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[50] The removal of the dam would be extremely costly, at least $310 billion,[76] and the transport of the demolished material away from the dam site along the narrow, winding Hetch Hetchy Road would be a logistical nightmare with possible environmental impacts. The Valley Below | The Verge Other trails also continue to Lake Vernon. [42] This provoked a seven-year environmental struggle with the environmental group Sierra Club, led by John Muir. [40] By the 1880s, San Francisco was looking to Hetch Hetchy water as a fix for its outdated and unreliable water system. There have been lawsuits over whether San Francisco violated the agreements of the Raker Act. San Francisco Hetch Hetchy Reservoir Initiative, Proposition F Would there be any room in an acquisitive society for wildness, or for non material spiritual values?. According to a local legend, Nate spotted a valley to the east that was too far to visit. William Howard Taft became president in 1909. [8] Rancheria Falls is located farther southeast, on Rancheria Creek. Fourth, dams alter water quality. 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). [6][7], Upstream from the valley lies the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne, while the smaller Poopenaut Valley is directly downstream from O'Shaughnessy Dam. Had it been, the Sierra Clubs members would have presented a united front in opposition to its development. A Trip to Hetch Hetchy and the O'Shaughnessy Dam The most prominent preservationist spokesman was John Muir.. Due to extreme winter weather, Yosemite National Park is closed with no estimated date of reopening. Hetch Hetchy Valley was once home to a richly diverse ecosystem, surrounded by towering cliffs and waterfalls similar to those in neighboring Yosemite Valley. Hiking in Yosemite National Park | AAA Ohio It is definitely worth to visit Hetch Hetchy area especially in 2021 when main Yosemite area requires booking permits in advance. This time it was in favor those who wanted to preserve the valley for generations yet to come. 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. You could miss this small mountain community if you blink at the wrong time, but it is home to a few remarkable small businesses. Hetch Hetchy Dome, at 6,197ft (1,889m), lies directly north of it. They suggest that draining the reservoir and turning Hetch Hetchy Valley into a tourist center similar to Yosemite Valley could be worth up to $178 million per year. The regional water system provides water to 2.4 million people in San Francisco, Santa Clara, Alameda and San Mateo counties. 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. The watershed is also strictly protected, so swimming and boating are prohibited at the reservoir (although fishing is permitted at the reservoir and in the rivers which feed it),[60] a measure which is considered unusual for US lakes outside the region. A recent report evaluates the economic benefits of restoring Hetch Hetchy Valley. Albert Bierstadt was known for his sweeping landscapes of the American West. They were both initially carved by rivers flowing down the Sierras relatively gentle western slope. "[61][62], The battle over Hetch Hetchy Valley continues today[when?] Due to its high-altitude location at 3,900 feet above sea level and its snowmelt-fed water supply, water from Hetch Hetchy Reservoir behind O'Shaughnessy Dam does not require filtration. Should natural resources be used to serve the greatest good for the greatest number? 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. 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. Miners did not stay in the area for long, however, as richer deposits occurred further south along the Merced River and in the Big Oak Flat area. Seventeen species of bats inhabit the Hetch Hetchy area, including the largest North American bat, the western mastiff. Dbq Hetchy Project - 663 Words | Internet Public Library can you smoke on royal caribbean cruise ships benefits of hetch hetchy dam. The Engineer as Lobbyist - JSTOR Those who did visit it were enchanted by its scenery, but encountered difficulties with the primitive conditions and, in summertime, swarms of mosquitoes. And Hetch Hetchy's damming has inspired generations of conservationists to protect our natural heritage and to commit to safeguarding our protected areas. He was a firm believer in utilitarian conservation. Hetch Hetchy was the first major battle of the environmental movement. That reservoir is New Don Pedro, and it rests over existing pipelines to the Bay Area. 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. Hiking Hetch Hetchy: the unknown Yosemite National Park - 2TravelDads Friday, enjoy an evening about bats starting at 7 pm. 