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. 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. In the Bay Area, Hetch Hetchy water is stored in local facilities including Calaveras Reservoir, Crystal Springs Reservoir, and San Antonio Reservoir. Hetch Hetchy Water and Power also wants to remove the giant bulkhead that seals up the tunnel with 40 nuts and bolts, Ritchie said. The new. Second, dams slow rivers. Yosemite Westgate Lodge offers newly-remodeled and well-appointed modern accommodation. They suggest that draining the reservoir and turning Hetch Hetchy Valley into a tourist center similar to Yosemite Valley could be worth up to $178 million per year. By 1908, a different Interior Secretary, James R. Garfield, sided with the utilitarian conservationists and issued a permit for the Hetch Hetchy project. Third, dams alter natural habitats and change the ways in which rivers function. Fourth, dams alter water quality. 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. [46], Work on the Hetch Hetchy Project began in 1914. The bustling metropolis of Los Angeles could not have become the city it did without the water which flowed from the Owens Valley hundreds of miles away. Put another way, if Congress denied the city of San Francisco the Hetch Hetchy Valley, the California Progressive leaders suspected that it would only be a matter of time before the emerging Pacific Gas and Electric Company would grab the area. The most prominent preservationist spokesman was John Muir.. Note: you may use the handout or navigate to our feature on the Hetch Hetchy Environmental Debates to access the overview and copy of the Raker Bill. In the northwest corner of Yosemite National Park you can find the Hetch Hetchy Valley. 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. Yes, the plan to drain Hetch Hetchy involves causing new ecological damage. The battle for Hetch Hetchy wasnt just conservationists vs preservationists. You could then scuba ElCapitan down to the valley floor. He said, So we come now face to face with the perfectly clean question of what is the best use to which this water that flows out of the Sierras can be put. The dam also provides flood control, irrigation, and water storage along the Colorado River. 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. Buck Meadows is also a great place to spend the night. By 1908, a different Interior Secretary, James R. Garfield, sided with the utilitarian conservationists and issued a permit for the Hetch Hetchy project. The falls roar in spring and early summer. Spring snowmelt runs down the Tuolumne River and fills Hetch Hetchy, the largest reservoir in our water system. This trail is 13 miles round-trip with 3,700 feet elevation gain. [20] They hunted, and gathered seeds and edible plants to furnish themselves winter food, trade items, and materials for art and ceremonial objects. can you smoke on royal caribbean cruise ships benefits of hetch hetchy dam. [9] Formerly, a "small but noisy"[10] waterfall and natural pool existed on the Tuolumne River marked the upper entrance to Hetch Hetchy Valley,[11] informally known as Tuolumne Fall (not to be confused with a similarly named waterfall several miles upriver near Tuolumne Meadows). [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. As the Hetch Hetchy Valley was part of Yosemite National Park, Hitchcock preferred to protect the park's natural wonders. 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. [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. The Hetch Hetchy Valley is a part of Yosemite National Park. [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. Wapama Fall is reached via a five-mile, round-trip hike that follows the shoreline of the reservoir with moderate up and downhill hiking. The other route begins at the entrance station and is 16 miles round-trip with 3,300 feet of elevation gain. OShaughnessy Dam and the waterworks that connect it to the Bay Area are a marvel of engineering. The waterfall on the Tuolumne is now submerged under Hetch Hetchy Reservoir. As well dam for water-tanks the people's cathedrals and churches, for no holier temple has ever been consecrated by the heart of man. Including additions made between 1934 and 1938, the dam currently stands 430 feet (131 m) above the bedrock below. Muir observed:[3]. Yet it also highlighted the division within the conservation movement over two fundamental principles: utilitarian conservation versus preservation. 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. The deciding factor was whether or not the land in question had access to water. 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. Even a short stroll from the car gives a magnificent view of the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir from the OShaughnessy Dam. 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. Hetch Hetchy, for the time being, was safe, and it would not be inundated during Roosevelts watch.. The Hetch Hetchy Valley is about 8 miles (13 km) from Yosemite Valley. And, as you might imagine, it produces some of the cleanest municipal water in the United States. High temperatures prevail in summer months, but that is a small price to pay for the reward of vast wilderness filled with stunning peaks, hidden canyons, and remote lakes. . Then it travels through a series of mountain tunnels. Located at 3,900 feet, it boasts one of the longest hiking seasons in the park. Hoover Dam. Consider one project in progress that involves re-routing an entire river . Assign each group to analyze one or more . Enjoy elegant touches like wrap-around porches, and fresh-baked cookies served daily. 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. That reservoir is New Don Pedro, and it rests over existing pipelines to the Bay Area. But Hetch Hetchy was a federally protected as part of Yosemite National Park. Animals were principally driven along Joseph Screech's trail from Big Oak Flat to Hetch Hetchy. Day 6: Hetch Hetchy Reservoir to San Francisco. The openings in the Taft administration led to the eventual success of the Raker Act. 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. 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? 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. [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. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This is interesting from an ideological perspective. [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. A Dam Removal in Progress. But the reservoir has spared it some of the indignities of Yosemite Valley", "San Francisco Department of Elections, November 2012 Results", "San Francisco vote to study draining Hetch Hetchy Reservoir is defeated", "Hetch Hetchy Water and the Bay Area Economy", "Thesis: Water Supply Implications of Removing O'Shaughnessy Dam", "New Irvington Tunnel latest in Hetch Hetchy water system improvements", Current Conditions, Hetch Hetchy Reservoir, California Department of Water Resources, San Francisco Public Utilities Commission: Hetch Hetchy Water and Power, California Resources Agency Hetch Hetchy Restoration Study, Bay Area Water Supply and Conservation Agency on Hetch Hetchy dam, National Register of Historic Places in Yosemite National Park, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hetch_Hetchy&oldid=1131920349, History of the Sierra Nevada (United States), Wikipedia articles incorporating text from the National Park Service, Articles with dead external links from May 2019, Articles with permanently dead external links, Articles with unsourced statements from May 2022, Infobox mapframe without OSM relation ID on Wikidata, Pages using infobox bridge with empty coordinates parameter, All articles with vague or ambiguous time, Vague or ambiguous time from October 2019, Articles with unsourced statements from October 2019, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 6 January 2023, at 11:49. Mirror Lakes famous spring-time reflections capture the eye and mind. 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. 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. 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. 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 Dam flooded about nine miles of the river, including the Hetch Hetchy valley. 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. Most people turn around here anyway. There is a third concept, too, though it was little understood at the time. [57] Pipelines 3 and 4 end at the Pulgas Water Temple, a small park that contains classical architectural elements which celebrate the water delivery. But tearing OShaughnessy Dam down now in order to restore Hetch Hetchy Valley would be a disaster. A full breakfast is served in the dining room. 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 controversy over damming Hetch Hetchy became mired in the political issues of the day. Due to extreme winter weather, Yosemite National Park is closed with no estimated date of reopening. The maximum that the city has put away is 570,000 acre-feet of water. From our petition "The cost of replacing water storage in Hetch Hetchy Valley to maintain the current levels of water service and electrical power production by CCSF would be approximately 2 billion dollars, including 199 million dollars for additional interties, 372 million dollars for water supply, 387 million dollars for water treatment, 669 Located 30 miles southeast of Las Vegas, the dam captures water from the . Native American cultures were prominent before the 1850s when the first settlers from the United States arrived in the Sierra Nevada. Prominent sponsors of the dam proposal, particularly (by then former) Mayor James Phelan and city engineer Marsdon Manson (and later his successor, Michael OShaughnessy), quietly lobbied key figures in the government, trusting that the appeal of municipal water and power would easily win supporters amid the prevailing progressive political climate. [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. Monroe was a Chicago poet who joined Muir and others on their 1908 and 1909 outings to the valley. [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. They also remove water needed for healthy in-stream ecosystems. Hetch Hetchy and many others were built by . The same features that make Hetch Hetchy Valley so spectacular also make it an ideal location for a dam. Slow down and spend the day at Tenaya Lake a beautiful and easy-to-get-to alpine lake cupped by granite domes. Most of the dam would remain in place, both to avoid the enormous costs of demolition and removal, and to serve as a monument for the workers who built it. The reservoir provides water to a large portion of the Bay Area through a 160 mile delivery. And today there is even an organization, Restore Hetch Hetchy, which is committed to doing just that. According to a local legend, Nate spotted a valley to the east that was too far to visit. 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. This valley was isolated and remote, twenty miles northwest of the original. Within 50 years, vegetative cover would be complete except for exposed rocky areas. Building the Hetch Hetchy dam in such a remote location was an enormous project. In: Educational Resources, History, National Parks, Your email address will not be published. Finally, with the railroad complete, teams broke ground on the OShaughnessy Dam on August 1, 1919. 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. The exploitation of Californias natural resources continued unabated in the years leading up to Hetch Hetchy. The first Moccasin Powerhouse in Moccasin, California began commercial operation in 1925 followed by the Holm Powerhouse in 1960 (the same month the Early Intake Powerhouse was taken out of service). View of the OShaughnessy Dam and the Hetchy Hetchy Road and parking. [8], Meadow plants unavailable in the lowlands were particularly valuable resources to these tribes. . Surrounding the water are a few waterfalls, the most prominent being Tueeulala and Wapama Falls, and countless rock features. 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. [53], As completed, O'Shaughnessy Dam is 910 feet (280m) long, spanning the valley at its narrow outlet. The upcountry portion of the System begins with Hetch Hetchy Reservoir in Yosemite National Park. Hetch Hetchy is the incredible story of Americas most controversial dam and the birth of the environmental movement. 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. Monroe went on to lobby members of Congress as the battle moved to Washington D.C. She was a tireless advocate who believed that people needed to be educated in order to do what was best for everyone involved. As in Yosemite, the sublime rocks of its walls seem to glow with life . They would light upon a man's blue shirt and turn it brown, and were voracious as mosquitoes would be. Richard Ballinger was appointed his Interior Secretary. This strenuous 2.5-mile, round-trip hike to the Tuolumne River has 1,229 feet of elevation gain. 