Instead, it was a more complicated battle which pitted public interests against private interests. 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. As Hetch Hetchy Reservoir Fills, Environmentalists Still Dream of Activity 1: Analysis. In the northwest corner of Yosemite National Park you can find the Hetch Hetchy Valley. 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. [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. An adjacent building contains another five suites with vaulted ceilings, forest views and soaking tubs. This 1910 view shows Kolana Rock and Tueeulala Falls in the background. 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. Apply Today! The gently rolling terrain has excellent views of the water and eye-catching Kolana Rock, which towers roughly 2,000 feet above. You can expect one (short) email per month. The glacially-carved U-shaped valley floor maximizes the amount of water stored in the reservoir. Those who did visit it were enchanted by its scenery, but encountered difficulties with the primitive conditions and, in summertime, swarms of mosquitoes. 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 . He was a firm believer in utilitarian conservation. Hetch Hetchy, located at 3,900 feet in Yosemite National Park, is one of the park's most popular hiking . Giving a Dam: Congress Debates Hetch Hetchy - George Mason University ", "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. benefits of hetch hetchy dam. [2] The dam contains 675,000cuyd (516,000m3) of concrete. Hydroelectric power generated from the Hetch Hetchy project is largely sold to Bay Area customers through a private power company, Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E). It also was an early battle of conservatives vs progressives. "[19], People have lived in Hetch Hetchy Valley for over 6,000 years. Seventeen species of bats inhabit the Hetch Hetchy area, including the largest North American bat, the western mastiff. If you delight in getting off the well-beaten path, or if you are looking for a peaceful natural retreat, its perfection. We have historic photographs to remind us of what Hetch Hetchy Valley looked like before the dam was built. It is the primary water source for about 2.5 million residents of the San Francisco Bay Area. Exactly how San Francisco won the right to transform the bucolic valley into a OShaughnessy Dam and the waterworks that connect it to the Bay Area are a marvel of engineering. The Hetch Hetchy Valley was within Yosemite National Park and protected by the federal government, leaving it up to Congress to decide the valley's fate. The extensive amount of storage, which is designed to benefit the Bay Area as droughts become more severe with climate. That's about twice the amount of power lost when Hetch Hetchy will be restored. In the distance, long white plumes of water cascade hundreds of feet down from rocky heights. National opinion divided between giving San Francisco the right to dam the valley and preserving the valley from development. Albert Bierstadt was known for his sweeping landscapes of the American West. But how did the dam get to be here? The Tuolumne River continues through Tuolumne Meadows and the associated park developments at an elevation of 8,600 feet. 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. In the Bay Area, Hetch Hetchy water is stored in local facilities including Calaveras Reservoir, Crystal Springs Reservoir, and San Antonio Reservoir. It is part of our More than Just Parks Environmental Heroes series. The law authorizing the dam passed Congress on December 7, 1913. 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. So visit Hetch Hetchy. The Hetch Hetchy Reservoir, which lies within the Yosemite National Park, supplies 85% of the water needs of San Francisco and surrounding counties. They would light upon a man's blue shirt and turn it brown, and were voracious as mosquitoes would be. 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 proposed ballot measure calls for the creation of a task force that would spend $8 million to develop a long-term plan for improving water quality and reliability, remediating environmental damages caused by the water supply system, and identifying new water and renewable energy supplies so that Hetch Hetchy Valley could be returned to the National Park Service. 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. 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. The SFPUC and other Hetch Hetchy users are currently implementing plans to meet this demand through recycled water, groundwater and conservation. The Hetch Hetchy Reservoir also serves to provide energy in the form of hydroelectricity, with a capacity of over 200 megawatts a year. Slow down and spend the day at Tenaya Lake a beautiful and easy-to-get-to alpine lake cupped by granite domes. Utilizing its superior resources, the city produced a detailed report which made a compelling case that, far from damaging the beauty of Yosemite, the dam would actually enhance it. There are thousands of dams in the United States. Smith Peak (7,751 feet) is the highest point in the area and offers outstanding views. If the nation set aside some natural places as especially sacred, how far beyond their borders should a sense of the sacred extend? 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. California O Shaughnessy Dam Analysis 1428 Words | 6 Pages. RELATED: A Woman Started The Environmental Movement (Can It Continue?). 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? Sign up for helpful guides, beautiful videos, and insider tips on the national parks. No spam. 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. 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. Ultimately, San Francisco sold hydropower from the dam to the Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), which led to decades of legal wrangling and controversy over terms in the Raker Act. "Dam Hetch Hetchy!" - I Take History 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). Storage and Delivery Updates | SFPUC What part should mountains, rivers, natural meadows or wild creatures play in American life? 