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The grassroots organization of environmental activism, established by John Muir and his supporters, became a model for future environmentalists. 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. Browers Hetch Hetchy: Undoing A Great American Mistake, makes a compelling case for restoring the valley to its previous glory. San Francisco applied once again for rights to Hetch Hetchy in 1908. Let us introduce you to some of the unique giant sequoia groves in the Yosemite Mariposa County area the Merced, Tuolumne, and Mariposa Groves are inside Yosemite National Park, and the Nelder Grove is just outside the park boundary to the south. The maximum that the city has put away is 570,000 acre-feet of water. Everyone who drinks water or takes a shower in San Francisco should go. Yes, the plan to drain Hetch Hetchy involves causing new ecological damage. Plus, they needed a way to bring supplies and workers into the mountains. Construction of O'Shaughnessy Dam began in 1919 and was finished in 1923, with the reservoir first filling in May of that year. [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. 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. The regional water system provides water to 2.4 million people in San Francisco, Santa Clara, Alameda and San Mateo counties. [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. ", "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. Winter weather conditions may cause road closures. The reservoir supplies water for the city of San Francisco, so there is no recreational boating or swimming allowed. Progressive political leaders, of whom Mayor Phelan was one, believed it was time to take this power away from the private interests and turn it over to the people. Muir famously said, Dam Hetch Hetchy! [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. 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. And it is the largest single source of water supply for the Bay Area. 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. Here are just some of the hurdles we would need to cross: Identify water supplies to meet about 18 percent of the regions water demand in dry years (which occur about 20 percent of the time), Permit and build 40 to 90 megawatts of renewable power to supply almost all municipal demand in San Francisco, Build and operate a water-filtration plant, because water stored further downstream than Hetch Hetchy will have to be filtered, Engineer and design a series of expensive and complicated infrastructure projects to re-engineer major components of the regional water system, then get those changes through the environmental review process, Somehow convince senior water-right holders like the Modesto and Turlock Irrigation Districts on the Tuolumne River to let us store our drinking water in their reservoirs. Fourth, dams alter water quality. Hetch Hetchy: Congress and the Environment | National Archives 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 Freeman Report artfully depicted reservoirs in Norway, the United Kingdom and the eastern United States showing how nature and public utility worked together to improve their surroundings and provide long-term benefits for everyone. remains the least visited area of the park. [24] It is likely that the edible grass was blue dicks. For all the similarities between Hetch Hetchy Valley and Yosemite Valley, there is one enormous difference the Hetch Hetchy reservoir. Should nature be left alone so that flora and fauna flourish while people enjoy its primal wonders? August 14 Hetch Hetchy Began Producing Power (1925) - Today in The question Pinchot always asked was, What is the greatest good for the greatest number?, He was famously quoted as saying, Where conflicting interests must be reconciled, the question shall always be answered from the standpoint of the greatest good of the greatest number in the long run., RELATED: Gifford Pinchot: A 2021 Lesson From Americas First Forester, In his congressional testimony, Pinchot argued in favor of building the dam. 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. O'Shaughnessy Dam (California) - Wikipedia Instead, the magnificence of a valley often described as Yosemite Valleys slightly smaller twin takes center stage. The same features that make Hetch Hetchy Valley so spectacular also make it an ideal location for a dam. Two additional reservoirs in the Hetch Hetchy RegionLake Eleanor and Lake Lloyd (also Controversy continues to swirl around the Hetch Hetchy Dam even now. Argument Against The Hetchy Dam - 587 Words - Internet Public Library [63] The city justified this as a temporary measure, but no attempt to follow through with completing the municipal grid was ever made. In 1923, the O'Shaughnessy Dam was completed on the Tuolumne River, flooding the entire valley under the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir. Right next to the Lucky Buck Cafe, youll find the Yosemite Westgate Lodge and Buck Meadows Lodge. 