The O'Shaughnessy Dam is 430-foot (131 m) high made of concrete and it is named after engineer Michael O'Shaughnessy, who oversaw the entire construction. The most prominent preservationist spokesman was John Muir.. This was likely because of Hetch Hetchy's narrow outlet, which in years of heavy snowmelt created a bottleneck in the Tuolumne River and the subsequent flooding of the valley floor. Yosemite's Hetch Hetchy Water Wars - Yosemite National Park Trips 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. There are many places to stop and enjoy views of the rushing water before turning around to return to your car. But Hetch Hetchy, one of nature's perfect . Hetch Hetchy, located at 3,900 feet in Yosemite National Park, is one of the park's most popular hiking . The Hetch Hetchy dam is upstream on the Tuolumne River from a reservoir nearly six times as large. [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. Winter weather conditions may cause road closures. Hetch Valley Measure Pits Bay Area Against Environmentalists - The New (Read SPURs analysis of this plan.) Second, the sanctity of the national parks which they believed should not be violated. [4] A broad, low rocky outcrop situated between Kolana Rock and Hetch Hetchy Dome divided the former meadow in two distinct sections. [2] From Hetch Hetchy Reservoir, the water flows through the Canyon and Mountain Tunnels to Kirkwood and Moccasin Powerhouses, which have capacities of 124 and 110 megawatts, respectively. Although there are relatively few visitors to Hetch Hetchy, youll find most of them along the trail to Wapama Fall. High temperatures prevail in summer months, but its a small price to pay for the reward of vast wilderness filled with stunning peaks, hidden canyons, and remote lakes. The grassroots organization of environmental activism, established by John Muir and his supporters, became a model for future environmentalists. Hetch Hetchy Reservoir and Water System Slow down and spend the day at Tenaya Lake a beautiful and easy-to-get-to alpine lake cupped by granite domes. Klamath Dam Removal Applauded by Newsom, Haaland et al., How About The deciding factor was whether or not the land in question had access to water. A Dam Removal in Progress. [56] All four pipelines cross the Hayward fault. These benefits include: Reservoir-based recreation - swimming, fishing, camping etc. ", "The Hetch Hetchy Story, Part II: PG&E and the Raker Act", "The Forbidden Water: San Francisco and Hetch Hetchy Valley", "Idyllic Pulgas Water Temple still offers comfort for weary wanderers", "Chronology of San Francisco's Water Development", "Frequently Asked Questions About Hetch Hetchy Reservoir and the Regional Water & Power System", "Water From Yosemite Is Still Cheap, for Now", "Serving 2.6 million residential, commercial and industrial customers", "Hetch Hetchy water goes through ultraviolet rinse", "A historic bid for limited boating at Hetch Hetchy Reservoir", "Trump team reassigns Yosemite National Park superintendent; timing raises questions", "Western Water Wars: Efforts to Take Over San Francisco's Hetch Hetchy Systems", "Hetch Hetchy Power Debacle: Continuing Yosemite Threat", "Could Hetch Hetchy Valley be worth $100 billion? It's dumb, dumb, dumb. California O Shaughnessy Dam Analysis 1428 Words | 6 Pages. This is because the Tuolumne catchment basin above Hetch Hetchy is almost three times as large as the catchment area of the Merced River above Yosemite, allowing a greater volume of ice to form. National opinion divided between giving San Francisco the right to dam the valley and preserving the valley from development. Exactly how San Francisco won the right to transform the bucolic valley into a "[22], The valley's name may be derived from a Miwok word earlier anglicized as hatchhatchie, which means "edible grasses"[8][23] or "magpie". Plus, the granite walls converge into a narrow outlet at the bottom of the valley the perfect location for a dam. It is definitely worth to visit Hetch Hetchy area especially in 2021 when main Yosemite area requires booking permits in advance. [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. As in Yosemite, the sublime rocks of its walls seem to glow with life . Hidden in Yosemite National Parks peaceful northwest corner, Hetch Hetchy Valley is a treasure worth visiting in all seasons. They also remove water needed for healthy in-stream ecosystems. They acknowledge that a concerted effort would have to be made to control the introduction of wildlife and tourism back into the valley in order to prevent destabilization of the ecosystem,[68] and that it might be decades or even centuries before the valley could be returned to natural conditions. Rounding the corner and catching the first glimpses of Hetch Hetchy Valley reveals the play of light on water. And in a larger sense, the waters of California served as the converting agents. What one Secretary of the Interior giveth, another taketh away. A recent report evaluates the economic benefits of restoring Hetch Hetchy Valley. [61] In 2018, the Department of the Interior of the Trump administration began to consider a proposal to allow limited boating on the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir for the first time, supported by the advocacy group Restore Hetch Hetchy which argued that "San Francisco received [Hetch Hetchy's] benefits long ago, but the American people have not. 