The second concept is preservation. Call 209-372-0200 for the latest road and weather conditions, Hetch Hetchy Road Daily Hours: 8 am to 5 pm. 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. This option favors building a dam in the Hetch Hetchy Valley to provide hundreds of thou- sands of San Francisco residents with water and electricitybasic necessities for health and well-being, as well as urban development and economic growth. The locations of these two formations roughly correspond with those of Cathedral Rocks and El Capitan seen from Tunnel View in Yosemite Valley. . [2] The dam contains 675,000cuyd (516,000m3) of concrete. The water winds between granite features like Kolana Rock and Hetch Hetchy Dome. 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. Over the last 35 years, the idea has been studied by the Environmental Defense Fund, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, the National Park Service, UC Davis, and several state agencies. This is why environmental impact statements, which were not required prior to 1969, are so important today. Native American cultures were prominent before the 1850s when the first settlers from the United States arrived in the Sierra Nevada. The first is utilitarian conservation. Dam the Hetch Hetchy! And today there is even an organization, Restore Hetch Hetchy, which is committed to doing just that. The glacially-carved U-shaped valley floor maximizes the amount of water stored in the reservoir. They also remove water needed for healthy in-stream ecosystems. Hetch Hetchy Valley is a treasure worth visiting. Congress, confronted with rising public opposition, refused to act on the measure. 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. 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. 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. Construction of O'Shaughnessy Dam began in 1919 and was finished in 1923, with the reservoir first filling in May of that year. Hetch Hetchy is dammed by the 430-foot-tall OShaughnessy Dam and has a storage capacity of 360,360 acre-feet. The Hetch Hetchy Valley is about 8 miles (13 km) from Yosemite Valley. Teams completed the OShaughnessy Dam in 1923 and the reservoir filled for the first time in May of that year. Camping included, if needed; limited sites are shared among all the . [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. Consider one project in progress that involves re-routing an entire river . The SFPUC tests its quality more than 100,000 times a year to ensure that it exceeds all safe drinking water standards. Hetch Hetchy doesn't require permit, you need just regular National park pass. Hetch Hetchy, unlike other water storage facilities in California, is relatively buffered from near-term climate change because of its high elevation. The other route begins at the entrance station and is 16 miles round-trip with 3,300 feet of elevation gain. The Poopenaut Trail begins at a signed trailhead four miles past the entrance station. 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. Wapama and Rancheria Falls Looking up at Wapama Falls from the footbridge on the hiking trail. OShaughnessy Dam and the waterworks that connect it to the Bay Area are a marvel of engineering. The watershed is also strictly protected, so swimming and boating are prohibited at the reservoir (although fishing is permitted at the reservoir and in the rivers which feed it),[60] a measure which is considered unusual for US lakes outside the region. 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 . Hetch Hetchy is an iconic, rare and spectacular landscape, Hetch Hetchy is part of Yosemite National Park and its damming and flooding is by far the worst destruction of our national parks have ever experienced Restoration would not only make Yosemite whole once again it would inspire people that we don't need to live with mistakes of the past" The SFPUC and other Hetch Hetchy users are currently implementing plans to meet this demand through recycled water, groundwater and conservation. Richard Ballinger was appointed his Interior Secretary. Next to John Muir, the most vocal defender of the Hetch Hetchy Valley was Harriet Monroe. The trail includes spectacular views of Tueeulala and Wapama Falls. [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. When youre standing at the shore overlooking what appears to be a lake, picture yourself looking down into a verdant valley filled with the tall native grasses that give the valley its name. As Muir famously protested: Dam Hetch Hetchy? In Yosemite National Park, the Hetch Hetchy reservoir relies on the annual snowmelt to stay full. 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. 2023 Yosemite Mariposa County Tourism Bureau, Yosemite Itineraries: What to Do in Yosemite. [79] Some observers, such as Carl Pope (director of the Sierra Club), stated that Hodel had political motives[80] in proposing the study. There is plenty to see and do right here, from kayaking on the water to climbing the magnificent domes above. 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. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This is interesting from an ideological perspective. "[34], When Yosemite Valley became part of a state park in 1864, Hetch Hetchy received no such designation. OPTION 3Give control to the local people of Hetch Hetchy 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. 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. 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. [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). Including additions made between 1934 and 1938, the dam currently stands 430 feet (131 m) above the bedrock below. The battle for Hetch Hetchy wasnt just conservationists vs preservationists. What part should mountains, rivers, natural meadows or wild creatures play in American life? Seventeen species of bats inhabit the Hetch Hetchy area, including the largest North American bat, the western mastiff. 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. A) 5 billion B . [21] Miwok names are still used for features, including Tueeulala Fall, Wapama Fall, and Kolana Rock. No BS! 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. In this unmanaged scenario, where nature is left to take hold in the valley, eventually a forest would grow, rather than the meadow being restored. Some of these studies determined that the idea of draining the reservoir was technically feasible but incredibly costly. Swimming and boating are prohibited in Hetch Hetchy Reservoir in order to maintain a clean source of drinking water. [24] It is likely that the edible grass was blue dicks. 