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. It has two trailhead options. Proponents of the dam replied that out of multiple sites considered by San Francisco, Hetch Hetchy had the "perfect architecture for a reservoir",[43] with pristine water, lack of development or private property, a steep-sided and flat-floored profile that would maximize the amount of water stored, and a narrow outlet ideal for placement of a dam. This limits their ability to access spawning habitat, seek out food resources, and escape predation. Guests at these suites receive breakfast on their patios. San Francisco Can Ban New Natural Gas Because It Destroyed The Hetch Hetch Valley Measure Pits Bay Area Against Environmentalists - The New The valley provided an escape from the summer heat of the lowlands. In the foreground, the deep still water of Hetch Hetchy Reservoir reflects sunshine, clouds and the proud shadows of the surrounding mountains. Subsequent proposals for development in our national parks have been defeated by citizen activists inspired by calls to remember Hetch Hetchy. [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. In the northwest corner of Yosemite National Park you can find the Hetch Hetchy Valley. There are thousands of dams in the United States. Would that be an improvement? Five country-chic rooms in the main building include en suite bathrooms, free WiFi and electric fireplaces. Construction of O'Shaughnessy Dam began in 1919 and was finished in 1923, with the reservoir first filling in May of that year. [31] Its meadows provided abundant feed for "thousands of head of sheep and cattle that entered lean and lank in the spring, but left rolling fat and hardly able to negotiate the precipitous and difficult defiles out of the mountains in the fall. Over the next decade, he produced fifteen large oils that transformed the valley into a dreamland unlike anything that ever met mortal eye.. The trail to Wapama Falls is one of the most popular trails in the Hetch Hetchy area for a good reason. The privately owned Spring Valley Water Company had required its customers to pay exorbitant rates for years. This reservoir on the Sacramento River has been planned for decades The new. Most people turn around here anyway. . Park entry (as needed). As in Yosemite, the sublime rocks of its walls seem to glow with life . Hetch-22 | Ethics: Climate Change - Galen Hiltbrand [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. No spam. The dam also provides flood control, irrigation, and water storage along the Colorado River. It then cascades on its westward descent through the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne, and enters the eastern end of Hetch Hetchy Reservoir. Consider one project in progress that involves re-routing an entire river . Richard Ballinger was a conservative who was one of the main characters who was responsible for the progressive-conservative split in the GOP in 1912 (leading to the creation of the Bull Moose party), which is the factor that determined the GOP would be on the right side of the political spectrum (and therefore ensuring the Democrats would be on the left side of the spectrum). The waterfall on the Tuolumne is now submerged under Hetch Hetchy Reservoir. 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. Second, the sanctity of the national parks which they believed should not be violated. High temperatures prevail in summer months, but that is a small price to pay for the reward of vast wilderness filled with stunning peaks, hidden canyons, and remote lakes. For thousands of years, Native Americans subjected the valley to controlled bushfires, which prevented forest from taking over the valley meadows. The SFPUC and other Hetch Hetchy users are currently implementing plans to meet this demand through recycled water, groundwater and conservation. [36] Muir's friend Robert Underwood Johnson of the politically influential Century Magazine and several other prominent figures were inspired by Muir's work and helped to get Yosemite National Park established by October 1, 1890. He was opposed by then Mayor Diane Feinstein who argued that the dam was San Franciscans birthright. The surface of the water hides an additional 300 feet of granite cliffs and once-upon-a-time waterfalls within its depths. Consequences - Hetch Hetchy: The Valley of Broken Promises The battle for Hetch Hetchy wasnt just conservationists vs preservationists. [17] The valley's abundant plants provided nourishment for mule deer, black bears and bighorn sheep. On this point we hold that while we are willing to die for the lives or the health of the citizens of San Francisco, we are not willing to die for their pockets. 