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. Rounding the corner and catching the first glimpses of Hetch Hetchy Valley reveals the play of light on water. The Hetch Hetchy Reservoir itself store 85% of the City's overall drinking water supply, the remaining 15% is stored in the system's 5 other reservoirs. An advantage which Phelan, Pinchot and other supporters of the dam project enjoyed was a divided opposition. Residents drink it in 26 cities and water districts from San. 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. 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. As the Hetch Hetchy Valley was part of Yosemite National Park, Hitchcock preferred to protect the park's natural wonders. [4] A broad, low rocky outcrop situated between Kolana Rock and Hetch Hetchy Dome divided the former meadow in two distinct sections. 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. Enjoy elegant touches like wrap-around porches, and fresh-baked cookies served daily. The report cited other dam projects in making the argument that this project would increase tourism. What should be the fate of prairies, wetlands, or coastal marshes? Hiking in Yosemite National Park | AAA Ohio And Hetch Hetchy's damming has inspired generations of conservationists to protect our natural heritage and to commit to safeguarding our protected areas. Consequences - Hetch Hetchy: The Valley of Broken Promises 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. He was a firm believer in utilitarian conservation. Restore Yosemite? It can be done. - Los Angeles Times Watershed Worker (Summer, 2023) - Hetch Hetchy Water & Power (Moccasin) - SFPUC (7542) Job at City and County of San Francisco in Moccasin. Yosemite's Secret Valley - Hetch Hetchy - YouTube Hetch Hetchy Valley is a treasure worth visiting. Fourth, dams alter water quality. 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. After Hetch Hetchy, many realized the National Parks needed more protection. Photo: Theresa Ho, Of course, the proposal was immediately opposed by environmentalists including the Sierra Club and John Muir. This strenuous 2.5-mile, round-trip hike to the Tuolumne River has 1,229 feet of elevation gain. As we learned from Rachel Carsons Silent Spring, humankind can damage the environment while attempting to control it. He had journeyed to Washington to lobby the federal government on behalf of the project. 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. 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. Everyone who drinks water or takes a shower in San Francisco should go. [5] Chief Tenaya of the Yosemite Valley's Ahwaneechee tribe claimed that Hetch Hetchy was Miwok for "Valley of the Two Trees", referring to a pair of yellow pines that once stood at the head of Hetch Hetchy. 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. On December 19, 1913, Congress passed and President Wilson signed the Raker Act which permitted the building of the OShaughnessy Dam and the flooding of the Hetch Hethcy Valley in Yosemite National Park. Hetch Hetchy, for the time being, was safe, and it would not be inundated during Roosevelts watch.. What part should mountains, rivers, natural meadows or wild creatures play in American life? San Francisco Hetch Hetchy Reservoir Initiative, Proposition F . For John Muir, it was about preserving a natural wonder which could be enjoyed by generations to come. The Hetch Hetchy Reservoir also serves to provide energy in the form of hydroelectricity, with a capacity of over 200 megawatts a year. This ballot measure is so problematic that SPUR has taken early action to oppose 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. Above all, one's behavior Argument Against The Hetchy Dam 587 Words | 3 Pages Some of these studies determined that the idea of draining the reservoir was technically feasible but incredibly costly. 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. O'Shaughnessy Dam (California) - Wikipedia The idea of punching a hole in or removing the dam and allowing the valley to be restored to its pre-development conditions has been around since the late 1980s. The battle for Hetch Hetchy wasnt just conservationists vs preservationists. On a national stage, Hetch Hetchy became caught in the cross fire between the interests of private utilities ownership and those of municipal ownership. The new. It forced elected representatives to consider what a national park designation truly meant and whether or not the land within these parks deserved protection. [21] Miwok names are still used for features, including Tueeulala Fall, Wapama Fall, and Kolana Rock. Exactly how San Francisco won the right to transform the bucolic valley into a 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 pitted a powerful city against a dedicated group of conservationists. While John Muir led the fight against building the dam, the opposition was supported by Gifford Pinchot. The Hetch Hetchy Valley is a part of Yosemite National Park. They also remove water needed for healthy in-stream ecosystems. 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. [39], Interest in using the valley as a water source or reservoir dates back as far as the 1850s, when the Tuolumne Valley Water Company proposed developing water storage there for irrigation. Formerly called Buck Meadows Restaurant and Bar, the new caf crosses rustic-mountain flair with roadside cafe friendliness. (Source: American Rivers, How Dams Damage Rivers). Muir famously said, Dam Hetch Hetchy! 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. What one Secretary of the Interior giveth, another taketh away. Hetch Hetchy Reservoir (Yosemite National Park) - Tripadvisor Including additions made between 1934 and 1938, the dam currently stands 430 feet (131 m) above the bedrock below. [70] Hodel called for a study of the effect of tearing down the dam. The openings in the Taft administration led to the eventual success of the Raker Act. And it is the largest single source of water supply for the Bay Area. Show More. Now San Francisco wanted to dam one of the two principal watersheds in the park, the Hetch Hetchy valley through which ran the Tuolumne River, to create a reservoir for its water supply. [85] The dam was then 227 feet (69m) high; its present height of 312 feet (95m) was achieved only later, in 1938. Through the manipulation of water, the company also had the power to determine which real estate became valuable and which languished. 