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. [21] Miwok names are still used for features, including Tueeulala Fall, Wapama Fall, and Kolana Rock. The battle over the Hetch Hetchy, in part, was a fight over public versus private ownership of vital resources such as water. [79] Some observers, such as Carl Pope (director of the Sierra Club), stated that Hodel had political motives[80] in proposing the study. The first is utilitarian conservation. He had journeyed to Washington to lobby the federal government on behalf of the project. 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 Dam Rent Is Too Low - PERC Hetch Hetchy - Wikipedia By Posted student houses falmouth 2021 In jw marriott panama concierge lounge The restoration of Hetch Hetchy would be a simple task compared to some dam removal efforts. [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. Application Opening: February 10, 2023 Application Filing Deadline: March 3, 2023 Hourly Compensation: $27.3125 Recruitment ID: RTF0131751-01138303 (131752) APPOINTMENT TYPE: Temporary Exempt: This position is excluded by the Charter from the competitive Civil Service examination process and shall serve at the discretion of the Appointing Officer. Dbq Hetchy Project - 663 Words | Internet Public Library [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". The water from Hetch Hetchy Reservoir is used to supply system customers as well as to generate hydroelectric power; the reservoir is also operated to provide instream flows to benefit fisheries and other wildlife. That reservoir is New Don Pedro, and it rests over existing pipelines to the Bay Area. Hetch Hetchy Environmental Debates | National Archives Another Iconic Valley In Yosemite? Report Estimates Tourism Benefits Of 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. This is also a place imbued with history: San Franciscos congressional delegation won the right to build the dam in 1913, to secure a reliable source of water in the wake of the 1906 earthquake. Hetch Hetchy Reservoir (Yosemite National Park) - Tripadvisor So visit Hetch Hetchy. Divide the class into four small groups. Hetch Hetchy: Pros and Cons of Restoration - Yosemite Tales That's about twice the amount of power lost when Hetch Hetchy will be restored. Third, dams alter natural habitats and change the ways in which rivers function. Consequences - Hetch Hetchy: The Valley of Broken Promises Slow-moving reservoirs heat up, resulting in abnormal temperature fluctuations which can affect sensitive species. Wapama Fall is reached via a five-mile, round-trip hike that follows the shoreline of the reservoir with moderate up and downhill hiking. Hetch Hetchy is dammed by the 430-foot-tall OShaughnessy Dam and has a storage capacity of 360,360 acre-feet. Photo: Kim Lawson. The O'Shaughnessy Dam was completed in 1923 and, after the . So the idea of planning for new water supplies need not be on the ballot. The reservoir is fed by the Tuolumne River. Hetch Hetchy - Yosemite National Park (U.S. National Park Service) Not only does it supply 85 percent of the water for 2.6 million people in San Francisco, controlled releases via the O'Shaughnessy Dam are helping preserve downstream specieseven in dry years. In 1987, President Reagans Secretary of the Interior, Donald Hodel, proposed that Hetch Hetchy be restored. The battle for Hetch Hetchy wasnt just conservationists vs preservationists. In the Bay Area, Hetch Hetchy water is stored in local facilities including Calaveras Reservoir, Crystal Springs Reservoir, and San Antonio Reservoir. Those who did visit it were enchanted by its scenery, but encountered difficulties with the primitive conditions and, in summertime, swarms of mosquitoes. But tearing OShaughnessy Dam down now in order to restore Hetch Hetchy Valley would be a disaster. The Tuolumne River originates in the peaks above Tuolumne Meadows and is the major drainage system for the northern part of Yosemite. Hetch Hetchy System - BAWSCA Hours: Year-round, but only accessible by car when the Hetch Hetchy Road is open. [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. These clean and comfortable rooms also enjoy access to the pool, spa and other facilities at Yosemite Westgate Lodge. . For John Muir, it was about preserving a natural wonder which could be enjoyed by generations to come. Teams completed the OShaughnessy Dam in 1923 and the reservoir filled for the first time in May of that year. They also remove water needed for healthy in-stream ecosystems. 