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Plus, the granite walls converge into a narrow outlet at the bottom of the valley the perfect location for a dam. 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. Before damming, the high granite formations produced a valley with an average depth of 1,800ft (550m) and a maximum depth of over 3,000ft (910m); the length of the valley was 3mi (4.8km) with a width ranging from .mw-parser-output .frac{white-space:nowrap}.mw-parser-output .frac .num,.mw-parser-output .frac .den{font-size:80%;line-height:0;vertical-align:super}.mw-parser-output .frac .den{vertical-align:sub}.mw-parser-output .sr-only{border:0;clip:rect(0,0,0,0);height:1px;margin:-1px;overflow:hidden;padding:0;position:absolute;width:1px}18 to 12 mile (660 to 2,640ft; 200 to 800m). The Hetch Hetchy Valley is a part of Yosemite National Park. Hetch Valley Measure Pits Bay Area Against Environmentalists - The New What one Secretary of the Interior giveth, another taketh away. Could you imagine building a dam inside a national park today? And today there is even an organization, Restore Hetch Hetchy, which is committed to doing just that. As surely as forests provided timber, so did they provide beauty, inspiration, and the renewal of over-citified spirits. For most of the year the waterfall offers a refreshing shower or cooling mist along with an amazing view. The Hetch Hetchy Reservoir, which lies within the Yosemite National Park, supplies 85% of the water needs of San Francisco and surrounding counties. [79] Some observers, such as Carl Pope (director of the Sierra Club), stated that Hodel had political motives[80] in proposing the study. If the dam were not to be built, it would only benefit the small percentage of Americans who actually visited the site and were concerned about the park's pristine condition. Required fields are marked *. [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. California needed secure, reliable access to drinking water for their burgeoning populations. 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. It is only a cut in the hills through which the Tuolumne River runs, but if you think there might be a valley keep looking and if you find such a place I will give it to you., Nate went on looking for the valley. The battle for the Hetch Hetchy Valleys future was not simply preservation versus conservation. (Read SPURs analysis of this plan.) Restore Yosemite? It can be done. - Los Angeles Times 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? When youre standing at the shore overlooking what appears to be a lake, picture yourself looking down into a verdant valley filled with the tall native grasses that give the valley its name. Wapama Fall is reached via a five-mile, round-trip hike that follows the shoreline of the reservoir with moderate up and downhill hiking. What Happens When You Remove a Dam? - Hetch Hetchy Reservoir 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. Hetch Hetchy Water and Power also wants to remove the giant bulkhead that seals up the tunnel with 40 nuts and bolts, Ritchie said. Rounding the corner and catching the first glimpses of Hetch Hetchy Valley reveals the play of light on water. For example, plan to stop at the Lucky Buck Cafe on your way to or from a day of exploring Yosemite. Photo: Herbert W. Gleason courtesy of the Sierra Club. Muir predicted that this lake would create an unsightly "bathtub ring" around its perimeter, caused by the water's destruction of lichen growth on the canyon walls,[44] which would inevitably be visible at low lake levels. We're not going to remove this dam, and the funding is unnecessary. For thousands of years before the arrival of settlers from the United States in the 1850s, the valley was inhabited by Native Americans who practiced subsistence hunting-gathering. HETCH HETCHY: The Epic Enviro Battle That Changed America [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. What should be the fate of prairies, wetlands, or coastal marshes? Spring and early summer bring wildflowers including lupine, wallflower, monkey flower, and buttercup. 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. [75] The remaining deficit would likely have to be replaced by polluting fossil fuel generation. Get SPUR news and events delivered straight to your email inbox. ", "Hetch Hetchy reclaimed: The dam downstream", "Alternatives for restoration of Hetch Hetchy Valley following removal of the dam and reservoir page 15", "Chapter 9: Impact of restoration on hydropower production and revenues", "Putting Bay Area's Water Sources to a Vote", "Hodel Would Tear Down Dam in Hetch Hetchy", "On Hetch Hetchy, John Muir was wrong: California's revered naturalist wrote a poetic diatribe against the drowning of the great valley. Hidden in Yosemite National Parks peaceful northwest corner, Hetch Hetchy Valley is a treasure worth visiting in all seasons. Download the official NPS app before your next visit. [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. 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. Hetch Hetchy is a valley, a reservoir, and a water system in California in the United States. Plus, they needed a way to bring supplies and workers into the mountains. 