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. The Tuolumne River, the source of. Since the valley was within Yosemite National Park, an act of Congress was needed to authorize the project. Its a a wonderful place to see spring waterfalls and wildflower displays. Hetch Hetchy Valley was once home to a richly diverse ecosystem, surrounded by towering cliffs and waterfalls similar to those in neighboring Yosemite Valley. Guests at these suites receive breakfast on their patios. 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 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. As the battle lines were drawn, the different methods employed by each side in presenting their case spoke to some of their basic assumptions about the nature of the issue. [69], In 1987, the idea of razing the O'Shaughnessy Dam gained an adherent in Don Hodel, Secretary of the Department of the Interior under President Ronald Reagan. That reservoir is New Don Pedro, and it rests over existing pipelines to the Bay Area. Located 30 miles southeast of Las Vegas, the dam captures water from the . Download the official NPS app before your next visit. In an effort to build this support, he published his bookThe Yosemitein 1912. If, on the other hand, San Francisco gained control, it would signal in important victory for public power resulting in lower rates for the people. Although there are relatively few visitors to Hetch Hetchy, youll find most of them along the trail to Wapama Fall. We have historic photographs to remind us of what Hetch Hetchy Valley looked like before the dam was built. [13], Hetch Hetchy is home to a diverse array of plants and animals. Like Muir, she felt the beauty of the valley was a national treasure which ought to be preserved. Photo: Kim Lawson. For your last day, enjoy a short hike on the shores of the beautiful Hetch Hetchy Reservoir. . To visit the waterfalls or Yosemites northern backcountry, you walk across OShaughnessy Dam. Instead, the magnificence of a valley often described as Yosemite Valleys slightly smaller twin takes center stage. Yes, the plan to drain Hetch Hetchy involves causing new ecological damage. Yosemite Westgate Lodge offers newly-remodeled and well-appointed modern accommodation. This effort was famously and vociferously fought by John Muir and was the subject of a national debate for years; the loss later galvanized the Sierra Club to successfully oppose large dams in Dinosaur National Monument and Grand Canyon National Park. As in Yosemite, the sublime rocks of its walls seem to glow with life . 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 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. 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. At the time, neither side understood the long-range consequences of human actions to manage the environment. The Hetch Hetchy Valley is a part of Yosemite National Park. In contrast to the utilitarian view, the preservationist approach denied the assumption that the natural world existed solely to serve mans purposes. The trail continues to climb for 1.8 miles (2.8 km) above the trail intersection, but you can turn around any time. Use good judgment and stay safe. 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. The battle for Hetch Hetchy was perhaps the first effort at what is now known as "grassroots lobbying," getting individual citizens to contact elected officials in support . That's about twice the amount of power lost when Hetch Hetchy will be restored. Hetch Hetchy is the incredible story of Americas most controversial dam and the birth of the environmental movement. The O'Shaughnessy Dam was completed in 1923 and, after the . You may take easy hike to Wapama falls ( around 6 miles) or even more challenging hike to Rancheria falls ( around 14 miles). 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. On this point we hold that while we are willing to die for the lives or the health of the citizens of San Francisco, we are not willing to die for their pockets. The reservoir supplies water for the city of San Francisco, so there is no recreational boating or swimming allowed. Those who did visit it were enchanted by its scenery, but encountered difficulties with the primitive conditions and, in summertime, swarms of mosquitoes. Hetch Hetchy, for the time being, was safe, and it would not be inundated during Roosevelts watch.. [8], Meadow plants unavailable in the lowlands were particularly valuable resources to these tribes. In: Educational Resources, History, National Parks, Your email address will not be published. Hours: Year-round, but only accessible by car when the Hetch Hetchy Road is open. The upcountry portion of the System begins with Hetch Hetchy Reservoir in Yosemite National Park. You could then scuba ElCapitan down to the valley floor. Above all, one's behavior Argument Against The Hetchy Dam 587 Words | 3 Pages [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 a dam there was off the table. [54][55], After passing through the powerhouses, Hetch Hetchy water flows into the 167mi (269km) Hetch Hetchy Aqueduct which travels across the Central Valley. [50] The project is operated by the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission. Appreciate what nature created and what the city built there long ago. [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. [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. Once the glaciers retreated, tributaries leading into the main river were left hanging hundreds or thousands of feet above the valley floor, creating the beautiful waterfalls we know today. [40] By the 1880s, San Francisco was looking to Hetch Hetchy water as a fix for its outdated and unreliable water system. 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. 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. On a national stage, Hetch Hetchy became caught in the cross fire between the interests of private utilities ownership and those of municipal ownership. Although Hetch Hetchy is included within the boundaries of Yosemite National Park, the entrance is separate from the rest of the park. history. Spring and early summer bring wildflowers including lupine, wallflower, monkey flower, and buttercup. The . [36] Muir's friend Robert Underwood Johnson of the politically influential Century Magazine and several other prominent figures were inspired by Muir's work and helped to get Yosemite National Park established by October 1, 1890. 