benefits of hetch hetchy dam

This 1910 view shows Kolana Rock and Tueeulala Falls in the background. In 1923, the O'Shaughnessy Dam was completed on the Tuolumne River, flooding the entire valley under the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir. A national debate ensued between the preservationist and conservationist factions of the young environmental movement. Consider one project in progress that involves re-routing an entire river . They poured an estimated total of more than 398,000 cubic yards (304,000 cubic meters) of concrete to form the dam. 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. Above all, one's behavior Argument Against The Hetchy Dam 587 Words | 3 Pages [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. This time, in favor of those who wanted to build the dam. It pitted a powerful city against a dedicated group of conservationists. This fight set the stage for future battles between those who believed natural resources were to be used for the greatest good versus those who believed natural resources were to be preserved for the greatest enjoyment. 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. On returning home, he asked an Indian chief the name of the valley. It was the second tallest dam in the U.S. at the time. It carried workers and materials for the dam, as well as tourists, postage and other amenities. Friday, enjoy an evening about bats starting at 7 pm. history. The battle over the Hetch Hetchy, in part, was a fight over public versus private ownership of vital resources such as water. Could you imagine building a dam inside a national park today? Hetch Hetchy was the first major battle of the environmental movement. 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. Pinchot was Americas Forester. He served as the first head of the United States Forest Service. The Tuolumne River, the source of. Hetch Hetchy's restoration, after all, will benefit national . The Hetch Hetchy Dam is destroying a piece of land that is the homes of multiple types of animals. DWR also found that the planning studies necessary to refine the costs and benefits of restoration would cost $65 million alone. (Source: American Rivers, How Dams Damage Rivers). 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). In contrast to the utilitarian view, the preservationist approach denied the assumption that the natural world existed solely to serve mans purposes. 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. Teams completed the OShaughnessy Dam in 1923 and the reservoir filled for the first time in May of that year. 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. "[34], When Yosemite Valley became part of a state park in 1864, Hetch Hetchy received no such designation. [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. We have historic photographs to remind us of what Hetch Hetchy Valley looked like before the dam was built. Some hydro-power dams withhold and then release water to generate power for peak demand periods, which is particularly disruptive to migrating fish. Expect delicious meals and hearty portions to fuel your adventure or beat that post-hiking hunger. "[85] However, she does support breaching the dam once it has reached the end of its lifespan, and not replacing it. 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. Construction of O'Shaughnessy Dam began in 1919 and was finished in 1923, with the reservoir first filling in May of that year. More Than Just Parks | National Parks Guides. [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. Franklin Lane served as the attorney for the city of San Francisco in 1903. The SFPUC tests its quality more than 100,000 times a year to ensure that it exceeds all safe drinking water standards. Since the valley was within Yosemite National Park, an act of Congress was needed to authorize the project. Muir observed:[3]. This is a place considered by John Muir to be equal in beauty to Yose. There are four fundamental ways in which dams damage rivers. 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. And, as you might imagine, it produces some of the cleanest municipal water in the United States. [54] The entire system produces about 1.7 billion kilowatt hours per year, enough to meet 20% of San Francisco's electricity needs. For functional purposes, Hetch Hetchy was a promising solution to San Francisco's serious water shortages. Sign up for the email list and join an active community of monthly readers. As the Hetch Hetchy Valley was part of Yosemite National Park, Hitchcock preferred to protect the parks natural wonders. Only a tiny proportion of Yosemites visitors explore this out-of-the-way corner of the national park. 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.. [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. The locations of these two formations roughly correspond with those of Cathedral Rocks and El Capitan seen from Tunnel View in Yosemite Valley. In its natural state, the valley floor was marshy and often flooded in the spring when snow melt in the high Sierra cascaded down the Tuolumne River and backed up behind the narrow gorge which is now spanned by O'Shaughnessy Dam. 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. 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 . This trail is 13 miles round-trip with 3,700 feet elevation gain. [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. 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. 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. This valley was isolated and remote, twenty miles northwest of the original. Animals were principally driven along Joseph Screech's trail from Big Oak Flat to Hetch Hetchy. [40] By the 1880s, San Francisco was looking to Hetch Hetchy water as a fix for its outdated and unreliable water system. Smith Peak (7,751 feet) is the highest point in the area and offers outstanding views. Hetch Hetchy and Yosemite Valley are so similar because they were created by the same sequences of geological activity. . [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 gently rolling terrain has excellent views of the water and eye-catching Kolana Rock, which towers roughly 2,000 feet above. California needed secure, reliable access to drinking water for their burgeoning populations. 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. The same features that make Hetch Hetchy Valley so spectacular also make it an ideal location for a dam. 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. This time it was in favor those who wanted to preserve the valley for generations yet to come. Day 6: Hetch Hetchy Reservoir to San Francisco. 