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. The walls of both are of gray granite, rise abruptly out of the flowery grass and groves are sculptured in the same style, and in both every rock is a glacial monument., (Source: Journal of Sierra Nevada History & Biography, Hetch-Hetchy, Natural History Before The Dam, Joe Medeiros), In defense of Hetch Hetchy, Muir crafted some of his most famous prose. Would there be any room in an acquisitive society for wildness, or for non material spiritual values?. [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. The fundamental issue involved two concepts. ", "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. 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. [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. About one million years ago, the extensive Sherwin glaciation widened, deepened and straightened river valleys along the western slope of the Sierra Nevada, including Hetch Hetchy, Yosemite Valley, and Kings Canyon farther to the south. The water shunted through them about 218 million gallons a day arrives in most city taps by gravity alone. After Hetch Hetchy, many realized the National Parks needed more protection. Let the dam at Hetch Hetchy stand - sfchronicle.com 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. Watershed Worker (Summer, 2023) - Hetch Hetchy Water & Power (Moccasin) - SFPUC (7542) Job at City and County of San Francisco in Moccasin. Since the valley was within Yosemite National Park, an act of Congress was needed to authorize the project. Once again, the political pendulum had swung. 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 . Slow-moving reservoirs heat up, resulting in abnormal temperature fluctuations which can affect sensitive species. 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. That trip is a 19.1-mile (22.9 km) out and back, or you can turn the hike into a loop that returns past Rancheria Falls (28.2 miles, 45.4 km). Not to be outdone by Los Angeles, San Francisco had a greater feat in mind: dam the Hetch Hetchy Valley in Yosemite National Park and pipe the water into San Francisco. Hetch Hetchy: Pros and Cons of Restoration - Yosemite Tales 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. This can lead to algal blooms and decreased oxygen levels. 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. 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. Animals were principally driven along Joseph Screech's trail from Big Oak Flat to Hetch Hetchy. In Yosemite National Park, the Hetch Hetchy reservoir relies on the annual snowmelt to stay full. Yosemite's Hetch Hetchy Water Wars - Yosemite National Park Trips The San Francisco Bulletin printed a Dec. 1, 1913, story calling the bills opponents a crowd ofnature lovers and fakers, who are waging a sentimental campaign to preserve the Hetch Hetchy Valley as a public playground, a purpose for which it has never been used.. Photo: Chris Migeon Some hydro-power dams withhold and then release water to generate power for peak demand periods, which is particularly disruptive to migrating fish. 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. Through the manipulation of water, the company also had the power to determine which real estate became valuable and which languished. For instance, the WET company helps people see the beauty of water through magnificent water fountains. Most people called it Hetch Hetchy, a mispronunciation of a Central Mohawk word for a plant that indigenous people were harvesting there when the first white man came along.. Youll just need to see them for yourself. It's a big job to open the tunnel and close it again. The larger issues at stake would frame environmental debates for years to come. 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. OShaughnessy Dam and the waterworks that connect it to the Bay Area are a marvel of engineering. Restore Hetch Hetchy and the Environmental Defense Funds own studies support a lower cost estimate, ranging from $1 billion to $2 billion. Its a a wonderful place to see spring waterfalls and wildflower displays. OPTION 3Give control to the local people of Hetch Hetchy This is a place considered by John Muir to be equal in beauty to Yose. 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. On returning home, he asked an Indian chief the name of the valley. Each switchback reveals scenic overlooks of the reservoir and Kolana Rock. Your email address will not be published. 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 . It has two trailhead options. As a consequence, visitors came to experience it for themselves. The law authorizing the dam passed Congress on December 7, 1913. 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. . "[61][62], The battle over Hetch Hetchy Valley continues today[when?] . But what about when the lake dries? Located 30 miles southeast of Las Vegas, the dam captures water from the . To visit the waterfalls or Yosemites northern backcountry, you walk across OShaughnessy Dam. A) 5 billion B . Next to John Muir, the most vocal defender of the Hetch Hetchy Valley was Harriet Monroe. If you delight in getting off the well-beaten path, or if you are looking for a peaceful natural retreat, its perfection. "[34], When Yosemite Valley became part of a state park in 1864, Hetch Hetchy received no such designation. These benefits include: Reservoir-based recreation - swimming, fishing, camping etc. Such new supplies are not guaranteed to have the low greenhouse gas emissions profile that Hetch Hetchy water and power do and they could worsen climate change while increasing our vulnerability to it. "[22], The valley's name may be derived from a Miwok word earlier anglicized as hatchhatchie, which means "edible grasses"[8][23] or "magpie". 