benefits of hetch hetchy dam

Even before it was finished, the massive . We can't help it either. Garfield was responding to critics who believed that the federal governments primary responsibility was to use the nations public resources for development in the service for the greatest number of people. Activity 1: Analysis. Principally, dam removal on the Klamath will require annual replacement of 696 gigawatt hours of electricity by other means. Native American cultures were prominent before the 1850s when the first settlers from the United States arrived in the Sierra Nevada. To get to Hetch Hetchy, turn north off Highway 120 onto Evergreen Road about 1 mile (2.2 km) outside the Big Oak Flat Entrance gate, and 12.5 miles (20 km) east of the small community of Buck Meadows. You can expect one (short) email per month. California needed secure, reliable access to drinking water for their burgeoning populations. The trail continues to climb for 1.8 miles (2.8 km) above the trail intersection, but you can turn around any time. It is spectacular: a miles-long placid blue lake nested within towering granite cliffs, from which waterfalls cascade. [56] All four pipelines cross the Hayward fault. Expect delicious meals and hearty portions to fuel your adventure or beat that post-hiking hunger. . Guests at these suites receive breakfast on their patios. OPTION 3Give control to the local people of Hetch Hetchy Formerly called Buck Meadows Restaurant and Bar, the new caf crosses rustic-mountain flair with roadside cafe friendliness. It marks the first catchment in a 160-mile long water system that brings high quality, superb-tasting water to 2.6 million residents of the Bay Area every day. 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 Yosemite National Park, the Hetch Hetchy reservoir relies on the annual snowmelt to stay full. It is the source of water for the city of San Francisco. The openings in the Taft administration led to the eventual success of the Raker Act. Hetch Hetchy is on the main stem of the Tuolumne River and is part of the Tuolumne watershed. Fourth, dams alter water quality. The Hetch Hetchy watershed, an area located in Yosemite National Park, is the major source of water for all of San Francisco's water needs. 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. And it is the largest single source of water supply for the Bay Area. benefits of hetch hetchy dam. 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. 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. 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. 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. California Rep. John E. Raker submitted a bill to Congress granting the city of San Francisco the right to dam the Hetchy Hetchy Valley as a reservoir and also provide the city the right of municipalized electricity as well. Hetch Hetchy Water and Power also wants to remove the giant bulkhead that seals up the tunnel with 40 nuts and bolts, Ritchie said. 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. There are four fundamental ways in which dams damage rivers. There is plenty to see and do right here, from kayaking on the water to climbing the magnificent domes above. 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. Sign up for helpful guides, beautiful videos, and insider tips on the national parks. 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 first is utilitarian conservation. Apply Today! Rounding the corner and catching the first glimpses of Hetch Hetchy Valley reveals the play of light on water. But tearing OShaughnessy Dam down now in order to restore Hetch Hetchy Valley would be a disaster. While the dialogue around the West's water wars has been concentrated on the Colorado River and the alarming decline of Lake Powell and Lake Mead, watersheds across the Western United States are feeling the effects of a rapidly aridifying landscape due to climate change. 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. It is only a cut in the hills through which the Tuolumne River runs, but if you think there might be a valley keep looking and if you find such a place I will give it to you., Nate went on looking for the valley. Richard Ballinger was appointed his Interior Secretary. As surely as forests provided timber, so did they provide beauty, inspiration, and the renewal of over-citified spirits. "[65] Harold L. Ickes, Secretary of the Interior in the late 1930s, said there was a violation of the Raker Act, but he and the city reached an agreement in 1945. ", "Three Square Miles of Open Space: Is It Enough? Park entry (as needed). There are many places to stop and enjoy views of the rushing water before turning around to return to your car. The Hetch Hetchy Dam in the Yosemite Valley, receives the bulk of it's water from the sierra snow pack miles above the reservoir. Franklin Lane served as the attorney for the city of San Francisco in 1903. 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. First, the beauty of the valley which they felt should not be sacrificed to build a dam. And today there is even an organization, Restore Hetch Hetchy, which is committed to doing just that. [46], Work on the Hetch Hetchy Project began in 1914. Hetch Hetchy ushered in a new era for the national parks. In the distance, long white plumes of water cascade hundreds of feet down from rocky heights. By 1908, a different Interior Secretary, James R. Garfield, sided with the utilitarian conservationists and issued a permit for the Hetch Hetchy project. "[34], When Yosemite Valley became part of a state park in 1864, Hetch Hetchy received no such designation. The reservoir supplies water for the city of San Francisco, so there is no recreational boating or swimming allowed. 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. . Indeed, Hetch Hetchy today[when?] As well dam for water-tanks the people's cathedrals and churches, for no holier temple has ever been . As a result, San Francisco secured a reliable and . Required fields are marked *. 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. Exactly how San Francisco won the right to transform the bucolic valley into a Photo: Herbert W. Gleason courtesy of the Sierra Club. DWRs meta-study found a range of costs from $3 billion to $10 billion for restoration and replacement of water and power sources. 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. Controversy continues to swirl around the Hetch Hetchy Dam even now. 