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. In the distance, long white plumes of water cascade hundreds of feet down from rocky heights. No BS! [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. Principally, dam removal on the Klamath will require annual replacement of 696 gigawatt hours of electricity by other means. 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. Yosemite Westgate Lodge offers newly-remodeled and well-appointed modern accommodation. 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. The Poopenaut Trail begins at a signed trailhead four miles past the entrance station. Once again, the political pendulum had swung. [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. 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. As of October 2022, Hetch Hetchy was at 77.5% of its capacity. This is a place considered by John Muir to be equal in beauty to Yose. The other route begins at the entrance station and is 16 miles round-trip with 3,300 feet of elevation gain. [42] They claimed the valley was not unique and would be even more beautiful with a lake. 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. OPTION 3Give control to the local people of Hetch Hetchy Expect delicious meals and hearty portions to fuel your adventure or beat that post-hiking hunger. can you smoke on royal caribbean cruise ships benefits of hetch hetchy dam. As well dam for water-tanks the peoples cathedrals and churches, for no holier temple has ever been consecrated by the heart of man . In 2019, Restore Hetch Hetchy commissioned another study that found enormous recreational value from removing the dam. Pinchot was Americas Forester. He served as the first head of the United States Forest Service. Apply Today! Hetch Hetchy, located at 3,900 feet in Yosemite National Park, is one of the park's most popular hiking . Rancheria Falls itself is a series of whitewater cascades that crashes through a narrow canyon on its way to the reservoir. The Hetch Hetchy Valley: A Reservoir In The Sierra Nevada Mountains Of Although Hetch Hetchy is included within the boundaries of Yosemite National Park, the entrance is separate from the rest of the park. The valley provided an escape from the summer heat of the lowlands. View of the OShaughnessy Dam and the Hetchy Hetchy Road and parking. The Tuolumne River, the source of. The Blackberry Inn Bed and Breakfast is just one of many welcoming businesses located on the way to Hetch Hetchy. Most people turn around here anyway. (Source: American Rivers, How Dams Damage Rivers). And Hetch Hetchy's damming has inspired generations of conservationists to protect our natural heritage and to commit to safeguarding our protected areas. John Muir once described Hetch Hetchy Valley as, a grand landscape garden, one of Natures rarest and most precious mountain temples.. As the Hetch Hetchy Valley was part of Yosemite National Park, Hitchcock preferred to protect the park's natural wonders. There is a third concept, too, though it was little understood at the time. A national debate ensued between the preservationist and conservationist factions of the young environmental movement. [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. Worth a Dam? - Earth Island Journal Hetch Hetchy Reservoir and Water System benefits of hetch hetchy dam - Lindon CPA's 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. . Indeed, Hetch Hetchy today[when?] But how did the dam get to be here? 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. The O'Shaughnessy Dam is near Yosemite's western boundary, but the long, narrow, fingerlike reservoir stretches eastward for about 8 miles (13km). The O'Shaughnessy Dam and reservoir, and the series of aqueducts, tunnels, and tunnels as well as 8 other dams make up the entire Hetch Hetchy Project. After Hetch Hetchy, many realized the National Parks needed more protection. The exploitation of Californias natural resources continued unabated in the years leading up to Hetch Hetchy. The inadequacy of the citys existing water supply came into sharp focus. An advantage which Phelan, Pinchot and other supporters of the dam project enjoyed was a divided opposition. Hodel Would Tear Down Dam in Hetch Hetchy - Los Angeles Times Photo: Kim Lawson. When changes are made there are unintended consequences. Hetch Hetchy Valley is a treasure worth visiting. Youll just need to see them for yourself. Hetch Hetchy water serves residents in four Bay Area counties, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara and Southern Alameda. . Back in the early nineteen hundreds, when the debate start about The Hetch Hetchy dam being built a large majority of people did not realize or care how valuable nature is. Giving a Dam: Congress Debates Hetch Hetchy - George Mason University The SFPUC tests its quality more than 100,000 times a year to ensure that it exceeds all safe drinking water standards. California O Shaughnessy Dam Analysis 1428 Words | 6 Pages.