This reservoir on the Sacramento River has been planned for decades 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. National opinion divided between giving San Francisco the right to dam the valley and preserving the valley from development. The extensive amount of storage, which is designed to benefit the Bay Area as droughts become more severe with climate. The waterfall on the Tuolumne is now submerged under Hetch Hetchy Reservoir. It's dumb, dumb, dumb. Muir observed:[3]. Franklin Lane served as the attorney for the city of San Francisco in 1903. [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". 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. San Francisco Mayor James Phelan led the fight to build a dam at Hetch Hetchy. 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. [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. If youre up for a driving adventure, try taking a little extra time to retrace parts of the route John Muir described in his book, My First Summer in the Sierra. [50] The project is operated by the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission. 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. Subsequent proposals for development in our national parks have been defeated by citizen activists inspired by calls to remember Hetch Hetchy. Coming from the San Francisco Bay Area youll pass right through Buck Meadows on Highway 120. Those who presumed to speak for wealth, much of which flowed to San Francisco, believed they were transforming a pioneer land into a settled, civilized one. The openings in the Taft administration led to the eventual success of the Raker Act. benefits of hetch hetchy dam. List what negative externalities are associated with the construction 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. Hetch Hetchy: Pros and Cons of Restoration - Yosemite Tales It then cascades on its westward descent through the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne, and enters the eastern end of Hetch Hetchy Reservoir. Buck Meadows is also a great place to spend the night. 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. San Francisco applied once again for rights to Hetch Hetchy in 1908. No BS! Off Deadline: Is 'Restore Hetch Hetchy' a pipe dream or a living vision The entire valley is now flooded under an average 300ft (91m) of water behind the dam, although it occasionally reemerges in droughts, as it did in 1955, 1977, and 1991. Other trails also continue to Lake Vernon. Get SPUR news and events delivered straight to your email inbox. He was a firm believer in utilitarian conservation. Restore Hetch Hetchy and the Environmental Defense Funds own studies support a lower cost estimate, ranging from $1 billion to $2 billion. The same features that make Hetch Hetchy Valley so spectacular also make it an ideal location for a dam. [8], While its cousin Yosemite Valley to the south had permanent Miwok settlements,[25] Hetch Hetchy was only seasonally inhabited. [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. They were both initially carved by rivers flowing down the Sierras relatively gentle western slope. Hetch Hetchy Environmental Debates | National Archives [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. The landscape painter Bierstadt, who brought his German Romantic training to the valley in 1862, gave the world an even larger portrait, and one in extravagant color, that photographers could not match on any scale. The water shunted through them about 218 million gallons a day arrives in most city taps by gravity alone. The city must pay a lease of $30,000 per year for the use of Hetch Hetchy, which sits on federal land. [13], Hetch Hetchy is home to a diverse array of plants and animals. Hetch Hetchy is dammed by the 430-foot-tall OShaughnessy Dam and has a storage capacity of 360,360 acre-feet. There is no Starbucks here no daily parade of tour buses and RVs. [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. The OShaughnessy Dam was completed in 1938 and is 430-feet tall. The dam and reservoir, combined with a series of aqueducts, tunnels, and hydroelectric plants as well as eight other storage dams, comprise a system known as the Hetch Hetchy Project, which provides 80% of the water supply for 2.6 million people. For your last day, enjoy a short hike on the shores of the beautiful Hetch Hetchy Reservoir. 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. Yes, the plan to drain Hetch Hetchy involves causing new ecological damage. Hetch Hetchy, located at 3,900 feet in Yosemite National Park, is one of the park's most popular hiking . Hetch Hetchy Valley is a treasure worth visiting. "[19], People have lived in Hetch Hetchy Valley for over 6,000 years. The gently rolling terrain has excellent views of the water and eye-catching Kolana Rock, which towers roughly 2,000 feet above. [64] Peter Byrne of SF Weekly has stated that "the plain language of the Raker Act itself and experts who are familiar with the act (and have no stake in city politics) all agree: The city of San Francisco is not in violation of the Raker Act. If the nation set aside some natural places as especially sacred, how far beyond their borders should a sense of the sacred extend? Glaciers followed these low-points, leaving their own marks in particular carving out the characteristic U-shaped valley with steep sides and wide floor. In 2019, Restore Hetch Hetchy commissioned another study that found enormous recreational value from removing the dam. As a result, San Francisco secured a reliable and . a strong proponent of restoring Hetch Hetchy Valley and Senator Feinstein is still[when?] As well dam for . This trail is 13 miles round-trip with 3,700 feet elevation gain. Instead, it was a more complicated battle which pitted public interests against private interests. ", "San Francisco-Hetch Hetchy Valley Connection", "Hetch Hetchy controversy: Could Yosemite's 'second valley' be restored? [2] The dam contains 675,000cuyd (516,000m3) of concrete. While the dialogue around the West's water wars has been concentrated on the Colorado River and the alarming decline of Lake Powell and Lake Mead, watersheds across the Western United States