Dianne Feinstein, the mayor of San Francisco at the time, said in a Los Angeles Times story in 1987: "All this is for an expanded campground? Only a tiny proportion of Yosemites visitors explore this out-of-the-way corner of the national park. Restore Hetch Hetchy and the Environmental Defense Funds own studies support a lower cost estimate, ranging from $1 billion to $2 billion. Hetch Hetchy Environmental Debates | National Archives Then, well need to weigh our options for other new large water supplies, all of which will have enormous environmental tradeoffs: think of building a desalination plant, fighting with Los Angeles over the Sacramento Delta, building a peripheral canal or siting new large dams in presently undammed Sierra mountains and foothills. But Sites would be what's called an off-channel reservoir, built away from the river. Pipelines 1 and 2 cross the San Francisco Bay to the south of the Dumbarton Bridge, while pipelines 3 and 4 run to the south of the bay. At SPUR, we have done a lot of work on climate change adaptation. In: Educational Resources, History, National Parks, Your email address will not be published. The Hetch Hetchy Dam in the Yosemite Valley, receives the bulk of it's water from the sierra snow pack miles above the reservoir. [58], Water from Hetch Hetchy is some of the cleanest municipal water in the United States; San Francisco is one of six U.S. cities not required by law to filter its tap water, although the water is disinfected by ozonation and, since 2011, exposure to UV. The Dam flooded about nine miles of the river, including the Hetch Hetchy valley. The waterfall on the Tuolumne is now submerged under Hetch Hetchy Reservoir. "[19], People have lived in Hetch Hetchy Valley for over 6,000 years. Without Hetch Hetchy as its primary reservoir, San Francisco will be forced to pump and filter its water for the first time in a century, and lose out on the 726 million kilowatt-hours produced by . No BS! To visit the waterfalls or Yosemites northern backcountry, you walk across OShaughnessy Dam. "[22], The valley's name may be derived from a Miwok word earlier anglicized as hatchhatchie, which means "edible grasses"[8][23] or "magpie". Residents drink it in 26 cities and water districts from San. There are many places to stop and enjoy views of the rushing water before turning around to return to your car. The deciding factor was whether or not the land in question had access to water. He had journeyed to Washington to lobby the federal government on behalf of the project. [2] The reservoir is eight miles long and the largest single body of water in Yosemite. [4] A broad, low rocky outcrop situated between Kolana Rock and Hetch Hetchy Dome divided the former meadow in two distinct sections. As a consequence, visitors came to experience it for themselves. As the Hetch Hetchy Valley was part of Yosemite National Park, Hitchcock preferred to protect the parks natural wonders. Swimming and boating are prohibited in Hetch Hetchy Reservoir in order to maintain a clean source of drinking water. [6][7], Upstream from the valley lies the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne, while the smaller Poopenaut Valley is directly downstream from O'Shaughnessy Dam. OPTION 3Give control to the local people of Hetch Hetchy Hetch Hetchy ushered in a new era for the national parks. Hoover Dam. The Hetch Hetchy Road drops into the valley at the dam, but all points east of there are roadless, and accessible only to hikers and equestrians. The law authorizing the dam passed Congress on December 7, 1913. This is because the Tuolumne catchment basin above Hetch Hetchy is almost three times as large as the catchment area of the Merced River above Yosemite, allowing a greater volume of ice to form. Hetch Hetchy System - BAWSCA The Tuolumne River, the source of. Teams completed the OShaughnessy Dam in 1923 and the reservoir filled for the first time in May of that year. Hetch Hetchy Valley Analysis - 1299 Words | Internet Public Library Furthermore, they provided a place for the wild plants and creatures to live out their own lives, according to their purposes. The Valley Below | The Verge Gifford Pinchot wanted the U.S Forest Service to control the parks, but after his support to dam Hetchy Hetchy, Congress voted in 1916 to to establish the National Park Service whose sole purpose was "to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the wild life therein and to provide for the . The Hetch Hetchy Valley underwent a monumental transformation when the City Of San Francisco received the approval of Congress in 1913 to build a dam in the Hetch Hetchy Valley, thus storing the water of the Tuolumne River and flooding the valley to a height of over 350 feet. He said, So we come now face to face with the perfectly clean question of what is the best use to which this water that flows out of the Sierras can be put. The spacious rooms include access to a heated swimming pool, spa, playground, and laundry facilities. SF's Hetch Hetchy water system is almost full. Is that a good thing? Hetch Hetchy and Ackerson Meadow: Wildflowers and Bats [8] Rancheria Falls is located farther southeast, on Rancheria Creek. Construction