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. (Read SPURs analysis of this plan.) Due to its high-altitude location at 3,900 feet above sea level and its snowmelt-fed water supply, water from Hetch Hetchy Reservoir behind O'Shaughnessy Dam does not require filtration. 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. The dam and reservoir, combined with a series of aqueducts, tunnels, and hydroelectric plants as well as eight other storage dams, comprise a system known as the Hetch Hetchy Project, which provides 80% of the water supply for 2.6 million people. It's dumb, dumb, dumb. 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. For example, plan to stop at the Lucky Buck Cafe on your way to or from a day of exploring Yosemite. The O'Shaughnessy Dam is near Yosemite's western boundary, but the long, narrow, fingerlike reservoir stretches eastward for about 8 miles (13km). The dam is a small portion of the overall Tuolumne River/San Francisco storage system that benefits the Bay Area. Earn $27.3125 per hour. [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. 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. 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. Exactly how San Francisco won the right to transform the bucolic valley into a [56] All four pipelines cross the Hayward fault. [16], Compared with Yosemite Valley, the walls of Hetch Hetchy are smoother and rounder because it was glaciated to a greater extent. Photo: Chris Migeon. So visit Hetch Hetchy. 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. To get the electricity they would need, they first built a smaller dam at Lake Eleanor. [citation needed], The Hetch Hetchy Valley began as a V-shaped river canyon cut out by the ancestral Tuolumne River. [17] The valley's abundant plants provided nourishment for mule deer, black bears and bighorn sheep. High temperatures prevail in summer months, but that is a small price to pay for the reward of vast wilderness filled with stunning peaks, hidden canyons, and remote lakes. Plus, the granite walls converge into a narrow outlet at the bottom of the valley the perfect location for a dam. They poured an estimated total of more than 398,000 cubic yards (304,000 cubic meters) of concrete to form the dam. "[81] Hodel, now retired, is still[when?] 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. a strong proponent of restoring Hetch Hetchy Valley and Senator Feinstein is still[when?] 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. Through the manipulation of water, the company also had the power to determine which real estate became valuable and which languished. While opponents of the dam were hard pressed for financial support, the city of San Franciscos campaign was well financed. There have been lawsuits over whether San Francisco violated the agreements of the Raker Act. Smith Peak (7,751 feet) is the highest point in the area and offers outstanding views. Environmentalists lost what was the opening battle in a fight to preserve Americas natural wonders. 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. Bierstadt described the valley as "smaller than the more famous valley but it presents many of the same features in his scenery and is quite as beautiful. Pinchot was Americas Forester. He served as the first head of the United States Forest Service. [3] Kolana Rock, at 5,772ft (1,759m), is a massive rock spire on the south side of the Hetch Hetchy Valley. benefits of hetch hetchy dam. The main power facility in the system, the Moccasin Powerhouse, began commercial operation on August 14, 1925. The fundamental issue involved two concepts. 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. [49], The narrow defile at the lower end of Hetch Hetchy Valley where San Francisco planned to dam the Tuolumne River, seen in 1914 before construction began, The same area seen today, with O'Shaughnessy Dam and Hetch Hetchy Reservoir, Hetch Hetchy Valley serves as the primary water source for the City and County of San Francisco and several surrounding municipalities in the greater San Francisco Bay Area. The . Two additional reservoirs in the Hetch Hetchy RegionLake Eleanor and Lake Lloyd (also Gray pine, incense-cedar, and California black oak grow in abundance. The SFPUC and other Hetch Hetchy users are currently implementing plans to meet this demand through recycled water, groundwater and conservation. Not far from there, youll find more budget-minded lodging at Buck Meadows Lodge. Instead, the magnificence of a valley often described as Yosemite Valleys slightly smaller twin takes center stage. In the foreground, the deep still water of Hetch Hetchy Reservoir reflects sunshine, clouds and the proud shadows of the surrounding mountains. [8], While its cousin Yosemite Valley to the south had permanent Miwok settlements,[25] Hetch Hetchy was only seasonally inhabited. 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. At full capacity, the reservoir stretches eight miles (13 km) upstream of the OShaughnessy Dam. The extensive amount of storage, which is designed to benefit the Bay Area as droughts become more severe with climate. It is the source of water for the city of San Francisco. Use good judgment and stay safe. 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. 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. But during peak spring flow, the thundering waterfall can wash over the bridge making it dangerous to cross. For instance, the WET company helps people see the beauty of water through magnificent water fountains. John Muir, the first president of the Sierra Club, condemned plans to build the dam, saying, "Dam Hetch Hetchy! If their signature-gathering campaign is successful, a small group of environmental advocates, led by Restore Hetch Hetchy, will give you the opportunity this November to vote on a measure that would require the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) to develop a plan to drain Hetch Hetchy Reservoir. It is spectacular: a miles-long placid blue lake nested within towering granite cliffs, from which waterfalls cascade. 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).