benefits of hetch hetchy dam11 Mar benefits of hetch hetchy dam
A Dam Removal in Progress. As well dam for water-tanks the people's cathedrals and churches, for no holier temple has ever been . Although there are relatively few visitors to Hetch Hetchy, youll find most of them along the trail to Wapama Fall. It is definitely worth to visit Hetch Hetchy area especially in 2021 when main Yosemite area requires booking permits in advance. Furthermore, they provided a place for the wild plants and creatures to live out their own lives, according to their purposes. It's dumb, dumb, dumb. Hetch Hetchy Reservoir, encompassing 2,000 acres of federal park land, has clearly been maintained for the benefit of San Francisco with minimal consideration of the wider public whose tax dollarsand, in the case of visitors, entrance feessupport the national park. The trail includes spectacular views of Tueeulala and Wapama Falls. In spite of Muirs eloquent and heated objections, the Raker Act was signed into law in December of 1913. 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 . John Muir knew that without public support, the Hetch Hetchy Valley would be lost. a strong proponent of restoring Hetch Hetchy Valley and Senator Feinstein is still[when?] People have died after being swept off the bridge and onto the rocks below. Us too! Franklin Lane served as the attorney for the city of San Francisco in 1903. This 1910 view shows Kolana Rock and Tueeulala Falls in the background. The proposed study would also have been required to identify potential replacements for the water storage capacity and hydroelectric power production.[87][88]. Congress would decide the fate of the Hetchy Hetchy Valley. He wrote, I have always called it the Tuolumne Yosemite, for it is a wonderfully exact counterpart of the great Yosemite, not only in its crystal river and sublime rocks and waterfalls, but in the gardens, groves, and meadows of its flowery park-like floor. 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? The deciding factor was whether or not the land in question had access to water. Day 6: Hetch Hetchy Reservoir to San Francisco. Apply Today! [37][38] However, ranchers who had previously owned land in the new park continued their use of Hetch Hetchy Valley a "sheep-grazing free-for-all [that] threatened to denude the High Sierra meadows"[37] before disputes over state and private properties in respect to national park boundaries were finally settled in the early 1900s. Yes, the plan to drain Hetch Hetchy involves causing new ecological damage. Upcountry and the Bay Area. 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 spectacular: a miles-long placid blue lake nested within towering granite cliffs, from which waterfalls cascade. [5] Local legend attributes the modern name Hetch Hetchy to Screech's initial arrival in the valley, during which he observed the Native Americans "cooking a variety of grass covered with edible seeds", which they called "hatch hatchy" or "hatchhatchie". Hetch Hetchy is on the main stem of the Tuolumne River and is part of the Tuolumne watershed. 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. They would light upon a man's blue shirt and turn it brown, and were voracious as mosquitoes would be. [citation needed], The Hetch Hetchy Valley began as a V-shaped river canyon cut out by the ancestral Tuolumne River. But Hetch Hetchy, one of nature's perfect . Slow-moving reservoirs heat up, resulting in abnormal temperature fluctuations which can affect sensitive species. SPUR Urban Center, 654 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA 94105-4015 | (415) 781-8726 | [emailprotected], 2023 SPUR Privacy Policy 501(C)(3) Non-Profit Tax Identification: 94-1498232, a member-supported nonprofit organization. Hetch Hetchy doesn't require permit, you need just regular National park pass. The Great Alaskan Land Fraud and the Pinchot-Ballinger Controversy caused both Richard A. Ballinger and Gifford Pinchot to resign and be fired respectively. Spring and early summer bring wildflowers including lupine, wallflower, monkey flower, and buttercup. In the Bay Area, Hetch Hetchy water is stored in local facilities including Calaveras Reservoir, Crystal Springs Reservoir, and San Antonio Reservoir. It is 13 miles from the Yosemite National Park border and twice as close to the park than the town of Groveland. When changes are made there are unintended consequences. One route begins six miles beyond the entrance station. 