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). But during peak spring flow, the thundering waterfall can wash over the bridge making it dangerous to cross. "[65] Harold L. Ickes, Secretary of the Interior in the late 1930s, said there was a violation of the Raker Act, but he and the city reached an agreement in 1945. Forests might provide for the material well-being of human beings, but they did not exist for this reason alone. Seventeen species of bats inhabit the Hetch Hetchy area, including the largest North American bat, the western mastiff. 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. Even in the summer when Yosemite Valley is being explored by visitors from around the world, Hetch Hetchy remains an oasis of relative calm. Even a short stroll from the car gives a magnificent view of the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir from the OShaughnessy Dam. Hetch Hetchy Valley, far from being a plain, common, rock-bound meadow, as many who have not seen it seem to suppose, is a grand landscape garden, one of Nature's rarest and most precious mountain temples. If the nation set aside some natural places as especially sacred, how far beyond their borders should a sense of the sacred extend? 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). [5], The valley is fed by the Tuolumne River, Falls Creek, Tiltill Creek, Rancheria Creek, and numerous smaller streams which collectively drain a watershed of 459sqmi (1,190km2). 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. It was the second tallest dam in the U.S. at the time. The Tuolumne River, the source of. Youll just need to see them for yourself. Standing upon it will give you the chance to appreciate the sublimity of both nature and human achievement. [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. 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.. 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. As a consequence, visitors came to experience it for themselves. California needed secure, reliable access to drinking water for their burgeoning populations. The deciding factor was whether or not the land in question had access to water. Call 209-372-0200 for the latest road and weather conditions, Hetch Hetchy Road Daily Hours: 8 am to 5 pm. . It has not been demonstrated that Hetch Hetchy is the only available source, but only that it might be the cheapest. 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. "Dam Hetch Hetchy!" - I Take History Activity 1: Analysis. [8], Before damming, the valley floor contained abundant stands of black oaks, live oak, Ponderosa pine, Douglas fir, and silver fir bordering the meadows, with alder, willow, poplar and dogwood in the riparian zone along the Tuolumne River. This time it was in favor those who wanted to preserve the valley for generations yet to come. The National Park Service concluded that two years after draining the valley, grasses would cover most of its floor and within 10 years, clumps of cone-bearing trees and some oaks would take root. Second, dams slow rivers. Hetch Hetchy was the first major battle of the environmental movement. It is the primary water source for about 2.5 million residents of the San Francisco Bay Area. 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. Buck Meadows is also a great place to spend the night. Start by hiking across the OShaughnessy Dam then turn east along the shore of the reservoir. The . A Trip to Hetch Hetchy and the O'Shaughnessy Dam Worth a Dam? - Earth Island Journal [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. You could miss this small mountain community if you blink at the wrong time, but it is home to a few remarkable small businesses. San Francisco Can Ban New Natural Gas Because It Destroyed The Hetch Photo: Chris Migeon. Over the next decade, he produced fifteen large oils that transformed the valley into a dreamland unlike anything that ever met mortal eye.. [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. Other trails also continue to Lake Vernon. No spam. This trail is 13 miles round-trip with 3,700 feet elevation gain. In continuance, water has a personality and the presence of it can change moods and help people feel better. The valley floor consisted of roughly 1,200 acres (490ha) of meadows fringed by pine forest, through which meandered the Tuolumne River and numerous tributary streams. Finally, with the railroad complete, teams broke ground on the OShaughnessy Dam on August 1, 1919. We're not going to remove this dam, and the funding is unnecessary. Yosemite's Hetch Hetchy Water Wars - Yosemite National Park Trips Related. Bierstadts paintings and Muirs writings began to publicize the beauty of the Hetch Hetchy Valley. San Francisco Hetch Hetchy Dam Almost Failed and Could - Breitbart For example, plan to stop at the Lucky Buck Cafe on your way to or from a day of exploring Yosemite. Us too! Storage and Delivery Updates | SFPUC The terminus of the incomplete line was "conveniently located next to a PG&E substation", which connected to PG&E's private line which in turn bridged the gap to San Francisco. Denouncing dam proponents as greedy, he wrote, These temple destroyers, devotees of ravaging commercialism, seem to have a perfect contempt for Nature, and instead of lifting their eyes to the God of the Mountains, life them to the Almighty Dollar. [64] Peter Byrne of SF Weekly has stated that "the plain language of the Raker Act itself and experts who are familiar with the act (and have no stake in city politics) all agree: The city of San Francisco is not in violation of the Raker Act. 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. The pressure that Muir and his compatriots generated in 1908 and 1909 did not dissuade the administration from its support of the Hetch Hetchy dam, but this pressure was quite effective in the realm of electoral politics. He was opposed by then Mayor Diane Feinstein who argued that the dam was San Franciscans birthright. Off Deadline: Is 'Restore Hetch Hetchy' a pipe dream or a living vision 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. . SPUR wholeheartedly agrees that planning for water quality and reliability is important. Hetch Hetchy Reservoir - O'Shaugnessy Dam - National Park Service 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. Winter weather conditions may cause road closures. [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. Environment Quiz 1 Chapters 1-3 Flashcards | Quizlet For thousands of years, Native Americans subjected the valley to controlled bushfires, which prevented forest from taking over the valley meadows. Hetch Hetchy is dammed by the 430-foot-tall OShaughnessy Dam and has a storage capacity of 360,360 acre-feet. The city must pay a lease of $30,000 per year for the use of Hetch Hetchy, which sits on federal land. ", "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? 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.