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. The history of Californias growth is inextricably linked to the search for water. There are four fundamental ways in which dams damage rivers. Call 209-372-0200 for the latest road and weather conditions, Hetch Hetchy Road Daily Hours: 8 am to 5 pm. It also was an early battle of conservatives vs progressives. 2023 Yosemite Mariposa County Tourism Bureau, Yosemite Itineraries: What to Do in Yosemite. This trail is 13 miles round-trip with 3,700 feet elevation gain. Even in the summer when Yosemite Valley is being explored by visitors from around the world, Hetch Hetchy remains an oasis of relative calm. These clean and comfortable rooms also enjoy access to the pool, spa and other facilities at Yosemite Westgate Lodge. Gravel, logs, and other important food and habitat features can become trapped. Then, in 1906, a devastating earthquake caused a series of fires in San Francisco that destroyed 25,000 buildings across 490 city blocks. Building the Hetch Hetchy dam in such a remote location was an enormous project. It was the second tallest dam in the U.S. at the time. 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. 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? The fundamental issue involved two concepts. Above all, one's behavior Argument Against The Hetchy Dam 587 Words | 3 Pages [8], Meadow plants unavailable in the lowlands were particularly valuable resources to these tribes. While opponents of the dam were hard pressed for financial support, the city of San Franciscos campaign was well financed. 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). Congress, confronted with rising public opposition, refused to act on the measure. To get the electricity they would need, they first built a smaller dam at Lake Eleanor. O'Shaughnessey Dam Facts. The law authorizing the dam passed Congress on December 7, 1913. In the distance, long white plumes of water cascade hundreds of feet down from rocky heights. 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. Instead, it was a more complicated battle which pitted public interests against private interests. Through the manipulation of water, the company also had the power to determine which real estate became valuable and which languished. The city must pay a lease of $30,000 per year for the use of Hetch Hetchy, which sits on federal land. There have been lawsuits over whether San Francisco violated the agreements of the Raker Act. 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. 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. 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. 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 doesnt need to be filtered, a process that is expensive and energy intensive. The grassroots organization of environmental activism, established by John Muir and his supporters, became a model for future environmentalists. Hetch Hetchy Quotes - Rausser College of Natural Resources . The inadequacy of the citys existing water supply came into sharp focus. [56] All four pipelines cross the Hayward fault. The valley provided an escape from the summer heat of the lowlands. [57] Pipelines 3 and 4 end at the Pulgas Water Temple, a small park that contains classical architectural elements which celebrate the water delivery. 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. 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. Bierstadts paintings and Muirs writings began to publicize the beauty of the Hetch Hetchy Valley. The second concept is preservation. Let us introduce you to some of the unique giant sequoia groves in the Yosemite Mariposa County area the Merced, Tuolumne, and Mariposa Groves are inside Yosemite National Park, and the Nelder Grove is just outside the park boundary to the south. So visit Hetch Hetchy. "[65] Harold L. Ickes, Secretary of the Interior in the late 1930s, said there was a violation of the Raker Act, but he and the city reached an agreement in 1945. Mirror Lakes famous spring-time reflections capture the eye and mind. 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. Hetch Hetchy and Yosemite Valley are so similar because they were created by the same sequences of geological activity. Dam shame / It's time that San Francisco let go of Hetch Hetchy - SFGATE We can't help it either. This option favors building a dam in the Hetch Hetchy Valley to provide hundreds of thou- sands of San Francisco residents with water and electricitybasic necessities for health and well-being, as well as urban development and economic growth. Hetch Hetchy Reservoir and Water System [21][33] Albert Bierstadt, Charles Dorman Robinson and William Keith were known for their landscapes that drew tourists to the Hetch Hetchy Valley. This time it was in favor those who wanted to preserve the valley for generations yet to come. [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. He produced at least four oil paintings of the valley one of which is prominently displayed in Mount Holyoke Colleges art museum. Indeed, the battle over Hetch Hetchy may have been a little-known contributor to the permanent alignment of American politics it was the tension between Ballinger and Pinchot that set in motion the events that lead to the split mentioned above. The U.S. Congress passed and President Woodrow Wilson signed the Raker Act in 1913, which permitted the flooding of the valley under the conditions that power and water derived from the river could only be used for public interests. 