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. [20] They hunted, and gathered seeds and edible plants to furnish themselves winter food, trade items, and materials for art and ceremonial objects. The main problem with the measure is that in spite of appearing to be about studying best options or planning for future water supplies, it has pre-determined the solution: draining Hetch Hetchy Reservoir. [17] The valley's abundant plants provided nourishment for mule deer, black bears and bighorn sheep. The falls roar in spring and early summer. [42] This provoked a seven-year environmental struggle with the environmental group Sierra Club, led by John Muir. San Francisco was able to accomplish this in 1925 by claiming it had run out of funds to extend the Hetch Hetchy transmission line all the way to the city. 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. As well dam for water-tanks the people's cathedrals and churches, for no holier temple has ever been consecrated by the heart of man. 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. The glacial Hetch Hetchy Valley lies in the northwestern part of Yosemite National Park and is drained by the Tuolumne River. 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. 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. [40] The city would repeatedly try to acquire water rights to Hetch Hetchy, including in 1901, 1903 and 1905, but was continually rebuffed because of conflicts with irrigation districts that had senior water rights on the Tuolumne River, and because of the valley's national park status. Hetch Hetchy ushered in a new era for the national parks. As well dam for water-tanks the peoples cathedrals and churches, for no holier temple has ever been consecrated by the heart of man.. [85] William Howard Taft became president in 1909. National opinion divided between giving San Francisco the right to dam the valley and preserving the valley from development. Monroe was a Chicago poet who joined Muir and others on their 1908 and 1909 outings to the valley. 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. Once again, the political pendulum would swing. 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. The Hetch Hetchy Reservoir, which lies within the Yosemite National Park, supplies 85% of the water needs of San Francisco and surrounding counties. If youre especially in the mood to relax and let yourself be taken care of, The Blackberry Inn is a luxury bed and breakfast situated on 36 acres and surrounded by National Forest land. 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. Many are vital pieces of infrastructure that provide reliable water supplies, hydropower, flood control, and recreation. Not far from there, youll find more budget-minded lodging at Buck Meadows Lodge. [63] The city justified this as a temporary measure, but no attempt to follow through with completing the municipal grid was ever made. Bierstadt described the valley as "smaller than the more famous valley but it presents many of the same features in his scenery and is quite as beautiful. strongly against restoration. But Sites would be what's called an off-channel reservoir, built away from the river. [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. Photo: Herbert W. Gleason courtesy of the Sierra Club. ", "San Francisco-Hetch Hetchy Valley Connection", "Hetch Hetchy controversy: Could Yosemite's 'second valley' be restored? [79] Some observers, such as Carl Pope (director of the Sierra Club), stated that Hodel had political motives[80] in proposing the study. Everyone who drinks water or takes a shower in San Francisco should go. 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. Hoffman observed a meadow "well timbered and affording good grazing", and noted the valley had a milder climate than Yosemite Valley, hence the abundance of ponderosa pine and gray pine. 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. 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. The exploitation of Californias natural resources continued unabated in the years leading up to Hetch Hetchy. The openings in the Taft administration led to the eventual success of the Raker Act. Some hydro-power dams withhold and then release water to generate power for peak demand periods, which is particularly disruptive to migrating fish. 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. It involved the unintended consequences of efforts to shape the environment to meet human needs. . But Hetch Hetchy was a federally protected as part of Yosemite National Park. The larger issues at stake would frame environmental debates for years to come. As a result, San Francisco secured a reliable and . Bierstadts paintings and Muirs writings began to publicize the beauty of the Hetch Hetchy Valley. Located at 3,900 feet, Hetch Hetchy boasts one of the longest hiking seasons in the park and is an ideal place for thundering spring waterfalls and wildflower displays. Photo: Kim Lawson. Glaciers followed these low-points, leaving their own marks in particular carving out the characteristic U-shaped valley with steep sides and wide floor. In 1987, President Reagans Secretary of the Interior, Donald Hodel, proposed that Hetch Hetchy be restored. [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). Have all students read the debate overview and page one of the HR 7207, the "Raker Bill". 