of O'Shaughnessy Dam began in 1919 and was finished in 1923, with the reservoir first filling in May of that year. The larger issues at stake would frame environmental debates for years to come. The Hetch Hetchy Reservoir also serves to provide energy in the form of hydroelectricity, with a capacity of over 200 megawatts a year. This can be very disorienting to fish and disrupt their migrations as they depend on steady streams and flows to guide them. The Hetch Hetchy Valley was within Yosemite National Park and protected by the federal government, leaving it up to Congress to decide the valley's fate. As well dam for . Loss of the reservoir would decrease the Bay Areas water and energy security, requiring new water storage (possibly in reservoirs not owned by San Francisco) and the development of new water and energy supplies. Many examples of red-barked manzanita can be seen along the Hetch Hetchy Road. As we learned from Rachel Carsons Silent Spring, humankind can damage the environment while attempting to control it. By 1908, a different Interior Secretary, James R. Garfield, sided with the utilitarian conservationists and issued a permit for the Hetch Hetchy project. According to a local legend, Nate spotted a valley to the east that was too far to visit. People have died after being swept off the bridge and onto the rocks below. (In fact partially because it is so difficult and destructive to build large dams, we are running out of new supplies of water in California.) California Rep. John E. Raker submitted a bill to Congress granting the city of San Francisco the right to dam the Hetchy Hetchy Valley as a reservoir and also provide the city the right of municipalized electricity as well. For thousands of years, Native Americans subjected the valley to controlled bushfires, which prevented forest from taking over the valley meadows. It's a big job to open the tunnel and close it again. Although there are relatively few visitors to Hetch Hetchy, youll find most of them along the trail to Wapama Fall. High temperatures prevail in summer months, but its a small price to pay for the reward of vast wilderness filled with stunning peaks, hidden canyons, and remote lakes. I will agree to take down Hetch Hetchy, when we first replace it with a bigger new reservoir such as a bigger taller Yosemite Valley dam at El Capitan. In terms of quality, Hetch Hetchy water is so pristine that it is one of only a handful of water supplies in the country that doesn't need to be filtered, a process that is expensive and energy intensive. In 2007, in approving the environmental impact report for the Water System Improvement Program an investment of more than $4 billion to shore up the seismic reliability of the Hetch Hetchy water system the SFPUC gave itself, and its wholesale customers on the peninsula, ten years to develop a plan that would identify reliable alternative sources of water to meet the regions future growth in demand, rather than diverting more water from the Tuolumne River. Right next to the Lucky Buck Cafe, youll find the Yosemite Westgate Lodge and Buck Meadows Lodge. It pitted a powerful city against a dedicated group of conservationists. For instance, the WET company helps people see the beauty of water through magnificent water fountains. They poured an estimated total of more than 398,000 cubic yards (304,000 cubic meters) of concrete to form the dam. ", "Fall in the Main Tuolumne River at the Head of Hetch Hetchy Valley", "Fly Fishing Poopenaut Valley Tuolumne River", "Screech Brothers Find Hetch Hetchy Valley", "Big Oak Flat (No. Hetch Hetchy | Hetch Hetchy Dam & Reservoir History | Yosemite.com Owned by the city of San Francisco, Hetch Hetchy Reservoir provides water to 2.7 million residents and businesses in the San Francisco Bay Area. Plus, they needed a way to bring supplies and workers into the mountains. Since the valley was within Yosemite National Park, an act of Congress was needed to authorize the project. Instead, it was a more complicated battle which pitted public interests against private interests. Back in the early nineteen hundreds, when the debate start about The Hetch Hetchy dam being built a large majority of people did not realize or care how valuable nature is. The glacially-carved U-shaped valley floor maximizes the amount of water stored in the reservoir. For functional purposes, Hetch Hetchy was a promising solution to San Francisco's serious water shortages. Had it been, the Sierra Clubs members would have presented a united front in opposition to its development. Now San Francisco wanted to dam one of the two principal watersheds in the park, the Hetch Hetchy valley through which ran the Tuolumne River, to create a reservoir for its water supply. The O'Shaughnessy Dam and reservoir, and the series of aqueducts, tunnels, and tunnels as well as 8 other dams make up the entire Hetch Hetchy Project. The main problem with the measure is that in spite of appearing to be about studying best options or planning for future water supplies, it has pre-determined the solution: draining Hetch Hetchy Reservoir. To get the electricity they would need, they first built a smaller dam at Lake Eleanor. Native American