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. Some of these studies determined that the idea of draining the reservoir was technically feasible but incredibly costly. Although Hetch Hetchy is included within the boundaries of Yosemite National Park, the entrance is separate from the rest of the park. [75] The remaining deficit would likely have to be replaced by polluting fossil fuel generation. As we learned from Rachel Carsons Silent Spring, humankind can damage the environment while attempting to control it. This can lead to algal blooms and decreased oxygen levels. This fight set the stage for future battles between those who believed natural resources were to be used for the greatest good versus those who believed natural resources were to be preserved for the greatest enjoyment. Hiking Hetch Hetchy: the unknown Yosemite National Park - 2TravelDads [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. The dam was then 227 feet (69m) high; its present height of 312 feet (95m) was achieved only later, in 1938. This 1910 view shows Kolana Rock and Tueeulala Falls in the background. Photo: Chris Migeon. The battle over the Hetch Hetchy, in part, was a fight over public versus private ownership of vital resources such as water. Hetch Hetchy Environmental Debates | National Archives 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. San Francisco Hetch Hetchy Dam Almost Failed and Could - Breitbart Hetch Hetchy, a glacially carved valley situated in the northern end of the park, was flooded and dammed in the early 1900s in order to serve as the primary drinking water source for parts of San Francisco and the Bay Area. View of the OShaughnessy Dam and the Hetchy Hetchy Road and parking. Restore Hetch Hetchy Valley, Vote Yes! on Proposition F It has not been demonstrated that Hetch Hetchy is the only available source, but only that it might be the cheapest. Note: you may use the handout or navigate to our feature on the Hetch Hetchy Environmental Debates to access the overview and copy of the Raker Bill. But tearing OShaughnessy Dam down now in order to restore Hetch Hetchy Valley would be a disaster. Hetch Hetchy, located at 3,900 feet in Yosemite National Park, is one of the park's most popular hiking . [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. Friday, enjoy an evening about bats starting at 7 pm. Third, dams alter natural habitats and change the ways in which rivers function. On December 19, 1913, Congress passed and President Wilson signed the Raker Act which permitted the building of the OShaughnessy Dam and the flooding of the Hetch Hethcy Valley in Yosemite National Park. [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. It is the source of water for the city of San Francisco. Guests at these suites receive breakfast on their patios. 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. 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. Journal entry - Hetch Hetchy.pdf - , Environmental Science "Hetch Hetchy is a grand landscape garden, one of nature's rarest and most precious mountain temples. Coming from the San Francisco Bay Area youll pass right through Buck Meadows on Highway 120. 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. The SFPUC tests its quality more than 100,000 times a year to ensure that it exceeds all safe drinking water standards. Subsequent proposals for development in our national parks have been defeated by citizen activists inspired by calls to remember Hetch Hetchy. Due to extreme winter weather, Yosemite National Park is closed with no estimated date of reopening. 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. benefits of hetch hetchy dam. [2], Wapama Falls, at 1,080ft (330m), and Tueeulala Falls, at 840ft (260m) both among the tallest waterfalls in North America are both located in Hetch Hetchy Valley. Specialty pricing may require . 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. 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. Hetch Hetchy water travels 160 miles via gravity from . Only a tiny proportion of Yosemites visitors explore this out-of-the-way corner of the national park. First, the beauty of the valley which they felt should not be sacrificed to build a dam. Hetch Hetchy | Hetch Hetchy Dam & Reservoir History | Yosemite.com . Today, descendants of these people still use milkweed, deergrass, bracken fern, willow, and other plants for a variety of uses including baskets, medicines, and string. Hetch Hetchy ushered in a new era for the national parks. Once again, the political pendulum had swung. Indeed, Hetch Hetchy today[when?] Hetch Hetchy was the first major battle of the environmental movement. And it is the largest single source of water supply for the Bay Area. Rancheria Falls itself is a series of whitewater cascades that crashes through a narrow canyon on its way to the reservoir. While youre at it, plan to add to the historic flavor of this route with a stop the Northern Mariposa County History Center. The . (Source: American Rivers, How Dams Damage Rivers). A national debate ensued between the preservationist and conservationist factions of the young environmental movement. [17] The valley's abundant plants provided nourishment for mule deer, black bears and bighorn sheep. Stand on OShaughnessy Dam and feel the cool updraft. As surely as forests provided timber, so did they provide beauty, inspiration, and the renewal of over-citified spirits. And in a larger sense, the waters of California served as the converting agents. 