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. DWRs meta-study found a range of costs from $3 billion to $10 billion for restoration and replacement of water and power sources. The SFPUC tests its quality more than 100,000 times a year to ensure that it exceeds all safe drinking water standards. the Hetch Hetchy Dam (1910-13) Abstract The damming of Hetch Hetchy in Yosemite National Park is a watershed event in environmental history, a presumed travesty that brought anguish to John Muir and his many sup porters throughout the United States. It then cascades on its westward descent through the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne, and enters the eastern end of Hetch Hetchy Reservoir. [41], In 1906, after a major earthquake and subsequent fire that devastated San Francisco, the inadequacy of the city's water system was made tragically clear. And today there is even an organization, Restore Hetch Hetchy, which is committed to doing just that. There are many places to stop and enjoy views of the rushing water before turning around to return to your car. Hetch Hetchy is an iconic, rare and spectacular landscape, Hetch Hetchy is part of Yosemite National Park and its damming and flooding is by far the worst destruction of our national parks have ever experienced Restoration would not only make Yosemite whole once again it would inspire people that we don't need to live with mistakes of the past" While youre at it, plan to add to the historic flavor of this route with a stop the Northern Mariposa County History Center. The O'Shaughnessy Dam was completed in 1923 and, after the . [18], Due to its abundant wetlands and stream pools, Hetch Hetchy was notorious among early travelers for becoming infested with mosquitoes in the summertime. To visit the waterfalls or Yosemites northern backcountry, you walk across OShaughnessy Dam. 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. Even a short stroll from the car gives a magnificent view of the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir from the OShaughnessy Dam. [28][29] About 1853, his brother, Joseph Screech (credited in some accounts for the original discovery of the valley)[27] blazed the first trail from Big Oak Flat, a mining camp near present-day Lake Don Pedro,[30] for 38mi (61km) northeast to Hetch Hetchy Valley. Construction of O'Shaughnessy Dam began in 1919 and was finished in 1923, with the reservoir first filling in May of that year. 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. . More Than Just Parks | National Parks Guides. Guests at these suites receive breakfast on their patios. . [73] Furthermore, the removal of O'Shaughnessy Dam would not require costly sediment control measures, as would be typical on most dam removal projects, because of the high quality of the Tuolumne River water in the first 90 years since its construction, only around 2in (5.1cm) of sediment had been deposited in Hetch Hetchy Reservoir, much less than most other dams. 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. Buck Meadows is also a great place to spend the night. [citation needed] The George W. Bush administration proposed allocating $7 million to studying the removal of the dam in the 2007 National Park Service budget. Have you been to Hetch Hetchy Reservoir in Yosemite? [46], Work on the Hetch Hetchy Project began in 1914. [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. [54][55], After passing through the powerhouses, Hetch Hetchy water flows into the 167mi (269km) Hetch Hetchy Aqueduct which travels across the Central Valley. The O'Shaughnessy Dam is near Yosemite's western boundary, but the long, narrow, fingerlike reservoir stretches eastward for about 8 miles (13 km). They were both initially carved by rivers flowing down the Sierras relatively gentle western slope. [82] Dianne Feinstein opposed this allocation, saying, "I will do all I can to make sure it isn't included in the final bill. To begin the trail, cross the dam and pass through the tunnel. The O'Shaughnessy Dam is near Yosemite's western boundary, but the long, narrow, fingerlike reservoir stretches eastward for about 8 miles (13km). . 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). [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. The . GROVELAND,CA San Francisco may be required to pay more rent to the federal government for water from the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir or even tear down the O'Shaughnessy Dam. 