Controversy continues to swirl around the Hetch Hetchy Dam even now. And, as you might imagine, it produces some of the cleanest municipal water in the United States. Call 209-372-0200 for the latest road and weather conditions, Hetch Hetchy Road Daily Hours: 8 am to 5 pm. [5] Chief Tenaya of the Yosemite Valley's Ahwaneechee tribe claimed that Hetch Hetchy was Miwok for "Valley of the Two Trees", referring to a pair of yellow pines that once stood at the head of Hetch Hetchy. [51][52] The aqueduct delivers an average of 265,000acreft (327,000,000m3) of water each year, or 31,900,000cuft (900,000m3) per day, to residents of San Francisco and San Mateo, Santa Clara and Alameda Counties. Winter weather conditions may cause road closures. Monroe was a Chicago poet who joined Muir and others on their 1908 and 1909 outings to the valley. [2] Over the last 35 years, the idea has been studied by the Environmental Defense Fund, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, the National Park Service, UC Davis, and several state agencies. Dam Hetch Hetchy! To do so, it would either have to buy out the private monopoly at an exorbitant price or outmaneuver or outbid Spring Valley for a potential new reservoir., (Source: Natural Rivals: John Muir, Gifford Pinchot, and the Creation of Americas Public Lands, John Clayton). This time it was in favor those who wanted to preserve the valley for generations yet to come. [49], The narrow defile at the lower end of Hetch Hetchy Valley where San Francisco planned to dam the Tuolumne River, seen in 1914 before construction began, The same area seen today, with O'Shaughnessy Dam and Hetch Hetchy Reservoir, Hetch Hetchy Valley serves as the primary water source for the City and County of San Francisco and several surrounding municipalities in the greater San Francisco Bay Area. [40] The city would repeatedly try to acquire water rights to Hetch Hetchy, including in 1901, 1903 and 1905, but was continually rebuffed because of conflicts with irrigation districts that had senior water rights on the Tuolumne River, and because of the valley's national park status. By 1908, a different Interior Secretary, James R. Garfield, sided with the utilitarian conservationists and issued a permit for the Hetch Hetchy project. DWRs meta-study found a range of costs from $3 billion to $10 billion for restoration and replacement of water and power sources.
History - Hetch Hetchy - Sierra Club Bierstadt described the valley as "smaller than the more famous valley but it presents many of the same features in his scenery and is quite as beautiful. People have died after being swept off the bridge and onto the rocks below. The upcountry portion of the System begins with Hetch Hetchy Reservoir in Yosemite National Park. OShaughnessy Dam and the waterworks that connect it to the Bay Area are a marvel of engineering. As a result, San Francisco secured a reliable and . Hetch Hetchy Valley, dammed and flooded in the 1920s despite bitter opposition from Sierra Club founder John Muir, provides drinking water for an estimated 2 million people in the San Francisco . 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. Environmentalists lost what was the opening battle in a fight to preserve Americas natural wonders. [66] In 2015, Restore Hetch Hetchy filed a complaint arguing that the construction of the dam had violated a provision in the constitution of California about water use, but the lawsuit was rejected by an appeals court and later the California State Supreme Court. Had it been, the Sierra Clubs members would have presented a united front in opposition to its development. Valley, reservoir, and aqueduct in California, USA, sfn error: no target: CITEREFMatthes1930 (, sfn error: no target: CITEREFWohlforth2004 (, sfn error: no target: CITEREFWhitney1874 (, sfn error: no target: CITEREFGlennon2009 (, San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Hetch Hetchy, List of dams and reservoirs in California, List of the tallest dams in the United States, "Alternatives for Restoration of Hetch Hetchy Valley Following Removal of the Dam and Reservoir", "Hetch Hetchy Reclaimed: Drain it, then what?
The Fight for Hetch Hetchy | Environment & Society Portal The new 68-mile (109 km) railroad wound its way up the narrow canyon of the Tuolumne River past sharp curves and up steep 4% grades. [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). At full capacity, the reservoir stretches eight miles (13 km) upstream of the OShaughnessy Dam.