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. In the northwest corner of Yosemite National Park you can find the Hetch Hetchy Valley. RELATED: Meet The Real Life Batman & Robin Of The National Parks. The Hetch Hetchy watershed, an area located in Yosemite National Park, is the major source of water for all of San Francisco's water needs. This is why environmental impact statements, which were not required prior to 1969, are so important today. [67], Those in opposition of dam removal state that demolishing O'Shaughnessy Dam would take away a valuable source of clean, renewable hydroelectric power in the Kirkwood and Moccasin powerhouses; even if measures such as seasonal water diversion into the powerhouses were employed, it would only make up for a fraction of the original power production. . By 1908, a different Interior Secretary, James R. Garfield, sided with the utilitarian conservationists and issued a permit for the Hetch Hetchy project. This ballot measure is so problematic that SPUR has taken early action to oppose it. National opinion divided between giving San Francisco the right to dam the valley and preserving the valley from development. Since then, the "Hetch Hetchy System" has continued to grow, now including nine impoundments . The Hetch Hetchy Reservoir, which lies within the Yosemite National Park, supplies 85% of the water needs of San Francisco and surrounding counties. [85] Dam the Hetch Hetchy! Second, dams slow rivers. ", "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? What one Secretary of the Interior giveth, another taketh away. Richard Ballinger was appointed his Interior Secretary. 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. [70] Hodel called for a study of the effect of tearing down the 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 dam is a small portion of the overall Tuolumne River/San Francisco storage system that benefits the Bay Area. [67], Preservation groups including the Sierra Club and Restore Hetch Hetchy state that draining Hetch Hetchy would open the valley back up to recreation, a right that should be provided to the American people because the reservoir is within the legal boundaries of a national park. Historians of the American conservation movement regard Pinchot as the foremost exemplar of the utilitarian approach to conservation, according to which man has a right to use natural resources, but also an obligation to use them wisely and efficientlyor as the classic criterion put it, the greatest good for the greatest number over the long run. As applied to forests and espoused by Pinchot, this meant that the nations forest reserves ought not to be maintained as inviolate sanctuaries, but opened to enlightened management.. According to a local legend, Nate spotted a valley to the east that was too far to visit. [2] The dam contains 675,000cuyd (516,000m3) of concrete. If the nation set aside some natural places as especially sacred, how far beyond their borders should a sense of the sacred extend? Get SPUR news and events delivered straight to your email inbox. 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. 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). It is definitely worth to visit Hetch Hetchy area especially in 2021 when main Yosemite area requires booking permits in advance. Included with your registration: Two-day guided experience in Yosemite; one day at Hetch Hetchy and one day in Ackerson Meadow (Saturday, May 11, at 8 am, through Sunday, May 12, until about 3 pm). Finally, in 1988, a third generator was added to the Kirkwood Powerhouse. . 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. On returning home, he asked an Indian chief the name of the valley. "[85] However, she does support breaching the dam once it has reached the end of its lifespan, and not replacing it. [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. The National Park Service conducted research to determine what would happen if the dam were removed, and people have repeatedly proposed costly studies to further understand the consequences of removing the dam. Amid a worsening drought, water supplies at one important reservoir are Muir concludes his treatise on Hetch Hetchy with the now familiar words, "Dam Hetch Hetchy! 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. John Muir once described Hetch Hetchy Valley as, a grand landscape garden, one of Natures rarest and most precious mountain temples.. An adjacent building contains another five suites with vaulted ceilings, forest views and soaking tubs. Hetch Hetchy: Congress and the Environment | National Archives benefits of hetch hetchy dam. Glaciers followed these low-points, leaving their own marks in particular carving out the characteristic U-shaped valley with steep sides and wide floor. As Hetch Hetchy Reservoir Fills, Environmentalists Still Dream of Earn $27.3125 per hour. The OShaughnessy Dam was completed in 1938 and is 430-feet tall. As of 2013, the water storage and hydroelectric power supplied by the Hetch Hetchy Project serviced an estimated 2.6 million people in the San Francisco Bay Area. The chief began packing up and, when Nate asked him why, he replied, The valley is yours now., Far below them, the river cascaded into a peaceful valley floor, a heavenly setting similar to that of the main Yosemite Valley. Hetch Hetchy Valley Analysis - 1299 Words | Internet Public Library Right next to the Lucky Buck Cafe, youll find the Yosemite Westgate Lodge and Buck Meadows Lodge. 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. Activity 1: Analysis. 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. strongly against restoration. In the Bay Area, Hetch Hetchy water is stored in local facilities including Calaveras Reservoir, Crystal Springs Reservoir, and San Antonio Reservoir. This valley was isolated and remote, twenty miles northwest of the original. The Hetch Hetchy dam is upstream on the Tuolumne River from a reservoir nearly six times as large. Five country-chic rooms in the main building include en suite bathrooms, free WiFi and electric fireplaces. An advantage which Phelan, Pinchot and other supporters of the dam project enjoyed was a divided opposition. Next to John Muir, the most vocal defender of the Hetch Hetchy Valley was Harriet Monroe. 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.
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