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. The Hetch Hetchy Valley is about 8 miles (13 km) from Yosemite Valley. Only a tiny proportion of Yosemites visitors explore this out-of-the-way corner of the national park. The O'Shaughnessy Dam is near Yosemite's western boundary, but the long, narrow, fingerlike reservoir stretches eastward for about 8 miles (13 km). Us too! Browers Hetch Hetchy: Undoing A Great American Mistake, makes a compelling case for restoring the valley to its previous glory. [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. Over the next decade, he produced fifteen large oils that transformed the valley into a dreamland unlike anything that ever met mortal eye.. Within three years, Congress had passed the Organic Act, formally defining the parks and creating a new federal agency, the National Park Service, with a mission: to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the wild life therein and to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations.. The Freeman Report artfully depicted reservoirs in Norway, the United Kingdom and the eastern United States showing how nature and public utility worked together to improve their surroundings and provide long-term benefits for everyone. Congress, confronted with rising public opposition, refused to act on the measure. The battle for Hetch Hetchy wasnt just conservationists vs preservationists. The Tuolumne River, the source of. Controversy continues to swirl around the Hetch Hetchy Dam even now. 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. It then cascades on its westward descent through the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne, and enters the eastern end of Hetch Hetchy Reservoir. 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. 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. John Muir, the first president of the Sierra Club, condemned plans to build the dam, saying, "Dam Hetch Hetchy! There have been lawsuits over whether San Francisco violated the agreements of the Raker Act. [40] By the 1880s, San Francisco was looking to Hetch Hetchy water as a fix for its outdated and unreliable water system. The gently rolling terrain has excellent views of the water and eye-catching Kolana Rock, which towers roughly 2,000 feet above. So the idea of planning for new water supplies need not be on the ballot. [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. [8], Meadow plants unavailable in the lowlands were particularly valuable resources to these tribes. But if you still have energy, continue past the bridge to Rancheria Falls. At SPUR, we have done a lot of work on climate change adaptation. Journal entry - Hetch Hetchy.pdf - , Environmental Science Enjoy elegant touches like wrap-around porches, and fresh-baked cookies served daily. "[32], In 1867, Charles F. Hoffman of the California Geological Survey conducted the first survey of the valley. As John Clayton writes, At the height of Progressivism, Phelan and other good-government types believed that the city should administer its own utilities. Three strikes for San Francisco | Restore Hetch Hetchy It carried workers and materials for the dam, as well as tourists, postage and other amenities. The Hetch Hetchy Dam is destroying a piece of land that is the homes of multiple types of animals. You could miss this small mountain community if you blink at the wrong time, but it is home to a few remarkable small businesses. 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. between those who wish to retain the dam and reservoir, and those who wish to drain the reservoir and return Hetch Hetchy Valley to its former state. Muir concludes his treatise on Hetch Hetchy with the now familiar words, "Dam Hetch Hetchy! Sign up for the email list and join an active community of monthly readers. [4] A broad, low rocky outcrop situated between Kolana Rock and Hetch Hetchy Dome divided the former meadow in two distinct sections. Spring snowmelt runs down the Tuolumne River and fills Hetch Hetchy, the largest reservoir in our water system. . The reservoir provides water to a large portion of the Bay Area through a 160 mile delivery. In spite of Muirs eloquent and heated objections, the Raker Act was signed into law in December of 1913. An advantage which Phelan, Pinchot and other supporters of the dam project enjoyed was a divided opposition. But during peak spring flow, the thundering waterfall can wash over the bridge making it dangerous to cross. California O Shaughnessy Dam Analysis 1428 Words | 6 Pages. The controversy over damming Hetch Hetchy became mired in the political issues of the day. Richard Ballinger was appointed his Interior Secretary. The glacial Hetch Hetchy Valley lies in the northwestern part of Yosemite National Park and is drained by the Tuolumne River. The Great Alaskan Land Fraud and the Pinchot-Ballinger Controversy caused both Richard A. Ballinger and Gifford Pinchot to resign and be fired respectively. The second concept is preservation. As Hetch Hetchy Reservoir Fills, Environmentalists Still Dream of The valley provided an escape from the summer heat of the lowlands. Argument Against The Hetchy Dam - 587 Words - Internet Public Library