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). And Hetch Hetchy's damming has inspired generations of conservationists to protect our natural heritage and to commit to safeguarding our protected areas. Upcountry and the Bay Area. In 1987, President Reagans Secretary of the Interior, Donald Hodel, proposed that Hetch Hetchy be restored. Bierstadts paintings and Muirs writings began to publicize the beauty of the Hetch Hetchy Valley. Hetch Hetchy and Yosemite Valley are so similar because they were created by the same sequences of geological activity. Even a short stroll from the car gives a magnificent view of the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir from the OShaughnessy Dam. 2023 Yosemite Mariposa County Tourism Bureau, Yosemite Itineraries: What to Do in Yosemite. OShaughnessy Dam and the waterworks that connect it to the Bay Area are a marvel of engineering. 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. Instead, it was a more complicated battle which pitted public interests against private interests. The Tuolumne River originates in the peaks above Tuolumne Meadows and is the major drainage system for the northern part of Yosemite. [citation needed] The George W. Bush administration proposed allocating $7 million to studying the removal of the dam in the 2007 National Park Service budget. [2] [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. For all the similarities between Hetch Hetchy Valley and Yosemite Valley, there is one enormous difference the Hetch Hetchy reservoir. The city must pay a lease of $30,000 per year for the use of Hetch Hetchy, which sits on federal land. [2] The dam contains 675,000cuyd (516,000m3) of concrete. 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. At the time, neither side understood the long-range consequences of human actions to manage the environment. Subsequent proposals for development in our national parks have been defeated by citizen activists inspired by calls to remember Hetch Hetchy. The Hetch Hetchy dam is upstream on the Tuolumne River from a reservoir nearly six times as large. The restoration of Hetch Hetchy would be a simple task compared to some dam removal efforts. Not to be outdone by Los Angeles, San Francisco had a greater feat in mind: dam the Hetch Hetchy Valley in Yosemite National Park and pipe the water into San Francisco. San Francisco applied once again for rights to Hetch Hetchy in 1908. (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 glacially-carved U-shaped valley floor maximizes the amount of water stored in the reservoir. [42] They claimed the valley was not unique and would be even more beautiful with a lake. Since the valley was within Yosemite National Park, an act of Congress was needed to authorize the project. Ultimately, San Francisco sold hydropower from the dam to the Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), which led to decades of legal wrangling and controversy over terms in the Raker Act. This 1910 view shows Kolana Rock and Tueeulala Falls in the background. What part should mountains, rivers, natural meadows or wild creatures play in American life? You could miss this small mountain community if you blink at the wrong time, but it is home to a few remarkable small businesses. [4] A broad, low rocky outcrop situated between Kolana Rock and Hetch Hetchy Dome divided the former meadow in two distinct sections. These clean and comfortable rooms also enjoy access to the pool, spa and other facilities at Yosemite Westgate Lodge. Proponents of the dam replied that out of multiple sites considered by San Francisco, Hetch Hetchy had the "perfect architecture for a reservoir",[43] with pristine water, lack of development or private property, a steep-sided and flat-floored profile that would maximize the amount of water stored, and a narrow outlet ideal for placement of a dam. The waterfall on the Tuolumne is now submerged under Hetch Hetchy Reservoir. 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. 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. The glacial Hetch Hetchy Valley lies in the northwestern part of Yosemite National Park and is drained by the Tuolumne River. Hetch Hetchy Valley is a treasure worth visiting. The second concept is preservation. 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. 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. [17] The valley's abundant plants provided nourishment for mule deer, black bears and bighorn sheep. Monroe was a Chicago poet who joined Muir and others on their 1908 and 1909 outings to the valley. An adjacent building contains another five suites with vaulted ceilings, forest views and soaking tubs. There have been lawsuits over whether San Francisco violated the agreements of the Raker Act. [31] Its meadows provided abundant feed for "thousands of head of sheep and cattle that entered lean and lank in the spring, but left rolling fat and hardly able to negotiate the precipitous and difficult defiles out of the mountains in the fall. Gifford Pinchot: A 2021 Lesson From Americas First Forester, Meet The Real Life Batman & Robin Of The National Parks, Natural Rivals: John Muir, Gifford Pinchot, and the Creation of Americas Public Lands, Gifford Pinchot and the Making of Modern Environmentalism, Son of the Wilderness: The Life of John Muir, General Sherman Tree: Everything You Need to Know About The Largest Tree in the World, 11 BEST National Parks Near San Francisco to Visit (Expert Guide), 7 EPIC National Parks Near Santa Ana Youll Love (Photos + Guide). Glaciers followed these low-points, leaving their own marks in particular carving out the characteristic U-shaped valley with steep sides and wide floor. Gray pine, incense-cedar, and California black oak grow in abundance. 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). Have you been to Hetch Hetchy Reservoir in Yosemite? While opponents of the dam were hard pressed for financial support, the city of San Franciscos campaign was well financed. Muir famously said, Dam Hetch Hetchy! All offers, including but not limited to, bonus amenities, upgrades, prices, and group benefits are based on select dates, resorts, room categories, and/or fare codes. It also was an early battle of conservatives vs progressives. [8], Meadow plants unavailable in the lowlands were particularly valuable resources to these tribes. For your last day, enjoy a short hike on the shores of the beautiful Hetch Hetchy Reservoir. Youll just need to see them for yourself. The valley provided an escape from the summer heat of the lowlands. The Tuolumne River continues through Tuolumne Meadows and the associated park developments at an elevation of 8,600 feet. [8], While its cousin Yosemite Valley to the south had permanent Miwok settlements,[25] Hetch Hetchy was only seasonally inhabited. Swimming and boating are prohibited in Hetch Hetchy Reservoir in order to maintain a clean source of drinking water. 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. Hidden in Yosemite National Parks peaceful northwest corner, Hetch Hetchy Valley is a treasure worth visiting in all seasons. [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.

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