First, they block rivers which prevents fish from migrating. Fortunately, that time has not yet come, so this November, vote no on the Water Sustainability and Environmental Restoration Planning Act of 2012. Lets keep Hetch Hetchy around for the forseeable future. Horace Albright, the second director of the National Park Service, wrote that Franklin Lanes appointment to the cabinet was made specifically for the purpose of pushing this [Hetch Hetchy project], the so-called Raker-Pittman Bill. (Source: The Battle Over Hetch Hetchy, Robert W. Righter). 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. . These benefits include: Reservoir-based recreation - swimming, fishing, camping etc. The glacially-carved U-shaped valley floor maximizes the amount of water stored in the reservoir. Hetch Hetchy Water's Epic Journey, From Mountains to Tap Watershed Worker (Summer, 2023) - Hetch Hetchy Water & Power (Moccasin The Hetch Hetchy Reservoir itself store 85% of the City's overall drinking water supply, the remaining 15% is stored in the system's 5 other reservoirs. But during peak spring flow, the thundering waterfall can wash over the bridge making it dangerous to cross. 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. To begin the trail, cross the dam and pass through the tunnel. As the grazing of livestock damaged native plants in the Hetch Hetchy Valley, mountaineer and naturalist John Muir pressed for the protection of both valleys under a single national park. San Francisco Mayor James Phelan led the fight to build a dam at Hetch Hetchy. [20] They hunted, and gathered seeds and edible plants to furnish themselves winter food, trade items, and materials for art and ceremonial objects. 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. O'Shaughnessey Dam Facts. As John Clayton writes, At the height of Progressivism, Phelan and other good-government types believed that the city should administer its own utilities. 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. Youll just need to see them for yourself. 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. [21][33] Albert Bierstadt, Charles Dorman Robinson and William Keith were known for their landscapes that drew tourists to the Hetch Hetchy Valley. Off Deadline: Is 'Restore Hetch Hetchy' a pipe dream or a living vision But Hetch Hetchy was a federally protected as part of Yosemite National Park. "Dam Hetch Hetchy!" - I Take History Within 50 years, vegetative cover would be complete except for exposed rocky areas. The controversy over damming Hetch Hetchy became mired in the political issues of the day. The same features that make Hetch Hetchy Valley so spectacular also make it an ideal location for a dam. This can be very disorienting to fish and disrupt their migrations as they depend on steady streams and flows to guide them. Other trails also continue to Lake Vernon. 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. For all the similarities between Hetch Hetchy Valley and Yosemite Valley, there is one enormous difference the Hetch Hetchy reservoir. The construction of the Hetch Hetchy Railroad took place from 1915 to 1918. Yet environmentalists have dreamed of restoring the dramatic valley along the Tuolumne River, which was filled in by the lake when the dam was built in 1938 under the New Deal. Plus, the granite walls converge into a narrow outlet at the bottom of the valley the perfect location for a dam. Smith Peak (7,751 feet) is the highest point in the area and offers outstanding views. benefits of hetch hetchy dam. Restore Hetch Hetchy and the Environmental Defense Funds own studies support a lower cost estimate, ranging from $1 billion to $2 billion. [42] They claimed the valley was not unique and would be even more beautiful with a lake. Hetch Hetchy Environmental Debates | National Archives Muir famously said, Dam Hetch Hetchy! Hetch Hetchy and many others were built by . San Francisco Hetch Hetchy Reservoir Initiative, Proposition F . "Hetch Hetchy is a grand landscape garden, one of nature's rarest and most precious mountain temples. Over the next decade, he produced fifteen large oils that transformed the valley into a dreamland unlike anything that ever met mortal eye.. You can expect one (short) email per month. Even a short stroll from the car gives a magnificent view of the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir from the OShaughnessy Dam. The spacious rooms include access to a heated swimming pool, spa, playground, and laundry facilities. Hetch Hetchy Reservoir and Water System [56] All four pipelines cross the Hayward fault. Hetch Hetchy, located at 3,900 feet in Yosemite National Park, is one of the park's most popular hiking . 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. Public disapproval nationwide with the Raker Act helped to bring about the creation of the National Park Service. Those in favor of dam removal have pointed out that many actions by San Francisco since 1913 have been in violation of the Raker Act, which explicitly stated that power and water from Hetch Hetchy could not be sold to private interests. The Hetch Hetchy Reservoir created by the dam has a capacity of 360,400acreft (0.4445km3), with a maximum area of 1,972 acres (798ha) and a maximum depth of 306 feet (93m). Copyright © 2023 More Than Just Parks | This post may contain affiliate links - read our Standards, Corrections, & Privacy Policy. Show More. These are called Bay Division Pipelines (BDPL) 1, 2, 3, and 4, with nominal pipeline diameters of 60, 66, 78, and 96 inches (1.5, 1.7, 2.0 and 2.4m, respectively). Denouncing dam proponents as greedy, he wrote, These temple destroyers, devotees of ravaging commercialism, seem to have a perfect contempt for Nature, and instead of lifting their eyes to the God of the Mountains, life them to the Almighty Dollar. 