Hetch Hetchy Water's Epic Journey, From Mountains to Tap San Francisco applied once again for rights to Hetch Hetchy in 1908. [16], Compared with Yosemite Valley, the walls of Hetch Hetchy are smoother and rounder because it was glaciated to a greater extent. Glaciers followed these low-points, leaving their own marks in particular carving out the characteristic U-shaped valley with steep sides and wide floor. [5] Local legend attributes the modern name Hetch Hetchy to Screech's initial arrival in the valley, during which he observed the Native Americans "cooking a variety of grass covered with edible seeds", which they called "hatch hatchy" or "hatchhatchie". In 1923, the O'Shaughnessy Dam was completed on the Tuolumne River, flooding the entire valley under the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir.
Giving a Dam: Congress Debates Hetch Hetchy - George Mason University While the debate goes on, Hetch Hetchy remains a relaxing and often-overlooked corner of the park much to the delight of hikers and backpackers who prefer less touristy experiences. [3] Kolana Rock, at 5,772ft (1,759m), is a massive rock spire on the south side of the Hetch Hetchy Valley. OPTION 3Give control to the local people of Hetch Hetchy Here are just some of the hurdles we would need to cross: Identify water supplies to meet about 18 percent of the regions water demand in dry years (which occur about 20 percent of the time), Permit and build 40 to 90 megawatts of renewable power to supply almost all municipal demand in San Francisco, Build and operate a water-filtration plant, because water stored further downstream than Hetch Hetchy will have to be filtered, Engineer and design a series of expensive and complicated infrastructure projects to re-engineer major components of the regional water system, then get those changes through the environmental review process, Somehow convince senior water-right holders like the Modesto and Turlock Irrigation Districts on the Tuolumne River to let us store our drinking water in their reservoirs. Public disapproval nationwide with the Raker Act helped to bring about the creation of the National Park Service. As well dam for water-tanks the peoples cathedrals and churches, for no holier temple has ever been consecrated by the heart of man.. The battle for the Hetch Hetchy Valleys future was not simply preservation versus conservation. Most importantly, San Francisco would lose its source of high-quality mountain water, and would have to depend on lower-quality water from other reservoirs which would require costly filtration and re-engineering of the aqueduct system to meet its needs. Hydroelectric power generated from the Hetch Hetchy project is largely sold to Bay Area customers through a private power company, Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E). The fundamental issue involved two concepts. It carried workers and materials for the dam, as well as tourists, postage and other amenities. A large part of today's incentive for restoration is that when the dam and the Hetch Hetchy reservoir were authorized by President Woodrow Wilson in 1913, as the Raker Act, the Hetch Hetchy Valley . Congress would decide the fate of the Hetchy Hetchy Valley. (Source: American Rivers, How Dams Damage Rivers). [2] From Hetch Hetchy Reservoir, the water flows through the Canyon and Mountain Tunnels to Kirkwood and Moccasin Powerhouses, which have capacities of 124 and 110 megawatts, respectively. The Hetch Hetchy dam is upstream on the Tuolumne River from a reservoir nearly six times as large.
Hetch Hetchy Environmental Debates | National Archives Youll just need to see them for yourself. Its a a wonderful place to see spring waterfalls and wildflower displays. Instead, it was a more complicated battle which pitted public interests against private interests. All offers, including but not limited to, bonus amenities, upgrades, prices, and group benefits are based on select dates, resorts, room categories, and/or fare codes.
Hetch Hetchy Quotes - Rausser College of Natural Resources For most of the year the waterfall offers a refreshing shower or cooling mist along with an amazing view. [13], Hetch Hetchy is home to a diverse array of plants and animals. This effort was famously and vociferously fought by John Muir and was the subject of a national debate for years; the loss later galvanized the Sierra Club to successfully oppose large dams in Dinosaur National Monument and Grand Canyon National Park. As the battle lines were drawn, the different methods employed by each side in presenting their case spoke to some of their basic assumptions about the nature of the issue. [30] After the valley's native inhabitants were driven out by the newcomers, it was used by ranchers, many of whom were former miners, to graze livestock. Hetch Hetchy Reservoir, encompassing 2,000 acres of federal park land, has clearly been maintained for the benefit of San Francisco with minimal consideration of the wider public whose tax dollarsand, in the case of visitors, entrance feessupport the national park. Hetch Hetchy was the first major battle of the environmental movement. We're not going to remove this dam, and the funding is unnecessary.