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. San Francisco applied once again for rights to Hetch Hetchy in 1908. As a 13.4-mile (21.4 km) round-trip hike, Rancheria Falls gets fewer day-hikers than Wapama Falls but is a popular backpacking stop. [59] The water quality is high because of the unique geology of the upper Tuolumne River drainage basin, which consists mostly of bare granite; as a result, the rivers feeding Hetch Hetchy Reservoir have extremely low loads of sediments and nutrients. "Hetch Hetchy is a grand landscape garden, one of nature's rarest and most precious mountain temples. Hetch Hetchy Quotes - Rausser College of Natural Resources [54] The entire system produces about 1.7 billion kilowatt hours per year, enough to meet 20% of San Francisco's electricity needs. And today there is even an organization, Restore Hetch Hetchy, which is committed to doing just that. For most of the year the waterfall offers a refreshing shower or cooling mist along with an amazing view. [26], In the early 1850s, a mountain man by the name of Nathan Screech[27] became the first non-Native American to enter the valley. SPUR wholeheartedly agrees that planning for water quality and reliability is important. As a result, San Francisco secured a reliable and . 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). 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. HETCH HETCHY: The Epic Enviro Battle That Changed America O'Shaughnessey Dam Facts. It is 13 miles from the Yosemite National Park border and twice as close to the park than the town of Groveland. It marks the first catchment in a 160-mile long water system that brings high quality, superb-tasting water to 2.6 million residents of the Bay Area every day. Spring and early summer bring wildflowers including lupine, wallflower, monkey flower, and buttercup. 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.. 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). Dam shame / It's time that San Francisco let go of Hetch Hetchy - SFGATE It was the second tallest dam in the U.S. at the time. 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. O'Shaughnessy Dam (California) - Wikipedia The water is transported from the reservoir by the Hetch Hetchy Aqueduct which is made up of 170 miles of gravity-driven pipelines, dams, and other reservoirs. National opinion divided between giving San Francisco the right to dam the valley and preserving the valley from development. Yosemite's Hetch Hetchy Water Wars - Yosemite National Park Trips Slow down and spend the day at Tenaya Lake a beautiful and easy-to-get-to alpine lake cupped by granite domes. "[19], People have lived in Hetch Hetchy Valley for over 6,000 years. Plus, they needed a way to bring supplies and workers into the mountains. 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. 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 battle over the Hetch Hetchy, in part, was a fight over public versus private ownership of vital resources such as water. 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. [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. High temperatures prevail in summer months, but that is a small price to pay for the reward of vast wilderness filled with stunning peaks, hidden canyons, and remote lakes. You may take easy hike to Wapama falls ( around 6 miles) or even more challenging hike to Rancheria falls ( around 14 miles). [54][55], After passing through the powerhouses, Hetch Hetchy water flows into the 167mi (269km) Hetch Hetchy Aqueduct which travels across the Central Valley. And in a larger sense, the waters of California served as the converting agents. In spite of Muirs eloquent and heated objections, the Raker Act was signed into law in December of 1913. A bigger population will increase demand, meanwhile climate change could significantly reduce supply through drought and hydrological cycle changes. [79] Some observers, such as Carl Pope (director of the Sierra Club), stated that Hodel had political motives[80] in proposing the study. The spacious rooms include access to a heated swimming pool, spa, playground, and laundry facilities. The O'Shaughnessy Dam is near Yosemite's western boundary, but the long, narrow, fingerlike reservoir stretches eastward for about 8 miles (13 km). Not far from there, youll find more budget-minded lodging at Buck Meadows Lodge. The Hetch Hetchy Valley: A Reservoir In The Sierra Nevada Mountains Of 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.. As of October 2022, Hetch Hetchy was at 77.5% of its capacity. Public disapproval nationwide with the Raker Act helped to bring about the creation of the National Park Service. [8], Meadow plants unavailable in the lowlands were particularly valuable resources to these tribes. 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. [56] All four pipelines cross the Hayward fault. The proposed study would also have been required to identify potential replacements for the water storage capacity and hydroelectric power production.