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. It carried workers and materials for the dam, as well as tourists, postage and other amenities. 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. Another popular trail crosses the OShaughnessy Dam and then takes a left turn to climb steeply out of the Hetch Hetchy valley. In 2006, the California State Department of Water Resources (DWR) and Department of Parks and Recreation evaluated the cost estimates of multiple feasibility studies conducted between 1988 and 2005. 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. 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. 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. Had it been, the Sierra Clubs members would have presented a united front in opposition to its development. [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. Hetch Hetchy Reservoir - O'Shaugnessy Dam - National Park Service On a national stage, Hetch Hetchy became caught in the cross fire between the interests of private utilities ownership and those of municipal ownership. Subsequent proposals for development in our national parks have been defeated by citizen activists inspired by calls to remember Hetch Hetchy. [39], Interest in using the valley as a water source or reservoir dates back as far as the 1850s, when the Tuolumne Valley Water Company proposed developing water storage there for irrigation. Hetch-22 | Ethics: Climate Change - Galen Hiltbrand A national debate ensued between the preservationist and conservationist factions of the young environmental movement. Related. Hetch Hetchy Quotes - Rausser College of Natural Resources To visit the waterfalls or Yosemites northern backcountry, you walk across OShaughnessy Dam. Principally, dam removal on the Klamath will require annual replacement of 696 gigawatt hours of electricity by other means. As well dam for water-tanks the people's cathedrals and churches, for no holier temple has ever been . In fact, this is so obviously a good idea that the SFPUC and other end users of Hetch Hetchy water have been doing it for years. The report cited other dam projects in making the argument that this project would increase tourism. [70] Hodel called for a study of the effect of tearing down the dam. [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. [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. Sign up for helpful guides, beautiful videos, and insider tips on the national parks. Albert Bierstadt was known for his sweeping landscapes of the American West. 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. The trail continues to climb for 1.8 miles (2.8 km) above the trail intersection, but you can turn around any time. John Muir once described Hetch Hetchy Valley as, a grand landscape garden, one of Natures rarest and most precious mountain temples.. The Hetch Hetchy Dam in the Yosemite Valley, receives the bulk of it's water from the sierra snow pack miles above the reservoir. It also was an early battle of conservatives vs progressives. The Great Alaskan Land Fraud and the Pinchot-Ballinger Controversy caused both Richard A. Ballinger and Gifford Pinchot to resign and be fired respectively. From our petition "The cost of replacing water storage in Hetch Hetchy Valley to maintain the current levels of water service and electrical power production by CCSF would be approximately 2 billion dollars, including 199 million dollars for additional interties, 372 million dollars for water supply, 387 million dollars for water treatment, 669 Through the manipulation of water, the company also had the power to determine which real estate became valuable and which languished. Hoover Dam. If, on the other hand, San Francisco gained control, it would signal in important victory for public power resulting in lower rates for the people. The second concept is preservation. Congress has set aside the Yosemite Valley as a state park in 1864, established a national park around it in 1890, and then reclaimed the valley as part of the national park in 1903. [75] The remaining deficit would likely have to be replaced by polluting fossil fuel generation. Three strikes for San Francisco | Restore 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. Seventeen species of bats inhabit the Hetch Hetchy area, including the largest North American bat, the western mastiff. Pinchot argued that applying the principle of the greatest good for the greatest number, meant the benefits accrued to the people of San Francisco from having the dam far outweighed leaving the valley in its current state. Secretary of the Interior, Ethan Allen Hitchcock, refused to give San Francisco a permit to build the dam. The dam also provides flood control, irrigation, and water storage along the Colorado River. Sign up for the email list and join an active community of monthly readers. Spring snowmelt runs down the Tuolumne River and fills Hetch Hetchy, the largest reservoir in our water system. "[83], Opponents of dam removal have pointed out that the flooding of the Hetch Hetchy Valley has also deterred the crowds that overrun other areas of Yosemite National Park. 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. . Instead, it was a more complicated battle which pitted public interests against private interests. As a result, San Francisco secured a reliable and . What should be the fate of prairies, wetlands, or coastal marshes? The OShaughnessy Dam was completed in 1938 and is 430-feet tall. She says the water first leaves Hetch Hetchy through the O'Shaughnessy Dam. The Tuolumne River continues through Tuolumne Meadows and the associated park developments at an elevation of 8,600 feet. [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.
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