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 . SF's Hetch Hetchy water system is almost full. Is that a good thing? August 14 Hetch Hetchy Began Producing Power (1925) - Today in To begin the trail, cross the dam and pass through the tunnel. But the ultra-liberal President Woodrow Wilson signed off in 1913 on the multi-decade construction of a series of dams within Yosemite National Park that flooded Hetch Hetchy Valley to create a massive reservoir, hydroelectric plants, and a 167-mile aqueduct for the sole benefit of the City of San Francisco. The deciding factor was whether or not the land in question had access to water. It is definitely worth to visit Hetch Hetchy area especially in 2021 when main Yosemite area requires booking permits in advance. There are thousands of dams in the United States. As of October 2022, Hetch Hetchy was at 77.5% of its capacity. In contrast to the utilitarian view, the preservationist approach denied the assumption that the natural world existed solely to serve mans purposes. 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. We can't help it either. The construction of the Hetch Hetchy Railroad took place from 1915 to 1918. There, he met the same Indian chief and his wives. HETCH HETCHY: The Epic Enviro Battle That Changed America It carried workers and materials for the dam, as well as tourists, postage and other amenities. [2] He had journeyed to Washington to lobby the federal government on behalf of the project. 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. Dbq Hetchy Project - 663 Words | Internet Public Library But if you still have energy, continue past the bridge to Rancheria Falls. The 68mi (109km) Hetch Hetchy Railroad was constructed to link the Sierra Railway with Hetch Hetchy Valley, allowing for direct rail shipment of construction materials from San Francisco to the dam site. Camping included, if needed; limited sites are shared among all the . San Francisco Can Ban New Natural Gas Because It Destroyed The Hetch The trail continues to climb for 1.8 miles (2.8 km) above the trail intersection, but you can turn around any time. The Blackberry Inn Bed and Breakfast is just one of many welcoming businesses located on the way to Hetch Hetchy. Hetch Hetchy Valley is a treasure worth visiting. Consequences - Hetch Hetchy: The Valley of Broken Promises And today there is even an organization, Restore Hetch Hetchy, which is committed to doing just that. 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. [42] This provoked a seven-year environmental struggle with the environmental group Sierra Club, led by John Muir. 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 doesnt need to be filtered, a process that is expensive and energy intensive. There have been lawsuits over whether San Francisco violated the agreements of the Raker Act. In fact, this is so obviously a good idea that the SFPUC and other end users of Hetch Hetchy water have been doing it for years. It then cascades on its westward descent through the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne, and enters the eastern end of Hetch Hetchy Reservoir. In Yosemite National Park, the Hetch Hetchy reservoir relies on the annual snowmelt to stay full. [42] They claimed the valley was not unique and would be even more beautiful with a lake. In the distance, long white plumes of water cascade hundreds of feet down from rocky heights. Hetch Hetchy System - BAWSCA 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. The water winds between granite features like Kolana Rock and Hetch Hetchy Dome. Hetch Hetchy Valley Analysis - 1299 Words | Internet Public Library 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. Environmentalists lost what was the opening battle in a fight to preserve Americas natural wonders. Hetch Hetchy Reservoir - O'Shaugnessy Dam - National Park Service Earn $27.3125 per hour. That reservoir is New Don Pedro, and it rests over existing pipelines to the Bay Area. Next to John Muir, the most vocal defender of the Hetch Hetchy Valley was Harriet Monroe. You can expect one (short) email per month. Animals were principally driven along Joseph Screech's trail from Big Oak Flat to Hetch Hetchy. Coming from the San Francisco Bay Area youll pass right through Buck Meadows on Highway 120. 2 Existing Regional Water System - San Francisco As surely as forests provided timber, so did they provide beauty, inspiration, and the renewal of over-citified spirits. And in a larger sense, the waters of California served as the converting agents. The upcountry portion of the System begins with Hetch Hetchy Reservoir in Yosemite National Park. It's dumb, dumb, dumb. 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. The O'Shaughnessy Dam is near Yosemite's western boundary, but the long, narrow, fingerlike reservoir stretches eastward for about 8 miles (13 km). After Hetch Hetchy, many realized the National Parks needed more protection. 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. 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. 2023 Yosemite Mariposa County Tourism Bureau, Yosemite Itineraries: What to Do in Yosemite. San Francisco Hetch Hetchy Reservoir Initiative, Proposition F That's about twice the amount of power lost when Hetch Hetchy will be restored. [48], The Early Intake (Lower Cherry) Powerhouse began commercial operation five years before the O'Shaughnessy Dam was completed. But Hetch Hetchy was a federally protected as part of Yosemite National Park. First, the beauty of the valley which they felt should not be sacrificed to build a dam. There are four fundamental ways in which dams damage rivers. 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). Once again, the political pendulum had swung. "[19], People have lived in Hetch Hetchy Valley for over 6,000 years. John Muir knew that without public support, the Hetch Hetchy Valley would be lost. Hidden in Yosemite National Parks peaceful northwest corner, Hetch Hetchy Valley is a treasure worth visiting in all seasons. In the 19th century, the first white visitors to the valley did not realize that Hetch Hetchy's extensive meadows were the product of millennia of management by Native Americans; instead they believed "the valley was purely a product of ancient geological forces (or divine intervention) this was fundamental to its allure as a destination and subject. . This valley was isolated and remote, twenty miles northwest of the original. [79] Some observers, such as Carl Pope (director of the Sierra Club), stated that Hodel had political motives[80] in proposing the study. John Muir, the first president of the Sierra Club, condemned plans to build the dam, saying, "Dam Hetch Hetchy! And Hetch Hetchy's damming has inspired generations of conservationists to protect our natural heritage and to commit to safeguarding our protected areas. Watershed Worker (Summer, 2023) - Hetch Hetchy Water & Power (Moccasin Rancheria Falls itself is a series of whitewater cascades that crashes through a narrow canyon on its way to the reservoir. San Francisco Mayor James Phelan led the fight to build a dam at Hetch Hetchy. ", "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. Learn what to expect from Mirror Lake in various seasons. The dam was then 227 feet (69m) high; its present height of 312 feet (95m) was achieved only later, in 1938. Hetch Hetchy - Yosemite National Park (U.S. National Park Service) As of 2013, the water storage and hydroelectric power supplied by the Hetch Hetchy Project serviced an estimated 2.6 million people in the San Francisco Bay Area. "Dam Hetch Hetchy!" - I Take History Loss of the reservoir would decrease the Bay Areas water and energy security, requiring new water storage (possibly in reservoirs not owned by San Francisco) and the development of new water and energy supplies. 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. Richard Ballinger was appointed his Interior Secretary. Everyone who drinks water or takes a shower in San Francisco should go. . 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. benefits of hetch hetchy dam - Lindon CPA's 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.