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 PDF ISSUE GUIDE Hetch Hetchy - theautry.org Photo: Herbert W. Gleason courtesy of the Sierra Club. Browers Hetch Hetchy: Undoing A Great American Mistake, makes a compelling case for restoring the valley to its previous glory. The network goes from the Sierra Nevada mountains, across the Central Valley and out to the coast, and serves 2.5 million Californians in 30 cities across four counties. ", "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. In Yosemite National Park, the Hetch Hetchy reservoir relies on the annual snowmelt to stay full. 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 . This valley was isolated and remote, twenty miles northwest of the original. Restore Hetch Hetchy and the Environmental Defense Funds own studies support a lower cost estimate, ranging from $1 billion to $2 billion. Hetch Hetchy, unlike other water storage facilities in California, is relatively buffered from near-term climate change because of its high elevation. Prominent sponsors of the dam proposal, particularly (by then former) Mayor James Phelan and city engineer Marsdon Manson (and later his successor, Michael OShaughnessy), quietly lobbied key figures in the government, trusting that the appeal of municipal water and power would easily win supporters amid the prevailing progressive political climate. This ballot measure is so problematic that SPUR has taken early action to oppose it. Her poetic descriptions of Hetch hetchy won her the attention of powerful members of Congress. Even before it was finished, the massive . [15] When the glacier retreated for the final time, sediment-laden meltwater deposited thick layers of silt, forming the flat alluvial floodplain of the valley floor. RELATED: Meet The Real Life Batman & Robin Of The National Parks. The second concept is preservation. Show More. Guests at these suites receive breakfast on their patios. San Francisco had its eyes on this water source early on and repeatedly tried to acquire water rights to the Tuolumne River. [20] They hunted, and gathered seeds and edible plants to furnish themselves winter food, trade items, and materials for art and ceremonial objects. Yes, the plan to drain Hetch Hetchy involves causing new ecological damage. It carried workers and materials for the dam, as well as tourists, postage and other amenities. Water could be diverted into the Kirkwood and Moccasin Powerhouses using lower-impact diversion dams, providing power generation on a seasonal basis, and the enlarged height at Don Pedro would also increase power generation there. Hetch-22 | Ethics: Climate Change - Galen Hiltbrand 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 same features that make Hetch Hetchy Valley so spectacular also make it an ideal location for a dam. 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 Reservoir - O'Shaugnessy Dam - National Park Service [54] The entire system produces about 1.7 billion kilowatt hours per year, enough to meet 20% of San Francisco's electricity needs. 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. [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. The openings in the Taft administration led to the eventual success of the Raker Act. Hetch Hetchy, for the time being, was safe, and it would not be inundated during Roosevelts watch.. San Francisco Mayor James Phelan led the fight to build a dam at Hetch Hetchy. It's dumb, dumb, dumb. Formerly called Buck Meadows Restaurant and Bar, the new caf crosses rustic-mountain flair with roadside cafe friendliness. The Engineer as Lobbyist - JSTOR The Fight for Hetch Hetchy | Environment & Society Portal The spacious rooms include access to a heated swimming pool, spa, playground, and laundry facilities. [50] The project is operated by the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission. As well dam for water-tanks the people's cathedrals and churches, for no holier temple has ever been . Rancheria Falls itself is a series of whitewater cascades that crashes through a narrow canyon on its way to the reservoir. Hetch Hetchy Water's Epic Journey, From Mountains to Tap The trail continues to climb for 1.8 miles (2.8 km) above the trail intersection, but you can turn around any time. [85] The Dam flooded about nine miles of the river, including the Hetch Hetchy valley. The battle over the Hetch Hetchy, in part, was a fight over public versus private ownership of vital resources such as water. For thousands of years, Native Americans subjected the valley to controlled bushfires, which prevented forest from taking over the valley meadows. Glaciers followed these low-points, leaving their own marks in particular carving out the characteristic U-shaped valley with steep sides and wide floor. . 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. [citation needed], The Hetch Hetchy Valley began as a V-shaped river canyon cut out by the ancestral Tuolumne River. It is definitely worth to visit Hetch Hetchy area especially in 2021 when main Yosemite area requires booking permits in advance. You could miss this small mountain community if you blink at the wrong time, but it is home to a few remarkable small businesses. Once the glaciers retreated, tributaries leading into the main river were left hanging hundreds or thousands of feet above the valley floor, creating the beautiful waterfalls we know today. Eighty-five percent of the water comes from Sierra Nevada snowmelt stored in the Hetch Hetchy reservoir situated on the Tuolumne River in Yosemite National Park. 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. The privately owned Spring Valley Water Company had required its customers to pay exorbitant rates for years. 406 California Historical Landmark)", "John Muir's Yosemite: The father of the conservation movement found his calling on a visit to the California wilderness", "Timeline of the Ongoing Battle Over Hetch Hetchy", "The Hetch Hetchy Letters: If a Group of Intellectuals Argues in a Forest, and then that Forest is Submerged Under Water, Does Their Argument Matter? Not far from there, youll find more budget-minded lodging at Buck Meadows Lodge. Hetch Hetchy ushered in a new era for the national parks. Dams, including this one, dont last forever, and perhaps in a few generations the conversation about a different future for the Hetch Hetchy Valley may be worthwhile. The Hetch Hetchy dam would still be as naturally beautiful as it was before when it was preserved, and along with that, the construction of the dam will benefit the greatest number of. 