SF FILLING RESERVOIRS IN AS FIRE APPROACHES SUPPLY
TUOLUMNE CITY, Calif. (AP) — San Francisco water authorities are scrambling to fill area reservoirs with water from their source in the Sierra Nevada before ash from a wildfire near Yosemite National Park taints supplies.

Ash from the 234-square-mile fire has been falling on the city's Hetch Hetchy Reservoir in Yosemite, but so far hasn't sunk far enough into the lake to reach intake pumps.

General Manager Harlan Kelly Jr. of the city's Public Utilities Commission said Monday the city has a six-month supply on hand. If ash eventually causes turbidity, the city will begin filtering supplies. He was unsure of the cost.

The agency also is checking 12 miles of hydroelectric transmission lines that supply city facilities. An emergency declaration has allowed the city to spend $600,000 for power on the open market
[link to bigstory.ap.org]