on. Perhaps take it as an opportunity to turn of the lights you're not using, like you should every day ;)
1. http://www.sfwater.org/index.aspx?page=711 (see chart) 2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_power_stations_in_Calif... 3. http://www.pge.com/en/myhome/customerservice/energystatus/gr...
Its only alarmist if it doesn't get worse :-) Seriously though, alarmist or not, its serious. This fire is growing and not contained. There exists a non-zero chance of it creating a serious impact into the available clean water supply. And this is to a county not exactly known for its fiscal responsibility or ability to respond well to crisis.
But at least San Francisco has maintained it's charm! That's what's really important.