Tom Philp of The Sacramento Bee - The Pulitzer Prizes Restore Hetch Hetchy Valley, Vote Yes! on Proposition F The terminus of the incomplete line was "conveniently located next to a PG&E substation", which connected to PG&E's private line which in turn bridged the gap to San Francisco.
The Dam Rent Is Too Low - PERC The Hetch Hetchy Valley is a part of Yosemite National Park. This trail is 13 miles round-trip with 3,700 feet elevation gain. Buck Meadows is also a great place to spend the night.
Argument Against The Hetchy Dam - 587 Words - Internet Public Library If youre excited about a long hike or backpacking trip, you can continue to Laurel Lake for a 14.2-mile (22.9 km) out and back. Monroe went on to lobby members of Congress as the battle moved to Washington D.C. She was a tireless advocate who believed that people needed to be educated in order to do what was best for everyone involved. strongly against restoration. Subsequent proposals for development in our national parks have been defeated by citizen activists inspired by calls to remember Hetch Hetchy. 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 glacially-carved U-shaped valley floor maximizes the amount of water stored in the reservoir. The inadequacy of the citys existing water supply came into sharp focus. Upcountry and the Bay Area. Richard Ballinger was appointed his Interior Secretary. The extensive amount of storage, which is designed to benefit the Bay Area as droughts become more severe with climate. Mirror Lakes famous spring-time reflections capture the eye and mind. [56] All four pipelines cross the Hayward fault. It has not been demonstrated that Hetch Hetchy is the only available source, but only that it might be the cheapest. In Yosemite National Park, the Hetch Hetchy reservoir relies on the annual snowmelt to stay full. Also convince them it would be a good idea to raise the heights of their dams so we can enlarge these reservoirs with our extra water, flooding anew many miles of the Tuolumne River and acres of currently dry land. Everyone who drinks water or takes a shower in San Francisco should go. Smith Peak (7,751 feet) is the highest point in the area and offers outstanding views. 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. [40] By the 1880s, San Francisco was looking to Hetch Hetchy water as a fix for its outdated and unreliable water system. 2023 Yosemite Mariposa County Tourism Bureau, Yosemite Itineraries: What to Do in Yosemite.
Hetch Hetchy Reservoir (Yosemite National Park) - Tripadvisor Ultimately, San Francisco sold hydropower from the dam to the Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), which led to decades of legal wrangling and controversy over terms in the Raker Act. Should nature be left alone so that flora and fauna flourish while people enjoy its primal wonders? [12] During the last glacial period, the Tioga Glacier[13] formed from extensive icefields in the upper Tuolumne River watershed; between 110,000 and 10,000 years ago Hetch Hetchy Valley was sculpted into its present shape by repeated advance and retreat of the ice, which also removed extensive talus deposits that may have accumulated in the valley since the Sherwin period. Would there be any room in an acquisitive society for wildness, or for non material spiritual values?. [54] An additional hydroelectric system comprising Cherry Lake, Lake Eleanor and the Holm Powerhouse is also part of the Hetch Hetchy Project, adding another 169 megawatts of generating capacity. The chief replied, There is no valley. Even before it was finished, the massive . The question Pinchot always asked was, What is the greatest good for the greatest number?, He was famously quoted as saying, Where conflicting interests must be reconciled, the question shall always be answered from the standpoint of the greatest good of the greatest number in the long run., RELATED: Gifford Pinchot: A 2021 Lesson From Americas First Forester, In his congressional testimony, Pinchot argued in favor of building the dam. Including additions made between 1934 and 1938, the dam currently stands 430 feet (131 m) above the bedrock below. If youre especially in the mood to relax and let yourself be taken care of, The Blackberry Inn is a luxury bed and breakfast situated on 36 acres and surrounded by National Forest land. [18], Due to its abundant wetlands and stream pools, Hetch Hetchy was notorious among early travelers for becoming infested with mosquitoes in the summertime. In the autumn of 1871, John Muir visited Hetch Hetchy for the first time. The dam in the Hetch Hetchy valley of Yosemite National Park, first proposed in 1908, was intended to create a reservoir that would provide water and electricity for the burgeoning city of San Francisco. Visitors might still need chains to get down Evergreen Road this time of year, but a trip to Hetch Hetchy reveals an example of the potent storms, and a reservoir of controversy for 100 years. The Dam flooded about nine miles of the river, including the Hetch Hetchy valley. The OShaughnessy Dam was completed in 1938 and is 430-feet tall. Hetch Hetchy Valley is a treasure worth visiting.