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. [75] The remaining deficit would likely have to be replaced by polluting fossil fuel generation. Two additional reservoirs in the Hetch Hetchy RegionLake Eleanor and Lake Lloyd (also It is the source of water for the city of San Francisco. Have all students read the debate overview and page one of the HR 7207, the "Raker Bill". As John Clayton writes, At the height of Progressivism, Phelan and other good-government types believed that the city should administer its own utilities. "[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. People have died after being swept off the bridge and onto the rocks below. Yet it also highlighted the division within the conservation movement over two fundamental principles: utilitarian conservation versus preservation. She says the water first leaves Hetch Hetchy through the O'Shaughnessy Dam. It is the primary water source for about 2.5 million residents of the San Francisco Bay Area. The Hetch Hetchy Reservoir also serves to provide energy in the form of hydroelectricity, with a capacity of over 200 megawatts a year. San Francisco applied to the United States Department of the Interior to gain water rights to Hetch Hetchy, and in 1908 President Theodore Roosevelt's Secretary of the Interior, James R. Garfield, granted San Francisco the rights to development of the Tuolumne River. As a result, San Francisco secured a reliable and . 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. 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? [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. A national debate ensued between the preservationist and conservationist factions of the young environmental movement. One route begins six miles beyond the entrance station. . There, he met the same Indian chief and his wives. OPTION 3Give control to the local people of Hetch Hetchy Photo: Chris Migeon. Hetch Hetchy's restoration, after all, will benefit national . Including additions made between 1934 and 1938, the dam currently stands 430 feet (131 m) above the bedrock below. Fortunately, that time has not yet come, so this November, vote no on the Water Sustainability and Environmental Restoration Planning Act of 2012. Lets keep Hetch Hetchy around for the forseeable future. Hetch Hetchy was the first major battle of the environmental movement. This reservoir on the Sacramento River has been planned for decades The water winds between granite features like Kolana Rock and Hetch Hetchy Dome. [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. [24] It is likely that the edible grass was blue dicks. 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. Public disapproval nationwide with the Raker Act helped to bring about the creation of the National Park Service. In some cases, however, including the Klamath and Hetch Hetchy, the benefits of restoration clearly outweigh the benefits provided by the dams. 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. [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. Hetch Hetchy: Pros and Cons of Restoration - Yosemite Tales [5] The valley was slowly becoming known for its natural beauty, but it was never a popular tourist destination because of extremely poor access and the location of the famous Yosemite Valley just twenty miles to the south. 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. history. Subsequent proposals for development in our national parks have been defeated by citizen activists inspired by calls to remember Hetch Hetchy. 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. As of October 2022, Hetch Hetchy was at 77.5% of its capacity. Dianne Feinstein, the mayor of San Francisco at the time, said in a Los Angeles Times story in 1987: "All this is for an expanded campground? On a national stage, Hetch Hetchy became caught in the cross fire between the interests of private utilities ownership and those of municipal ownership. Photo: Herbert W. Gleason courtesy of the Sierra Club. The Poopenaut Trail begins at a signed trailhead four miles past the entrance station. Yosemite's Secret Valley - Hetch Hetchy - YouTube 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 regional water system provides water to 2.4 million people in San Francisco, Santa Clara, Alameda and San Mateo counties. 