cultures were prominent before the 1850s when the first settlers from the United States arrived in the Sierra Nevada. The second concept is preservation. [2] The dam contains 675,000cuyd (516,000m3) of concrete. [61] In 2018, the Department of the Interior of the Trump administration began to consider a proposal to allow limited boating on the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir for the first time, supported by the advocacy group Restore Hetch Hetchy which argued that "San Francisco received [Hetch Hetchy's] benefits long ago, but the American people have not. [14] At maximum extent, Tioga Glacier may have been 60mi (97km) long and up to 4,000ft (1,200m) thick, filling Hetch Hetchy Valley to the brim and spilling over the sides, carving out the present rugged plateau country to the north and southwest. DWRs meta-study found a range of costs from $3 billion to $10 billion for restoration and replacement of water and power sources. PDF ISSUE GUIDE Hetch Hetchy - theautry.org That reservoir is New Don Pedro, and it rests over existing pipelines to the Bay Area. Eighty-five percent of the water comes from Sierra Nevada snowmelt stored in the Hetch Hetchy reservoir situated on the Tuolumne River in Yosemite National Park. [42] They claimed the valley was not unique and would be even more beautiful with a lake. These benefits include: Reservoir-based recreation - swimming, fishing, camping etc. There, he met the same Indian chief and his wives. [9] Formerly, a "small but noisy"[10] waterfall and natural pool existed on the Tuolumne River marked the upper entrance to Hetch Hetchy Valley,[11] informally known as Tuolumne Fall (not to be confused with a similarly named waterfall several miles upriver near Tuolumne Meadows). Hetch Hetchy, for the time being, was safe, and it would not be inundated during Roosevelts watch.. The proposed study would also have been required to identify potential replacements for the water storage capacity and hydroelectric power production.[87][88]. Gifford Pinchot: A 2021 Lesson From Americas First Forester, Meet The Real Life Batman & Robin Of The National Parks, Natural Rivals: John Muir, Gifford Pinchot, and the Creation of Americas Public Lands, Gifford Pinchot and the Making of Modern Environmentalism, Son of the Wilderness: The Life of John Muir, General Sherman Tree: Everything You Need to Know About The Largest Tree in the World, 11 BEST National Parks Near San Francisco to Visit (Expert Guide), 7 EPIC National Parks Near Santa Ana Youll Love (Photos + Guide). Hetch Hetchy Quotes - Rausser College of Natural Resources Following a fierce nationwide debate led by John Muir and Will Colby of the Sierra Club, the City of San Francisco was authorized by the U.S. Congress, in the Raker Act of 1913, to construct a dam and reservoir on the Tuolumne River in Hetch Hetchy Valley in Yosemite National Park. 406 California Historical Landmark)", "John Muir's Yosemite: The father of the conservation movement found his calling on a visit to the California wilderness", "Timeline of the Ongoing Battle Over Hetch Hetchy", "The Hetch Hetchy Letters: If a Group of Intellectuals Argues in a Forest, and then that Forest is Submerged Under Water, Does Their Argument Matter? The O'Shaughnessy Dam is near Yosemite's western boundary, but the long, narrow, fingerlike reservoir stretches eastward for about 8 miles (13 km). From this work, we have concluded that it is not wise to reduce water storage facilities considering the realities of a growing population and climate change. The proposed ballot measure calls for the creation of a task force that would spend $8 million to develop a long-term plan for improving water quality and reliability, remediating environmental damages caused by the water supply system, and identifying new water and renewable energy supplies so that Hetch Hetchy Valley could be returned to the National Park Service. Water could be diverted into the Kirkwood and Moccasin Powerhouses using lower-impact diversion dams, providing power generation on a seasonal basis, and the enlarged height at Don Pedro would also increase power generation there. The SFPUC and other Hetch Hetchy users are currently implementing plans to meet this demand through recycled water, groundwater and conservation. And, as you might imagine, it produces some of the cleanest municipal water in the United States. The surface of the water hides an additional 300 feet of granite cliffs and once-upon-a-time waterfalls within its depths. The Sites Reservoir a $4.4 billion project to add dams and store more water that'll be sent south is still years away from completion. During the late 19th century, the valley was renowned for its natural beauty often compared to that of Yosemite Valley but also targeted for the development of water supply for irrigation and municipal interests. During summer, people of the Miwok and Paiute came to Hetch Hetchy from the Central Valley in the west and the Great Basin in the east. O'Shaughnessey Dam Facts. Just before reaching the Bay Area, it passes through the Irvington tunnel near the city of Fremont, and the aqueduct splits into four pipelines at 373253N 1215555W / 37.548104N 121.932041W / 37.548104; -121.932041. [72] The water storage provided at Hetch Hetchy could be transferred into Lake Don Pedro lower on the Tuolumne River by raising the New Don Pedro Dam 30ft (9.1m). Hetch Hetchy's restoration, after all, will benefit national . In this unmanaged scenario, where nature is left to take hold in the valley, eventually a forest would grow, rather than the meadow being restored. As a 13.4-mile (21.4 km) round-trip hike, Rancheria Falls gets fewer day-hikers than Wapama Falls but is a popular backpacking stop. But during peak spring flow, the thundering waterfall can wash over the bridge making it dangerous to cross. [8], Meadow plants unavailable in the lowlands were particularly valuable resources to these tribes. Should nature be left alone so that flora and fauna flourish while people enjoy its primal wonders? Garfield had granted San Franciscos request, but Ballinger ordered the city to show cause as to why Hetch Hetchy should not be deleted from their grant. Annie Li, a senior engineer at the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, points to the yellow and brown squiggly lines on the map, revealing our water's path from Hetch Hetchy to the Bay Area. History - Hetch Hetchy - Sierra Club "[32], In 1867, Charles F. Hoffman of the California Geological Survey conducted the first survey of the valley. Instead, the magnificence of a valley often described as Yosemite Valleys slightly smaller twin takes center stage. Appreciate what nature created and what the city built there long ago. The new. A) human well-being B) renewable energy C) environmental sustainability D) cultural services E) human population growth, The current total world population has just passed ________. The first people, outside of Native Americans, to see the Hetch Hetchy Valley were Joseph, Nate and William Screechin 1850. Wapama Fall is reached via a five-mile, round-trip hike that follows the shoreline of the reservoir with moderate up and downhill hiking. San Francisco Can Ban New Natural Gas Because It Destroyed The Hetch He discovered it a few of years later. strongly against restoration. Hetch Hetchy: Time to Redeem a Historic Mistake - Sierra Club [50] The project is operated by the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission. An anthropocentrist would agree with building the dam in the park without taking into consideration what the dam would do to the already existing ecosystem due to not caring about the established animals and plants. The extensive amount of storage, which is designed to benefit the Bay Area as droughts become more severe with climate. Hetch Hetchy is dammed by the 430-foot-tall OShaughnessy Dam and has a storage capacity of 360,360 acre-feet. The openings in the Taft administration led to the eventual success of the Raker Act. Secretary of the Interior, Ethan Allen Hitchcock, refused to give San Francisco a permit to build the dam. ", "The Hetch Hetchy Story, Part II: PG&E and the Raker Act", "The Forbidden Water: San Francisco and Hetch Hetchy Valley", "Idyllic Pulgas Water Temple still offers comfort for weary wanderers", "Chronology of San Francisco's Water Development", "Frequently Asked Questions About Hetch Hetchy Reservoir and the Regional Water & Power System", "Water From Yosemite Is Still Cheap, for Now", "Serving 2.6 million residential, commercial and industrial customers", "Hetch Hetchy water goes through ultraviolet rinse", "A historic bid for limited boating at Hetch Hetchy Reservoir", "Trump team reassigns Yosemite National Park superintendent; timing raises questions", "Western Water Wars: Efforts to Take Over San Francisco's Hetch Hetchy Systems", "Hetch Hetchy Power Debacle: Continuing Yosemite Threat", "Could Hetch Hetchy Valley be worth $100 billion? Dbq Hetchy Project - 663 Words | Internet Public Library Bierstadts paintings and Muirs writings began to publicize the beauty of the Hetch Hetchy Valley. Journal entry - Hetch Hetchy.pdf - , Environmental Science Hetch-22 | Ethics: Climate Change - Galen Hiltbrand The view in Hetch Hetchy Valley As you know by now, the hike is 90% along the reservoir so you always get to see the most beautiful blue water in all of California. The battle over Hetch Hetchy was a fight to determine whether a beautiful valley would remain in its natural state or service the growing city of San Franciscos water needs. At the time, neither side understood the long-range consequences of human actions to manage the environment. Albert Bierstadt was known for his sweeping landscapes of the American West. This valley was isolated and remote, twenty miles northwest of the original. Today the 117-billion-gallon reservoir supplies drinking water to about 2.5 million San Francisco Bay Area residents and hydro-electric power generated by two plants downstream. The Tuolumne River continues through Tuolumne Meadows and the associated park developments at an elevation of 8,600 feet. 2 Existing Regional Water System - San Francisco . San Francisco assumed from the outset that there would not be significant opposition to using the Hetch Hetchy Valley, even if it was in a national park, for the high and noble purpose of providing water to one of the nations