Yosemite's Hetch Hetchy Water Wars - Yosemite National Park Trips Even if we could obtain the several billion dollars necessary to carry out this endeavor (neither private nor public sources have yet been identified) some of the tasks involved may not even be possible. Hetch Hetchy's restoration, after all, will benefit national . In the sum of American economic expansion the intrusion might have seemed a minor, obscure matter, but to [John] Muir immense issues were involved: why had the nation preserved that pure wildness in the first place? Plus, the granite walls converge into a narrow outlet at the bottom of the valley the perfect location for a dam. A bigger population will increase demand, meanwhile climate change could significantly reduce supply through drought and hydrological cycle changes. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. If their signature-gathering campaign is successful, a small group of environmental advocates, led by Restore Hetch Hetchy, will give you the opportunity this November to vote on a measure that would require the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) to develop a plan to drain Hetch Hetchy Reservoir. benefits of hetch hetchy dam. It forced elected representatives to consider what a national park designation truly meant and whether or not the land within these parks deserved protection. In 2019, Restore Hetch Hetchy commissioned another study that found enormous recreational value from removing the dam. [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). They also remove water needed for healthy in-stream ecosystems. SPUR Urban Center, 654 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA 94105-4015 | (415) 781-8726 | [emailprotected], 2023 SPUR Privacy Policy 501(C)(3) Non-Profit Tax Identification: 94-1498232, a member-supported nonprofit organization. O'Shaughnessy Dam is a 430-foot (131 m) high concrete arch-gravity dam in Tuolumne County, California, United States.It impounds the Tuolumne River, forming the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir at the lower end of Hetch Hetchy Valley in Yosemite National Park, about 160 miles (260 km) east of San Francisco. [48], The Early Intake (Lower Cherry) Powerhouse began commercial operation five years before the O'Shaughnessy Dam was completed. 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. [75] The remaining deficit would likely have to be replaced by polluting fossil fuel generation. Muir and other defenders of Hetch Hetchy believe the fight revolved around two central issues. 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. Over the next decade, he produced fifteen large oils that transformed the valley into a dreamland unlike anything that ever met mortal eye.. From the turn-off, the road winds for 16.5 miles up the old Hetch Hetchy railroad grade (26.5 km) to the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir, passing many lonely trails along the way. [74] A 2019 study commissioned by Restore Hetch Hetchy argued that draining the reservoir and equipping the valley with a tourism infrastructure comparable to that of Yosemite Valley (which receives around 100 times as many visitors annually as Hetch Hetchy's 44,000) could result in a "recreational value" of up to $178 million per year, or possibly an overall economic value of up to $100 billion. [28][29] About 1853, his brother, Joseph Screech (credited in some accounts for the original discovery of the valley)[27] blazed the first trail from Big Oak Flat, a mining camp near present-day Lake Don Pedro,[30] for 38mi (61km) northeast to Hetch Hetchy Valley. . [35] Muir, who himself had briefly worked as a shepherd in Hetch Hetchy, was known for calling sheep "hoofed locusts" because of their environmental impact. As the Hetch Hetchy Valley was part of Yosemite National Park, Hitchcock preferred to protect the park's natural wonders. [citation needed] The George W. Bush administration proposed allocating $7 million to studying the removal of the dam in the 2007 National Park Service budget. Photo: Chris Migeon.
It is the source of water for the city of San Francisco. Day 6: Hetch Hetchy Reservoir to San Francisco. You could then scuba ElCapitan down to the valley floor. Next to John Muir, the most vocal defender of the Hetch Hetchy Valley was Harriet Monroe. [24] It is likely that the edible grass was blue dicks. They acknowledge that a concerted effort would have to be made to control the introduction of wildlife and tourism back into the valley in order to prevent destabilization of the ecosystem,[68] and that it might be decades or even centuries before the valley could be returned to natural conditions. The reservoir is fed by the Tuolumne River. 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. Looking up at Wapama Falls from the footbridge on the hiking trail. Within the ranks of the Sierra Club, there was a split between those San Francisco members who favored the dams municipal use versus those who believed this pristine area should not be tampered with under any circumstances. The dam also provides flood control, irrigation, and water storage along the Colorado River. After 2.5 miles (4.0 km), youll reach the Wapama Falls Bridge with an up-close view of the lowest section of Wapama Falls.