are feeling the effects of a rapidly aridifying landscape due to climate change. The trail includes spectacular views of Tueeulala and Wapama Falls. Second, the sanctity of the national parks which they believed should not be violated. [37][38] However, ranchers who had previously owned land in the new park continued their use of Hetch Hetchy Valley a "sheep-grazing free-for-all [that] threatened to denude the High Sierra meadows"[37] before disputes over state and private properties in respect to national park boundaries were finally settled in the early 1900s. Watershed Worker (Summer, 2023) - Hetch Hetchy Water & Power (Moccasin) - SFPUC (7542) Job at City and County of San Francisco in Moccasin. Said San Francisco resident William Denman in 1918, "The first time I went into the Hetch Hetchy the mosquitoes were intolerable. As well dam for water tanks the peoples cathedrals and churches, for no holier temple has ever been consecrated by the heart of man.'. Hetch Hetchy is unique because of its small holding capacity in comparison to the vast watershed feeding it. From 1901 - 1913, John Muir led the Sierra Club in a campaign to protect the Hetch Hetchy Valley, a part of Yosemite National Park, from being filled by a reservoir. San Francisco was able to accomplish this in 1925 by claiming it had run out of funds to extend the Hetch Hetchy transmission line all the way to the city. This can lead to algal blooms and decreased oxygen levels. These benefits include: Reservoir-based recreation - swimming, fishing, camping etc. Albright, along with Stephen Mather, became instrumental players in the creation of a national park system three years after Congress decided the issue of Hetch Hetchy. The first Moccasin Powerhouse in Moccasin, California began commercial operation in 1925 followed by the Holm Powerhouse in 1960 (the same month the Early Intake Powerhouse was taken out of service). Assign each group to analyze one or more . As Hetch Hetchy Reservoir Fills, Environmentalists Still Dream of The Hetch Hetchy dam is upstream on the Tuolumne River from a reservoir nearly six times as large. Hiking in Yosemite National Park | AAA Ohio We can't help it either. Exactly how San Francisco won the right to transform the bucolic valley into a First, they block rivers which prevents fish from migrating. The O'Shaughnessy Dam is near Yosemite's western boundary, but the long, narrow, fingerlike reservoir stretches eastward for about 8 miles (13km). [63] The city justified this as a temporary measure, but no attempt to follow through with completing the municipal grid was ever made. Building a dam there was off the table. But if you still have energy, continue past the bridge to Rancheria Falls. To get the electricity they would need, they first built a smaller dam at Lake Eleanor. RELATED: A Woman Started The Environmental Movement (Can It Continue?). 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. In the 21st century, Ken Brower, son of the renown environmentalist David Brower, wrote a fascinating account of the failed campaign to save Hetch Hetchy and the modern effort to Reverse an American Mistake, complete with speculation about how the rebirth of a wild valley might evolve. 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. It is spectacular: a miles-long placid blue lake nested within towering granite cliffs, from which waterfalls cascade. The water from Hetch Hetchy Reservoir is used to supply system customers as well as to generate hydroelectric power; the reservoir is also operated to provide instream flows to benefit fisheries and other wildlife. No picture of the giant sequoia trees in Yosemite National Park manages to fully capture their immense size and majesty. It spans 900 feet (270 m) with a 17-foot (5.2 m) wide trail across the top that hikers use to cross to the opposite side. Looking up at Wapama Falls from the footbridge on the hiking trail. Located at 3,900 feet, it boasts one of the longest hiking seasons in the park. San Francisco had its eyes on this water source early on and repeatedly tried to acquire water rights to the Tuolumne River. In an effort to build this support, he published his bookThe Yosemitein 1912. By 1908, a different Interior Secretary, James R. Garfield, sided with the utilitarian conservationists and issued a permit for the Hetch Hetchy project. As the Hetch Hetchy Valley was part of Yosemite National Park, Hitchcock preferred to protect the park's natural wonders. And it is the largest single source of water supply for the Bay Area. Yosemite Westgate Lodge offers newly-remodeled and well-appointed modern accommodation. PDF ISSUE GUIDE Hetch Hetchy - theautry.org You may take easy hike to Wapama falls ( around 6 miles) or even more challenging hike to Rancheria falls ( around 14 miles). [70] Hodel called for a study of the effect of tearing down the dam. The . [21] Periodic clearing of the valley provided ample space for the growth of the grasses and shrubs they relied on, as well as additional room for large game animals such as deer to browse. Principally, dam removal on the Klamath will require annual replacement of 696 gigawatt hours of electricity by other means. If you want to follow the old railroad line today, the Hetch Hetchy Road and most of the Mather Road were built on the old railroad bed and are beautiful scenic drives as well. A Dam Removal in Progress. The law authorizing the dam passed Congress on December 7, 1913. 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. 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). William Howard Taft became president in 1909. As well dam for water-tanks the peoples cathedrals and churches, for no holier temple has ever been consecrated by the heart of man . 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. The Dam flooded about nine miles of the river, including the Hetch Hetchy valley. It's a big job to open the tunnel and close it again. "[85] However, she does support breaching the dam once it has reached the end of its lifespan, and not replacing it. He was opposed by then Mayor Diane Feinstein who argued that the dam was San Franciscans birthright. Three strikes for San Francisco | Restore Hetch Hetchy