benefits of hetch hetchy dam

Buck Meadows is also a great place to spend the night. while birds, bees, and butterflies help the river and waterfalls to stir all the air into music. [15] When the glacier retreated for the final time, sediment-laden meltwater deposited thick layers of silt, forming the flat alluvial floodplain of the valley floor. Once again, the political pendulum had swung. We can't help it either. 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. [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. Hetch Hetchy is unique because of its small holding capacity in comparison to the vast watershed feeding it. On returning home, he asked an Indian chief the name of the valley. For all the similarities between Hetch Hetchy Valley and Yosemite Valley, there is one enormous difference the Hetch Hetchy reservoir. "[22], The valley's name may be derived from a Miwok word earlier anglicized as hatchhatchie, which means "edible grasses"[8][23] or "magpie". Have all students read the debate overview and page one of the HR 7207, the "Raker Bill". So visit Hetch Hetchy. Hetch Hetchy water serves residents in four Bay Area counties, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara and Southern Alameda. Us too! The Hetch Hetchy Reservoir created by the dam has a capacity of 360,400acreft (0.4445km3), with a maximum area of 1,972 acres (798ha) and a maximum depth of 306 feet (93m). The Hetch Hetchy Reservoir also serves to provide energy in the form of hydroelectricity, with a capacity of over 200 megawatts a year. In 1913, Woodrow Wilson appointed Lane his Secretary of the Interior. Healthy fish populations - by releasing sufficient instream flows for spawning and rearing downstream - sometimes to mitigate for the loss of spawning habitat caused by their construction, and About one million years ago, the extensive Sherwin glaciation widened, deepened and straightened river valleys along the western slope of the Sierra Nevada, including Hetch Hetchy, Yosemite Valley, and Kings Canyon farther to the south. [12] During the last glacial period, the Tioga Glacier[13] formed from extensive icefields in the upper Tuolumne River watershed; between 110,000 and 10,000 years ago Hetch Hetchy Valley was sculpted into its present shape by repeated advance and retreat of the ice, which also removed extensive talus deposits that may have accumulated in the valley since the Sherwin period. 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 doesn't need to be filtered, a process that is expensive and energy intensive. The new 68-mile (109 km) railroad wound its way up the narrow canyon of the Tuolumne River past sharp curves and up steep 4% grades. They would light upon a man's blue shirt and turn it brown, and were voracious as mosquitoes would be. 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. You could miss this small mountain community if you blink at the wrong time, but it is home to a few remarkable small businesses. Klamath Dam Removal Applauded by Newsom, Haaland et al., How About 2 Existing Regional Water System - San Francisco Pipelines 1 and 2 cross the San Francisco Bay to the south of the Dumbarton Bridge, while pipelines 3 and 4 run to the south of the bay. The maximum that the city has put away is 570,000 acre-feet of water. Why we must restore Hetch Hetchy - SFGATE Pinchot argued that applying the principle of the greatest good for the greatest number, meant the benefits accrued to the people of San Francisco from having the dam far outweighed leaving the valley in its current state. 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. The . . The construction of the Hetch Hetchy Railroad took place from 1915 to 1918. Hetch Valley Measure Pits Bay Area Against Environmentalists - The New Winter storms fill Hetch Hetchy, renew debate about reservoir's future Controversy continues to swirl around the Hetch Hetchy Dam even now. 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. San Francisco Mayor James Phelan led the fight to build a dam at Hetch Hetchy. The law authorizing the dam passed Congress on December 7, 1913. [21] Periodic clearing of the valley provided ample space for the growth of the grasses and shrubs they relied on, as well as additional room for large game animals such as deer to browse. Hetch Hetchy doesn't require permit, you need just regular National park pass. [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. Building the Hetch Hetchy dam in such a remote location was an enormous project. 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). 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. The O'Shaughnessy Dam was completed in 1923 and, after the . Storage and Delivery Updates | SFPUC Restore Hetch Hetchy Valley, Vote Yes! on Proposition F 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. Before damming, the high granite formations produced a valley with an average depth of 1,800ft (550m) and a maximum depth of over 3,000ft (910m); the length of the valley was 3mi (4.8km) with a width ranging from .mw-parser-output .frac{white-space:nowrap}.mw-parser-output .frac .num,.mw-parser-output .frac .den{font-size:80%;line-height:0;vertical-align:super}.mw-parser-output .frac .den{vertical-align:sub}.mw-parser-output .sr-only{border:0;clip:rect(0,0,0,0);height:1px;margin:-1px;overflow:hidden;padding:0;position:absolute;width:1px}18 to 12 mile (660 to 2,640ft; 200 to 800m). The Great Alaskan Land Fraud and the Pinchot-Ballinger Controversy caused both Richard A. Ballinger and Gifford Pinchot to resign and be fired respectively. What should be the fate of prairies, wetlands, or coastal marshes? San Francisco Can Ban New Natural Gas Because It Destroyed The Hetch It spans 900 feet (270 m) with a 17-foot (5.2 m) wide trail across the top that hikers use to cross to the opposite side. One route begins six miles beyond the entrance station. 