Groups demand that San Francisco take less water from river that runs through Modesto area

Several environmental groups say San Francisco’s drought risk is overstated and asked the city on Tuesday to reduce its diversion of Tuolumne River water.

They said chinook salmon and other wildlife suffer from the current operations, especially the river stretch in and near Modesto.

At a meeting of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, the groups urged more conservation and wastewater recycling. The agency responded that these “single-issue activists” do not understand the city’s needs.