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. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. The Hetch Hetchy Valley is about 8 miles (13 km) from Yosemite Valley. [13], Hetch Hetchy is home to a diverse array of plants and animals. If youre excited about a long hike or backpacking trip, you can continue to Laurel Lake for a 14.2-mile (22.9 km) out and back. 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). It's a big job to open the tunnel and close it again. Study with Quizlet and memorize flashcards containing terms like The 1987 UN Commission on Sustainability first introduced the concept of ________ as a necessary focus for maintaining sustainability. To get the electricity they would need, they first built a smaller dam at Lake Eleanor. The construction of the Hetch Hetchy Railroad took place from 1915 to 1918. [3] Kolana Rock, at 5,772ft (1,759m), is a massive rock spire on the south side of the Hetch Hetchy Valley. Richard Ballinger was appointed his Interior Secretary. Get SPUR news and events delivered straight to your email inbox. It has two trailhead options. There is no Starbucks here no daily parade of tour buses and RVs. Residents drink it in 26 cities and water districts from San. The O'Shaughnessy Dam is near Yosemite's western boundary, but the long, narrow, fingerlike reservoir stretches eastward for about 8 miles (13 km). 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. 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. Three strikes for San Francisco | Restore Hetch Hetchy "Hetch Hetchy is a grand landscape garden, one of nature's rarest and most precious mountain temples. Buck Meadows is also a great place to spend the night. Visitors might still need chains to get down Evergreen Road this time of year, but a trip to Hetch Hetchy reveals an example of the potent storms, and a reservoir of controversy for 100 years. 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. The Poopenaut Trail begins at a signed trailhead four miles past the entrance station. Stand on OShaughnessy Dam and feel the cool updraft. Building the Dam. ", "San Francisco-Hetch Hetchy Valley Connection", "Hetch Hetchy controversy: Could Yosemite's 'second valley' be restored? Expect delicious meals and hearty portions to fuel your adventure or beat that post-hiking hunger. 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. The main power facility in the system, the Moccasin Powerhouse, began commercial operation on August 14, 1925. [9] Formerly, a "small but noisy"[10] waterfall and natural pool existed on the Tuolumne River marked the upper entrance to Hetch Hetchy Valley,[11] informally known as Tuolumne Fall (not to be confused with a similarly named waterfall several miles upriver near Tuolumne Meadows). First, the beauty of the valley which they felt should not be sacrificed to build a dam. He had journeyed to Washington to lobby the federal government on behalf of the project. "[85] However, she does support breaching the dam once it has reached the end of its lifespan, and not replacing it. 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. 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. A) 5 billion B . But Hetch Hetchy was a federally protected as part of Yosemite National Park. 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. Although Hetch Hetchy is included within the boundaries of Yosemite National Park, the entrance is separate from the rest of the park. 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. He said, So we come now face to face with the perfectly clean question of what is the best use to which this water that flows out of the Sierras can be put. Since then, the "Hetch Hetchy System" has continued to grow, now including nine impoundments . It would be almost impossible to build a new dam there today. 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. Bierstadts paintings and Muirs writings began to publicize the beauty of the Hetch Hetchy Valley. 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 larger issues at stake would frame environmental debates for years to come. Hetch Hetchy Reservoir and Water System Hetch Hetchy Valley Analysis - 1299 Words | Internet Public Library Pinchot was recognized as a leader of the conservation movement. On returning home, he asked an Indian chief the name of the valley. Impounded by O'Shaughnessy Dam, Hetch Hetchy Reservoir water passes through hydroelectric powerhouses before it enters the San Joaquin Pipelines, the Tesla Ultraviolet Treatment Facility, and the Coast Range Tunnel on its journey to the Bay Area. The history of Californias growth is inextricably linked to the search for water. Second, the sanctity of the national parks which they believed should not be violated. As the Hetch Hetchy Valley was part of Yosemite National Park, Hitchcock preferred to protect the park's natural wonders. Swimming and boating are prohibited in Hetch Hetchy Reservoir in order to maintain a clean source of drinking water. [79] Some observers, such as Carl Pope (director of the Sierra Club), stated that Hodel had political motives[80] in proposing the study. Wapama and Rancheria Falls Looking up at Wapama Falls from the footbridge on the hiking trail. The battle for the Hetch Hetchy Valleys future was not simply preservation versus conservation. Off Deadline: Is 'Restore Hetch Hetchy' a pipe dream or a living vision Above all, one's behavior Argument Against The Hetchy Dam 587 Words | 3 Pages In contrast to the utilitarian view, the preservationist approach denied the assumption that the natural world existed solely to serve mans purposes. [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. [46], Work on the Hetch Hetchy Project began in 1914. In spite of Muirs eloquent and heated objections, the Raker Act was signed into law in December of 1913. The valley provided an escape from the summer heat of the lowlands. As a result, San Francisco secured a reliable and . The dam and reservoir are the source for the Hetch Hetchy Aqueduct, which provides water for over . Put another way, if Congress denied the city of San Francisco the Hetch Hetchy Valley, the California Progressive leaders suspected that it would only be a matter of time before the emerging Pacific Gas and Electric Company would grab the area.
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