The new. 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. Not only does it supply 85 percent of the water for 2.6 million people in San Francisco, controlled releases via the O'Shaughnessy Dam are helping preserve downstream specieseven in dry years. 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 . Sign up for the email list and join an active community of monthly readers. But tearing OShaughnessy Dam down now in order to restore Hetch Hetchy Valley would be a disaster. National opinion divided between giving San Francisco the right to dam the valley and preserving the valley from development. The grassroots organization of environmental activism, established by John Muir and his supporters, became a model for future environmentalists. Us too!
A Trip to Hetch Hetchy and the O'Shaughnessy Dam An advantage which Phelan, Pinchot and other supporters of the dam project enjoyed was a divided opposition. His path roughly follows the John Muir Highway State Highway 132 that runs from Highway 49 in Coulterville up through Greeley Hill before connecting back into Highway 120 before Buck Meadows and the turn-off to Hetch Hetchy.
$27.3125/hr Watershed Worker (Summer, 2023) - Hetch Hetchy Water .
Hetch Hetchy System - BAWSCA [71], The dam would not have to be completely removed; rather, it would only be necessary to cut a hole through the base in order to drain the water and restore natural flows of the Tuolumne River. First, the beauty of the valley which they felt should not be sacrificed to build a dam. 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. [84] Karin Klein has described Yosemite Valley as "so crammed that it looks more like a ripstop ghetto than the site of a nature experience. 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. Instead, the magnificence of a valley often described as Yosemite Valleys slightly smaller twin takes center stage. In some cases, however, including the Klamath and Hetch Hetchy, the benefits of restoration clearly outweigh the benefits provided by the dams. while birds, bees, and butterflies help the river and waterfalls to stir all the air into music. However, the same NPS study also finds that with intensive management, an outcome in which "the entire valley would appear much as it did before construction of the reservoir" is feasible. [24] Screech reported that the valley was bitterly disputed between the "Pah Utah Indians" (Paiute) and "Big Creek Indians" (Miwok), and witnessed several fights in which the Paiute appeared to be the dominant tribe. Hetch Hetchy is the incredible story of Americas most controversial dam and the birth of the environmental movement. Rancheria Falls itself is a series of whitewater cascades that crashes through a narrow canyon on its way to the reservoir. Shasta, Oroville, Hetch Hetchy and many others were built by damming large rivers. Yet it also highlighted the division within the conservation movement over two fundamental principles: utilitarian conservation versus preservation. RELATED: Meet The Real Life Batman & Robin Of The National Parks. Residents drink it in 26 cities and water districts from San. As we all know, there is no use of water that is higher than the domestic use., He went on to say, We come straight to the question of whether the advantage of leaving this valley in a state of nature is greater than the advantage of using it for the benefit of the city of San Francisco.. Then, in 1906, a devastating earthquake caused a series of fires in San Francisco that destroyed 25,000 buildings across 490 city blocks. We have historic photographs to remind us of what Hetch Hetchy Valley looked like before the dam was built. They would light upon a man's blue shirt and turn it brown, and were voracious as mosquitoes would be. The 68mi (109km) Hetch Hetchy Railroad was constructed to link the Sierra Railway with Hetch Hetchy Valley, allowing for direct rail shipment of construction materials from San Francisco to the dam site. [73] Furthermore, the removal of O'Shaughnessy Dam would not require costly sediment control measures, as would be typical on most dam removal projects, because of the high quality of the Tuolumne River water in the first 90 years since its construction, only around 2in (5.1cm) of sediment had been deposited in Hetch Hetchy Reservoir, much less than most other dams. Restore Hetch Hetchy and the Environmental Defense Funds own studies support a lower cost estimate, ranging from $1 billion to $2 billion. That reservoir is New Don Pedro, and it rests over existing pipelines to the Bay Area.
Klamath Dam Removal Applauded by Newsom, Haaland et al., How About Topic: Hoover Dam - Water Education Foundation The trail continues to climb for 1.8 miles (2.8 km) above the trail intersection, but you can turn around any time.
As Hetch Hetchy Reservoir Fills, Environmentalists Still Dream of Albert Bierstadt was known for his sweeping landscapes of the American West.