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. Many are vital pieces of infrastructure that provide reliable water supplies, hydropower, flood control, and recreation. We would be trading flooded acres in one place for flooded acres in another. . So visit Hetch Hetchy. Hetch Hetchy, unlike other water storage facilities in California, is relatively buffered from near-term climate change because of its high elevation. When changes are made there are unintended consequences. 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. 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. [71], The dam would not have to be completely removed; rather, it would only be necessary to cut a hole through the base in order to drain the water and restore natural flows of the Tuolumne River. If you delight in getting off the well-beaten path, or if you are looking for a peaceful natural retreat, its perfection. During summer, people of the Miwok and Paiute came to Hetch Hetchy from the Central Valley in the west and the Great Basin in the east. While opponents of the dam were hard pressed for financial support, the city of San Franciscos campaign was well financed. Photo: Chris Migeon The new. 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 second concept is preservation. Should nature be left alone so that flora and fauna flourish while people enjoy its primal wonders? 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. What one Secretary of the Interior giveth, another taketh away. [2] 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. "[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. (In fact partially because it is so difficult and destructive to build large dams, we are running out of new supplies of water in California.) Following a fierce nationwide debate led by John Muir and Will Colby of the Sierra Club, the City of San Francisco was authorized by the U.S. Congress, in the Raker Act of 1913, to construct a dam and reservoir on the Tuolumne River in Hetch Hetchy Valley in Yosemite National Park. It is the primary water source for about 2.5 million residents of the San Francisco Bay Area. Upcountry and the Bay Area. Photo: Chris Migeon. The glacially-carved U-shaped valley floor maximizes the amount of water stored in the reservoir. Swimming and boating are prohibited in Hetch Hetchy Reservoir in order to maintain a clean source of drinking water. Finally, in 1988, a third generator was added to the Kirkwood Powerhouse. This limits their ability to access spawning habitat, seek out food resources, and escape predation. But how did the dam get to be here? 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. Said San Francisco resident William Denman in 1918, "The first time I went into the Hetch Hetchy the mosquitoes were intolerable. Building the Hetch Hetchy dam in such a remote location was an enormous project. The O'Shaughnessy Dam was completed in 1923 and, after the . Residents drink it in 26 cities and water districts from San. [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. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This is interesting from an ideological perspective. The valley provided an escape from the summer heat of the lowlands. [8], Meadow plants unavailable in the lowlands were particularly valuable resources to these tribes. As the Hetch Hetchy Valley was part of Yosemite National Park, Hitchcock preferred to protect the park's natural wonders. The water winds between granite features like Kolana Rock and Hetch Hetchy Dome. 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. Some of these studies determined that the idea of draining the reservoir was technically feasible but incredibly costly. The O'Shaughnessy Dam is near Yosemite's western boundary, but the long, narrow, fingerlike reservoir stretches eastward for about 8 miles (13km). 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? 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. Divide the class into four small groups. Some years later, water began flowing to San Francisco. 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. 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. 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. The Tuolumne River originates in the peaks above Tuolumne Meadows and is the major drainage system for the northern part of Yosemite. . [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. Congress, confronted with rising public opposition, refused to act on the measure. In the northwest corner of Yosemite National Park you can find the Hetch Hetchy Valley. 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). Looking up at Wapama Falls from the footbridge on the hiking trail. A full breakfast is served in the dining room. 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. After Hetch Hetchy, many realized the National Parks needed more protection. The SFPUC and other Hetch Hetchy users are currently implementing plans to meet this demand through recycled water, groundwater and conservation. These benefits include: Reservoir-based recreation - swimming, fishing, camping etc. [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 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. The Great Alaskan Land Fraud and the Pinchot-Ballinger Controversy caused both Richard A. Ballinger and Gifford Pinchot to resign and be fired respectively. Furthermore, they provided a place for the wild plants and creatures to live out their own lives, according to their purposes. The Blackberry Inn Bed and Breakfast is just one of many welcoming businesses located on the way to Hetch Hetchy. The surface of the water hides an additional 300 feet of granite cliffs and once-upon-a-time waterfalls within its depths. In Yosemite National Park, the Hetch Hetchy reservoir relies on the annual snowmelt to stay full. 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. In the early 20th century, San Francisco flooded the Hetch Hetchy Valley, destroying "one of nature's rarest and most precious mountain temples." This is why the city can now ban new natural gas. The San Francisco Bulletin printed a Dec. 1, 1913, story calling the bills opponents a crowd ofnature lovers and fakers, who are waging a sentimental campaign to preserve the Hetch Hetchy Valley as a public playground, a purpose for which it has never been used.. For your last day, enjoy a short hike on the shores of the beautiful Hetch Hetchy Reservoir. benefits of hetch hetchy dam. [21][33] Albert Bierstadt, Charles Dorman Robinson and William Keith were known for their landscapes that drew tourists to the Hetch Hetchy Valley. 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. Annie Li, a senior engineer at the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, points to the yellow and brown squiggly lines on the map, revealing our water's path from Hetch Hetchy to the Bay Area. Wapama and Rancheria Falls Looking up at Wapama Falls from the footbridge on the hiking trail.

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