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. Utilizing its superior resources, the city produced a detailed report which made a compelling case that, far from damaging the beauty of Yosemite, the dam would actually enhance it. [53], As completed, O'Shaughnessy Dam is 910 feet (280m) long, spanning the valley at its narrow outlet. Even in the summer when Yosemite Valley is being explored by visitors from around the world, Hetch Hetchy remains an oasis of relative calm. Hetch Hetchy and Yosemite Valley are so similar because they were created by the same sequences of geological activity. 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.. Secretary of the Interior, Ethan Allen Hitchcock, refused to give San Francisco a permit to build the dam. San Francisco applied to the United States Department of the Interior to gain water rights to Hetch Hetchy, and in 1908 President Theodore Roosevelt's Secretary of the Interior, James R. Garfield, granted San Francisco the rights to development of the Tuolumne River. 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. 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. A Dam Removal in Progress. 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. He produced at least four oil paintings of the valley one of which is prominently displayed in Mount Holyoke Colleges art museum. Controversy continues to swirl around the Hetch Hetchy Dam even now. Shasta, Oroville, Hetch Hetchy and many others were built by damming large rivers. Sign up for helpful guides, beautiful videos, and insider tips on the national parks. Hetch Hetchy is unique because of its small holding capacity in comparison to the vast watershed feeding it. As well dam for water-tanks the people's cathedrals and churches, for no holier temple has ever been . We can't help it either. Many examples of red-barked manzanita can be seen along the Hetch Hetchy Road. DWRs meta-study found a range of costs from $3 billion to $10 billion for restoration and replacement of water and power sources. He had journeyed to Washington to lobby the federal government on behalf of the project. Fourth, dams alter water quality. O'Shaughnessey Dam Facts. [18], Due to its abundant wetlands and stream pools, Hetch Hetchy was notorious among early travelers for becoming infested with mosquitoes in the summertime. DWR also found that the planning studies necessary to refine the costs and benefits of restoration would cost $65 million alone. Muir predicted that this lake would create an unsightly "bathtub ring" around its perimeter, caused by the water's destruction of lichen growth on the canyon walls,[44] which would inevitably be visible at low lake levels. Building the Hetch Hetchy dam in such a remote location was an enormous project. 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. 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. 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. (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.) He was opposed by then Mayor Diane Feinstein who argued that the dam was San Franciscans birthright. 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). The falls roar in spring and early summer. Only a tiny proportion of Yosemites visitors explore this out-of-the-way corner of the national park. The dam is a small portion of the overall Tuolumne River/San Francisco storage system that benefits the Bay Area. It forced elected representatives to consider what a national park designation truly meant and whether or not the land within these parks deserved protection. The battle over the Hetch Hetchy, in part, was a fight over public versus private ownership of vital resources such as water. [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. 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. Assign each group to analyze one or more . An adjacent building contains another five suites with vaulted ceilings, forest views and soaking tubs. Instead, it was a more complicated battle which pitted public interests against private interests. [citation needed], The Hetch Hetchy Valley began as a V-shaped river canyon cut out by the ancestral Tuolumne River. 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. What should be the fate of prairies, wetlands, or coastal marshes? By 1908, a different Interior Secretary, James R. Garfield, sided with the utilitarian conservationists and issued a permit for the Hetch Hetchy project. 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. Get SPUR news and events delivered straight to your email inbox. Other trails also continue to Lake Vernon. . The valley provided an escape from the summer heat of the lowlands. 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. Most importantly, San Francisco would lose its source of high-quality mountain water, and would have to depend on lower-quality water from other reservoirs which would require costly filtration and re-engineering of the aqueduct system to meet its needs. In the autumn of 1871, John Muir visited Hetch Hetchy for the first time. [16], Compared with Yosemite Valley, the walls of Hetch Hetchy are smoother and rounder because it was glaciated to a greater extent. First, the beauty of the valley which they felt should not be sacrificed to build a dam. 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. By 1908, a different Interior Secretary, James R. Garfield, sided with the utilitarian conservationists and issued a permit for the Hetch Hetchy project. Friday, enjoy an evening about bats starting at 7 pm. This time it was in favor those who wanted to preserve the valley for generations yet to come. William Howard Taft became president in 1909. In continuance, water has a personality and the presence of it can change moods and help people feel better. [24] Screech reported that the valley was bitterly disputed between the "Pah Utah Indians" (Paiute) and "Big Creek Indians" (Miwok), and witnessed several fights in which the Paiute appeared to be the dominant tribe. [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. [63] The city justified this as a temporary measure, but no attempt to follow through with completing the municipal grid was ever made. [31], During this time, the upper Tuolumne River, including Hetch Hetchy Valley, was visited by prospectors attracted by the California Gold Rush. The maximum that the city has put away is 570,000 acre-feet of water. Park entry (as needed). 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. 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. A) human well-being B) renewable energy C) environmental sustainability D) cultural services E) human population growth, The current total world population has just passed ________. 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.