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. As well dam for water-tanks the peoples cathedrals and churches, for no holier temple has ever been consecrated by the heart of man.. The . Hetch Hetchy water serves residents in four Bay Area counties, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara and Southern Alameda. So visit Hetch Hetchy. Since the valley was within Yosemite National Park, an act of Congress was needed to authorize the project. [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. Franklin Lane served as the attorney for the city of San Francisco in 1903. His path roughly follows the John Muir Highway State Highway 132 that runs from Highway 49 in Coulterville up through Greeley Hill before connecting back into Highway 120 before Buck Meadows and the turn-off to Hetch Hetchy. In 1967 the Robert C. Kirkwood Powerhouse started commercial operation followed by a New Moccasin Powerhouse in 1969 when the Old Moccasin Powerhouse was taken out of service. Without Hetch Hetchy as its primary reservoir, San Francisco will be forced to pump and filter its water for the first time in a century, and lose out on the 726 million kilowatt-hours produced by . It involved the unintended consequences of efforts to shape the environment to meet human needs. 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. If you love that insider feeling of discovering an often-overlooked gem, plan a stop at Buck Meadows on your way to or from Hetch Hetchy. That's about twice the amount of power lost when Hetch Hetchy will be restored. The history of Californias growth is inextricably linked to the search for water. Hetch Hetchy is the incredible story of Americas most controversial dam and the birth of the environmental movement. [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. 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. 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 [3] Kolana Rock, at 5,772ft (1,759m), is a massive rock spire on the south side of the Hetch Hetchy Valley. Once again, the political pendulum had swung. 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. For all the similarities between Hetch Hetchy Valley and Yosemite Valley, there is one enormous difference the Hetch Hetchy reservoir. At full capacity, the reservoir stretches eight miles (13 km) upstream of the OShaughnessy Dam. Call 209-372-0200 for the latest road and weather conditions, Hetch Hetchy Road Daily Hours: 8 am to 5 pm. . While youre at it, plan to add to the historic flavor of this route with a stop the Northern Mariposa County History Center. Hetch Hetchy Valley was once home to a richly diverse ecosystem, surrounded by towering cliffs and waterfalls similar to those in neighboring Yosemite Valley. 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. Gifford Pinchot wanted the U.S Forest Service to control the parks, but after his support to dam Hetchy Hetchy, Congress voted in 1916 to to establish the National Park Service whose sole purpose was "to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the wild life therein and to provide for the . Being one of the biggest hydroelectric facilities in the United States and a National Landmark, Hoover Dam generates power to serve more than 1.3 million people. What Happens When You Remove a Dam? - Hetch Hetchy Reservoir As the Hetch Hetchy Valley was part of Yosemite National Park, Hitchcock preferred to protect the parks natural wonders. The SFPUC tests its quality more than 100,000 times a year to ensure that it exceeds all safe drinking water standards. Indeed, Hetch Hetchy today[when?] 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. The Engineer as Lobbyist - JSTOR It's a big job to open the tunnel and close it again. As well dam for water-tanks the peoples cathedrals and churches, for no holier temple has ever been consecrated by the heart of man . Hetch Hetchy Environmental Debates | National Archives The locations of these two formations roughly correspond with those of Cathedral Rocks and El Capitan seen from Tunnel View in Yosemite Valley. Even a short stroll from the car gives a magnificent view of the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir from the OShaughnessy Dam. The privately owned Spring Valley Water Company had required its customers to pay exorbitant rates for years.
Holland's Theory Of Vocational Choice Pros And Cons, Fireman Sam Dvber Channel 5 Hd, Is Dr Ronx Nigerian, Articles B