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. Since the valley was within Yosemite National Park, an act of Congress was needed to authorize the project. [47] On October 28, 1934 twenty years after the beginning of construction on the Hetch Hetchy project a crowd of 20,000 San Franciscans gathered to celebrate the arrival of the first Hetch Hetchy water in the city. Hetch Hetchy is dammed by the 430-foot-tall OShaughnessy Dam and has a storage capacity of 360,360 acre-feet. To do so, it would either have to buy out the private monopoly at an exorbitant price or outmaneuver or outbid Spring Valley for a potential new reservoir., (Source: Natural Rivals: John Muir, Gifford Pinchot, and the Creation of Americas Public Lands, John Clayton). As the Hetch Hetchy Valley was part of Yosemite National Park, Hitchcock preferred to protect the park's natural wonders. 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. We're not going to remove this dam, and the funding is unnecessary. In the future, we will certainly need diverse supplies to rely on in a prolonged drought, but we will also need Hetch Hetchy more than ever. In November 2012, San Francisco voters soundly rejected Proposition F,[86] which would have required the city to conduct an $8 million study on how the flooded valley could be drained and restored to its former state. The first is utilitarian conservation. Seventeen species of bats inhabit the Hetch Hetchy area, including the largest North American bat, the western mastiff. history. This is why environmental impact statements, which were not required prior to 1969, are so important today. 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. Building the Dam. The reservoir is fed by the Tuolumne River. Exactly how San Francisco won the right to transform the bucolic valley into a At SPUR, we have done a lot of work on climate change adaptation. Secretary of the Interior, Ethan Allen Hitchcock, refused to give San Francisco a permit to build the dam. After Hetch Hetchy, many realized the National Parks needed more protection. Slow down and spend the day at Tenaya Lake a beautiful and easy-to-get-to alpine lake cupped by granite domes. The maximum that the city has put away is 570,000 acre-feet of water. Other trails also continue to Lake Vernon. "[22], The valley's name may be derived from a Miwok word earlier anglicized as hatchhatchie, which means "edible grasses"[8][23] or "magpie". 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. Muir famously said, Dam Hetch Hetchy! The history of Californias growth is inextricably linked to the search for water. But how did the dam get to be here? Get SPUR news and events delivered straight to your email inbox. Rancheria Falls itself is a series of whitewater cascades that crashes through a narrow canyon on its way to the reservoir. The glacially-carved U-shaped valley floor maximizes the amount of water stored in the reservoir. Healthy fish populations - by releasing sufficient instream flows for spawning and rearing downstream - sometimes to mitigate for the loss of spawning habitat caused by their construction, and Dam the Hetch Hetchy! In 2019, Restore Hetch Hetchy commissioned another study that found enormous recreational value from removing the dam. 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. The battle for Hetch Hetchy was perhaps the first effort at what is now known as "grassroots lobbying," getting individual citizens to contact elected officials in support . The upcountry portion of the System begins with Hetch Hetchy Reservoir in Yosemite National Park. "[32], In 1867, Charles F. Hoffman of the California Geological Survey conducted the first survey of the valley. What one Secretary of the Interior giveth, another taketh away. On returning home, he asked an Indian chief the name of the valley. 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. 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. They poured an estimated total of more than 398,000 cubic yards (304,000 cubic meters) of concrete to form the dam. What part should mountains, rivers, natural meadows or wild creatures play in American life? Spring snowmelt runs down the Tuolumne River and fills Hetch Hetchy, the largest reservoir in our water system. The SFPUC tests its quality more than 100,000 times a year to ensure that it exceeds all safe drinking water standards. 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. 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.. Sign up for helpful guides, beautiful videos, and insider tips on the national parks. 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. An adjacent building contains another five suites with vaulted ceilings, forest views and soaking tubs. If you delight in getting off the well-beaten path, or if you are looking for a peaceful natural retreat, its perfection. "[83], Opponents of dam removal have pointed out that the flooding of the Hetch Hetchy Valley has also deterred the crowds that overrun other areas of Yosemite National Park. Mirror Lakes famous spring-time reflections capture the eye and mind.
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