[87][88]. Restore Yosemite? It can be done. - Los Angeles Times Lawsuit to drain Hetch Hetchy Reservoir goes back to court Yes, the plan to drain Hetch Hetchy involves causing new ecological damage. The SFPUC tests its quality more than 100,000 times a year to ensure that it exceeds all safe drinking water standards. As the Hetch Hetchy Valley was part of Yosemite National Park, Hitchcock preferred to protect the park's natural wonders. But during peak spring flow, the thundering waterfall can wash over the bridge making it dangerous to cross. Day 6: Hetch Hetchy Reservoir to San Francisco. [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. 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. Hetch Hetchy is dammed by the 430-foot-tall OShaughnessy Dam and has a storage capacity of 360,360 acre-feet. Hetch Hetchy is the incredible story of Americas most controversial dam and the birth of the environmental movement. 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. Photo: Herbert W. Gleason courtesy of the Sierra Club. 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. [75] The remaining deficit would likely have to be replaced by polluting fossil fuel generation. Including additions made between 1934 and 1938, the dam currently stands 430 feet (131 m) above the bedrock below. 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. (Read SPURs analysis of this plan.) San Francisco assumed from the outset that there would not be significant opposition to using the Hetch Hetchy Valley, even if it was in a national park, for the high and noble purpose of providing water to one of the nations great and growing metropolises, so their efforts in Washington, DC, were conducted discreetly. 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. In Yosemite National Park, the Hetch Hetchy reservoir relies on the annual snowmelt to stay full. Hetch Hetchy and Ackerson Meadow: Wildflowers and Bats 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. There, he met the same Indian chief and his wives. 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. For example, plan to stop at the Lucky Buck Cafe on your way to or from a day of exploring Yosemite. Youll just need to see them for yourself. But the reservoir has spared it some of the indignities of Yosemite Valley", "San Francisco Department of Elections, November 2012 Results", "San Francisco vote to study draining Hetch Hetchy Reservoir is defeated", "Hetch Hetchy Water and the Bay Area Economy", "Thesis: Water Supply Implications of Removing O'Shaughnessy Dam", "New Irvington Tunnel latest in Hetch Hetchy water system improvements", Current Conditions, Hetch Hetchy Reservoir, California Department of Water Resources, San Francisco Public Utilities Commission: Hetch Hetchy Water and Power, California Resources Agency Hetch Hetchy Restoration Study, Bay Area Water Supply and Conservation Agency on Hetch Hetchy dam, National Register of Historic Places in Yosemite National Park, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hetch_Hetchy&oldid=1131920349, History of the Sierra Nevada (United States), Wikipedia articles incorporating text from the National Park Service, Articles with dead external links from May 2019, Articles with permanently dead external links, Articles with unsourced statements from May 2022, Infobox mapframe without OSM relation ID on Wikidata, Pages using infobox bridge with empty coordinates parameter, All articles with vague or ambiguous time, Vague or ambiguous time from October 2019, Articles with unsourced statements from October 2019, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 6 January 2023, at 11:49. The reservoir provides water to a large portion of the Bay Area through a 160 mile delivery. [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. The larger issues at stake would frame environmental debates for years to come. 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. Only a tiny proportion of Yosemites visitors explore this out-of-the-way corner of the national park. . The imputed motive was to divide the environmental movement: to see residents of the strongly Democratic city of San Francisco coming out against an environmental issue. For your last day, enjoy a short hike on the shores of the beautiful Hetch Hetchy Reservoir. The glacially-carved U-shaped valley floor maximizes the amount of water stored in the reservoir. "[34], When Yosemite Valley became part of a state park in 1864, Hetch Hetchy received no such designation. [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. 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. Start by hiking across the OShaughnessy Dam then turn east along the shore of the reservoir. Building a dam there was off the table. 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. As well dam for water tanks the peoples cathedrals and churches, for no holier temple has ever been consecrated by the heart of man.'. Finally, in 1988, a third generator was added to the Kirkwood Powerhouse. But tearing OShaughnessy Dam down now in order to restore Hetch Hetchy Valley would be a disaster. Watershed Worker (Summer, 2023) - Hetch Hetchy Water & Power (Moccasin [2] 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.