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). Required fields are marked *. 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. The O'Shaughnessy Dam is near Yosemite's western boundary, but the long, narrow, fingerlike reservoir stretches eastward for about 8 miles (13km). The reservoir supplies water for the city of San Francisco, so there is no recreational boating or swimming allowed. It pitted Gifford Pinchot, Americas first forester, against John Muir, Americas legendary conservationist. [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. Wapama Fall is reached via a five-mile, round-trip hike that follows the shoreline of the reservoir with moderate up and downhill hiking. 406 California Historical Landmark)", "John Muir's Yosemite: The father of the conservation movement found his calling on a visit to the California wilderness", "Timeline of the Ongoing Battle Over Hetch Hetchy", "The Hetch Hetchy Letters: If a Group of Intellectuals Argues in a Forest, and then that Forest is Submerged Under Water, Does Their Argument Matter? Let the dam at Hetch Hetchy stand - sfchronicle.com In the future, we will certainly need diverse supplies to rely on in a prolonged drought, but we will also need Hetch Hetchy more than ever. San Francisco Hetch Hetchy Dam Almost Failed and Could - Breitbart Second, dams slow rivers. The dam in the Hetch Hetchy valley of Yosemite National Park, first proposed in 1908, was intended to create a reservoir that would provide water and electricity for the burgeoning city of San Francisco. A recent report evaluates the economic benefits of restoring Hetch Hetchy Valley. He was opposed by then Mayor Diane Feinstein who argued that the dam was San Franciscans birthright. This is a place considered by John Muir to be equal in beauty to Yose. The Hetch Hetchy Reservoir, which lies within the Yosemite National Park, supplies 85% of the water needs of San Francisco and surrounding counties. Franklin Lane served as the attorney for the city of San Francisco in 1903. Hetch Hetchy, located at 3,900 feet in Yosemite National Park, is one of the park's most popular hiking . Even if we could obtain the several billion dollars necessary to carry out this endeavor (neither private nor public sources have yet been identified) some of the tasks involved may not even be possible. An adjacent building contains another five suites with vaulted ceilings, forest views and soaking tubs. 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. This reservoir on the Sacramento River has been planned for decades [50] The project is operated by the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission. National opinion divided between giving San Francisco the right to dam the valley and preserving the valley from development. From this work, we have concluded that it is not wise to reduce water storage facilities considering the realities of a growing population and climate change. "[19], People have lived in Hetch Hetchy Valley for over 6,000 years. Day 6: Hetch Hetchy Reservoir to San Francisco. 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. 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. . It's dumb, dumb, dumb. 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. The waterfall on the Tuolumne is now submerged under Hetch Hetchy Reservoir. Rancheria Falls itself is a series of whitewater cascades that crashes through a narrow canyon on its way to the reservoir. The SFPUC tests its quality more than 100,000 times a year to ensure that it exceeds all safe drinking water standards. The landscape painter Bierstadt, who brought his German Romantic training to the valley in 1862, gave the world an even larger portrait, and one in extravagant color, that photographers could not match on any scale. 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. Indeed, Hetch Hetchy today[when?] [77][78], The economic wisdom of removing the dam has been frequently questioned. San Francisco had its eyes on this water source early on and repeatedly tried to acquire water rights to the Tuolumne River. 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. [24] It is likely that the edible grass was blue dicks. Albert Bierstadt was known for his sweeping landscapes of the American West. 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. Located at 3,900 feet, Hetch Hetchy boasts one of the longest hiking seasons in the park and is an ideal place for thundering spring waterfalls and wildflower displays. between those who wish to retain the dam and reservoir, and those who wish to drain the reservoir and return Hetch Hetchy Valley to its former state. Congress would decide the fate of the Hetchy Hetchy Valley. The report cited other dam projects in making the argument that this project would increase tourism. [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. Spring and early summer bring wildflowers including lupine, wallflower, monkey flower, and buttercup. "Hetch Hetchy is a grand landscape garden, one of nature's rarest and most precious mountain temples. Sign up for the email list and join an active community of monthly readers. Hetch Hetchy is a valley, a reservoir, and a water system in California in the United States. 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. Since then, the "Hetch Hetchy System" has continued to grow, now including nine impoundments . [63] The city justified this as a temporary measure, but no attempt to follow through with completing the municipal grid was ever made. But Hetch Hetchy was a federally protected as part of Yosemite National Park. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Gray pine, incense-cedar, and California black oak grow in abundance. Hetch Hetchy Reservoir and Water System [54] An additional hydroelectric system comprising Cherry Lake, Lake Eleanor and the Holm Powerhouse is also part of the Hetch Hetchy Project, adding another 169 megawatts of generating capacity. Its a a wonderful place to see spring waterfalls and wildflower displays. (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.) 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. 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. The trail to Wapama Falls is one of the most popular trails in the Hetch Hetchy area for a good reason. [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. Another popular trail crosses the OShaughnessy Dam and then takes a left turn to climb steeply out of the Hetch Hetchy valley. Environmentalists lost what was the opening battle in a fight to preserve Americas natural wonders. This ballot measure is so problematic that SPUR has taken early action to oppose it. [53], As completed, O'Shaughnessy Dam is 910 feet (280m) long, spanning the valley at its narrow outlet. [2] Giving a Dam: Congress Debates Hetch Hetchy - George Mason University The Hetch Hetchy Valley underwent a monumental transformation when the City Of San Francisco received the approval of Congress in 1913 to build a dam in the Hetch Hetchy Valley, thus storing the water of the Tuolumne River and flooding the valley to a height of over 350 feet. Youll just need to see them for yourself. a strong proponent of restoring Hetch Hetchy Valley and Senator Feinstein is still[when?] [50] The removal of the dam would be extremely costly, at least $310 billion,[76] and the transport of the demolished material away from the dam site along the narrow, winding Hetch Hetchy Road would be a logistical nightmare with possible environmental impacts. 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. In the sum of American economic expansion the intrusion might have seemed a minor, obscure matter, but to [John] Muir immense issues were involved: why had the nation preserved that pure wildness in the first place? Gravel, logs, and other important food and habitat features can become trapped. [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. Photo: Theresa Ho, Of course, the proposal was immediately opposed by environmentalists including the Sierra Club and John Muir. The view in Hetch Hetchy Valley As you know by now, the hike is 90% along the reservoir so you always get to see the most beautiful blue water in all of California. At SPUR, we have done a lot of work on climate change adaptation. As the Hetch Hetchy Valley was part of Yosemite National Park, Hitchcock preferred to protect the parks natural wonders. [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. If the nation set aside some natural places as especially sacred, how far beyond their borders should a sense of the sacred extend? Spring snowmelt runs down the Tuolumne River and fills Hetch Hetchy, the largest reservoir in our water system. Plus, the granite walls converge into a narrow outlet at the bottom of the valley the perfect location for a dam. Like Muir, he was totally transfixed by the Hetch Hetchy Valley. 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. Hetch Hetchy Reservoir - O'Shaugnessy Dam - National Park Service In the northwest corner of Yosemite National Park you can find the Hetch Hetchy Valley. DWRs meta-study found a range of costs from $3 billion to $10 billion for restoration and replacement of water and power sources. Hours: Year-round, but only accessible by car when the Hetch Hetchy Road is open. O'Shaughnessey Dam Facts. [47] On October 28, 1934 twenty years after the beginning of construction on the Hetch Hetchy project a crowd of 20,000 San Franciscans gathered to celebrate the arrival of the first Hetch Hetchy water in the city. Including additions made between 1934 and 1938, the dam currently stands 430 feet (131 m) above the bedrock below. Finally, with the railroad complete, teams broke ground on the OShaughnessy Dam on August 1, 1919. These are called Bay Division Pipelines (BDPL) 1, 2, 3, and 4, with nominal pipeline diameters of 60, 66, 78, and 96 inches (1.5, 1.7, 2.0 and 2.4m, respectively). [72] The water storage provided at Hetch Hetchy could be transferred into Lake Don Pedro lower on the Tuolumne River by raising the New Don Pedro Dam 30ft (9.1m). The chief replied, There is no valley. From the turn-off, the road winds for 16.5 miles up the old Hetch Hetchy railroad grade (26.5 km) to the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir, passing many lonely trails along the way. . [35] Muir, who himself had briefly worked as a shepherd in Hetch Hetchy, was known for calling sheep "hoofed locusts" because of their environmental impact. [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. Today the 117-billion-gallon reservoir supplies drinking water to about 2.5 million San Francisco Bay Area residents and hydro-electric power generated by two plants downstream. [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". Due to large cataracts on the Tuolumne River upstream, Hetch Hetchy Valley may have been in the uppermost range for native rainbow trout in the river. The reservoir is fed by the Tuolumne River. The most prominent preservationist spokesman was John Muir..

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