great and growing metropolises, so their efforts in Washington, DC, were conducted discreetly. But if you still have energy, continue past the bridge to Rancheria Falls. View of the OShaughnessy Dam and the Hetchy Hetchy Road and parking. The first is utilitarian conservation. The falls roar in spring and early summer. The Hetch Hetchy Valley: A Reservoir In The Sierra Nevada Mountains Of While opponents of the dam were hard pressed for financial support, the city of San Franciscos campaign was well financed. Surrounding the water are a few waterfalls, the most prominent being Tueeulala and Wapama Falls, and countless rock features. The Hetch Hetchy dam is upstream on the Tuolumne River from a reservoir nearly six times as large. The battle over the Hetch Hetchy, in part, was a fight over public versus private ownership of vital resources such as water. It involved the unintended consequences of efforts to shape the environment to meet human needs. Hetch Hetchy Reservoir (Yosemite National Park) - Tripadvisor [45], The controversy over Hetch Hetchy was in the context of other political scandals and controversies, especially prevalent in the Taft administration. Progressive political leaders, of whom Mayor Phelan was one, believed it was time to take this power away from the private interests and turn it over to the people. Its a a wonderful place to see spring waterfalls and wildflower displays. Even a short stroll from the car gives a magnificent view of the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir from the OShaughnessy Dam. Dams, including this one, dont last forever, and perhaps in a few generations the conversation about a different future for the Hetch Hetchy Valley may be worthwhile. [41], In 1906, after a major earthquake and subsequent fire that devastated San Francisco, the inadequacy of the city's water system was made tragically clear. Second, the sanctity of the national parks which they believed should not be violated. while birds, bees, and butterflies help the river and waterfalls to stir all the air into music. [54][55], After passing through the powerhouses, Hetch Hetchy water flows into the 167mi (269km) Hetch Hetchy Aqueduct which travels across the Central Valley. Call 209-372-0200 for the latest road and weather conditions, Hetch Hetchy Road Daily Hours: 8 am to 5 pm. This limits their ability to access spawning habitat, seek out food resources, and escape predation. There are four fundamental ways in which dams damage rivers. Dam Hetch Hetchy! There are thousands of dams in the United States. A bigger population will increase demand, meanwhile climate change could significantly reduce supply through drought and hydrological cycle changes. The O'Shaughnessy Dam is 430-foot (131 m) high made of concrete and it is named after engineer Michael O'Shaughnessy, who oversaw the entire construction. [70] Hodel called for a study of the effect of tearing down the dam. The O'Shaughnessy Dam was completed in 1923 and, after the . Due to large cataracts on the Tuolumne River upstream, Hetch Hetchy Valley may have been in the uppermost range for native rainbow trout in the river. ", "San Francisco-Hetch Hetchy Valley Connection", "Hetch Hetchy controversy: Could Yosemite's 'second valley' be restored? Three strikes for San Francisco | Restore Hetch Hetchy On returning home, he asked an Indian chief the name of the valley. The restoration of Hetch Hetchy would be a simple task compared to some dam removal efforts. [63] The city justified this as a temporary measure, but no attempt to follow through with completing the municipal grid was ever made. The valley provided an escape from the summer heat of the lowlands. Hetch Hetchy doesn't require permit, you need just regular National park pass. California needed secure, reliable access to drinking water for their burgeoning populations. Have you been to Hetch Hetchy Reservoir in Yosemite? It was the second tallest dam in the U.S. at the time. It is the primary water source for about 2.5 million residents of the San Francisco Bay Area. Prominent sponsors of the dam proposal, particularly (by then former) Mayor James Phelan and city engineer Marsdon Manson (and later his successor, Michael OShaughnessy), quietly lobbied key figures in the government, trusting that the appeal of municipal water and power would easily win supporters amid the prevailing progressive political climate. You could miss this small mountain community if you blink at the wrong time, but it is home to a few remarkable small businesses. What should be the fate of prairies, wetlands, or coastal marshes? John Muir once described Hetch Hetchy Valley as, a grand landscape garden, one of Natures rarest and most precious mountain temples.. Worth a Dam? - Earth Island Journal Muir famously said, Dam Hetch Hetchy! But how did the dam get to be here? But the ultra-liberal President Woodrow Wilson signed off in 1913 on the multi-decade construction of a series of dams within Yosemite National Park that flooded Hetch Hetchy Valley to create a massive reservoir, hydroelectric plants, and a 167-mile aqueduct for the sole benefit of the City of San Francisco.
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