Another popular trail crosses the OShaughnessy Dam and then takes a left turn to climb steeply out of the Hetch Hetchy valley. 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. [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". The Hetch Hetchy Valley: A Reservoir In The Sierra Nevada Mountains Of It is 13 miles from the Yosemite National Park border and twice as close to the park than the town of Groveland. This trail is 13 miles round-trip with 3,700 feet elevation gain. In some cases, however, including the Klamath and Hetch Hetchy, the benefits of restoration clearly outweigh the benefits provided by the dams. Apply Today! Standing upon it will give you the chance to appreciate the sublimity of both nature and human achievement. [59] The water quality is high because of the unique geology of the upper Tuolumne River drainage basin, which consists mostly of bare granite; as a result, the rivers feeding Hetch Hetchy Reservoir have extremely low loads of sediments and nutrients. Earn $27.3125 per hour. Garfield had granted San Franciscos request, but Ballinger ordered the city to show cause as to why Hetch Hetchy should not be deleted from their grant. Although there are relatively few visitors to Hetch Hetchy, youll find most of them along the trail to Wapama Fall. [citation needed], The Hetch Hetchy Valley began as a V-shaped river canyon cut out by the ancestral Tuolumne River. In: Educational Resources, History, National Parks, Your email address will not be published. It pitted Gifford Pinchot, Americas first forester, against John Muir, Americas legendary conservationist. As well dam for water-tanks the people's cathedrals and churches, for no holier temple has ever been . First, the beauty of the valley which they felt should not be sacrificed to build a dam. the Hetch Hetchy Dam (1910-13) Abstract The damming of Hetch Hetchy in Yosemite National Park is a watershed event in environmental history, a presumed travesty that brought anguish to John Muir and his many sup porters throughout the United States. Hetch Hetchy: Congress and the Environment | National Archives 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. "Dam Hetch Hetchy!": John Muir Contests the Hetch-Hetchy Dam As well dam for water-tanks the peoples cathedrals and churches, for no holier temple has ever been consecrated by the heart of man.. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. [70] Hodel called for a study of the effect of tearing down the dam. Upcountry and the Bay Area. Start by hiking across the OShaughnessy Dam then turn east along the shore of the reservoir. [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. Other trails also continue to Lake Vernon. Forests might provide for the material well-being of human beings, but they did not exist for this reason alone. "[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. Within three years, Congress had passed the Organic Act, formally defining the parks and creating a new federal agency, the National Park Service, with a mission: to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the wild life therein and to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations.. Loss of the reservoir would decrease the Bay Areas water and energy security, requiring new water storage (possibly in reservoirs not owned by San Francisco) and the development of new water and energy supplies. Hetch Hetchy and Yosemite Valley are so similar because they were created by the same sequences of geological activity. So the idea of planning for new water supplies need not be on the ballot. But during peak spring flow, the thundering waterfall can wash over the bridge making it dangerous to cross. During the late 19th century, the valley was renowned for its natural beauty often compared to that of Yosemite Valley but also targeted for the development of water supply for irrigation and municipal interests. The Hetch Hetchy Reservoir itself store 85% of the City's overall drinking water supply, the remaining 15% is stored in the system's 5 other reservoirs. The Hetch Hetchy system's supporters say it has one of the smallest carbon footprints of any water system in the United States because its water is of such high quality that it requires no. . It is the primary water source for about 2.5 million residents of the San Francisco Bay Area. Divide the class into four small groups. [67], Those in opposition of dam removal state that demolishing O'Shaughnessy Dam would take away a valuable source of clean, renewable hydroelectric power in the Kirkwood and Moccasin powerhouses; even if measures such as seasonal water diversion into the powerhouses were employed, it would only make up for a fraction of the original power production. The water from Hetch Hetchy Reservoir is used to supply system customers as well as to generate hydroelectric power; the reservoir is also operated to provide instream flows to benefit fisheries and other wildlife. There is no Starbucks here no daily parade of tour buses and RVs. 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. [4] A broad, low rocky outcrop situated between Kolana Rock and Hetch Hetchy Dome divided the former meadow in two distinct sections. The trail to Wapama Falls is one of the most popular trails in the Hetch Hetchy area for a good reason. Hetch Hetchy Reservoir (Yosemite National Park) - Tripadvisor 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. The gently rolling terrain has excellent views of the water and eye-catching Kolana Rock, which towers roughly 2,000 feet above. William Howard Taft became president in 1909. Everyone who drinks water or takes a shower in San Francisco should go. Next to John Muir, the most vocal defender of the Hetch Hetchy Valley was Harriet Monroe. [8], Before damming, the valley floor contained abundant stands of black oaks, live oak, Ponderosa pine, Douglas fir, and silver fir bordering the meadows, with alder, willow, poplar and dogwood in the riparian zone along the Tuolumne River. Muir famously said, Dam Hetch Hetchy! 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. Consequences - Hetch Hetchy: The Valley of Broken Promises We're not going to remove this dam, and the funding is unnecessary. Klamath Dam Removal Applauded by Newsom, Haaland et al., How About "[81] Hodel, now retired, is still[when?] 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. Worth a Dam? - Earth Island Journal Hetch Hetchy water travels 160 miles via gravity from . In terms of quality, Hetch Hetchy water is so pristine that it is one of only a handful of water supplies in the country that doesnt need to be filtered, a process that is expensive and energy intensive. 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. The . The grassroots organization of environmental activism, established by John Muir and his supporters, became a model for future environmentalists. OPTION 3Give control to the local people of Hetch Hetchy 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. Hetch Hetchy water serves residents in four Bay Area counties, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara and Southern Alameda. [24] It is likely that the edible grass was blue dicks. For most of the year the waterfall offers a refreshing shower or cooling mist along with an amazing view. The entire valley is now flooded under an average 300ft (91m) of water behind the dam, although it occasionally reemerges in droughts, as it did in 1955, 1977, and 1991. 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). The glacial Hetch Hetchy Valley lies in the northwestern part of Yosemite National Park and is drained by the Tuolumne River. Shasta, Oroville, Hetch Hetchy and many others were built by damming large rivers. Have you been to Hetch Hetchy Reservoir in Yosemite? Winter weather conditions may cause road closures. The dam also provides flood control, irrigation, and water storage along the Colorado River. Camping included, if needed; limited sites are shared among all the . Hetch Hetchy Environmental Debates | National Archives In an effort to build this support, he published his bookThe Yosemitein 1912. Hetch Hetchy was the first major battle of the environmental movement. 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. Exactly how San Francisco won the right to transform the bucolic valley into a For all the similarities between Hetch Hetchy Valley and Yosemite Valley, there is one enormous difference the Hetch Hetchy reservoir. Subsequent proposals for development in our national parks have been defeated by citizen activists inspired by calls to remember Hetch Hetchy. If youre up for a driving adventure, try taking a little extra time to retrace parts of the route John Muir described in his book, My First Summer in the Sierra. Environment Quiz 1 Chapters 1-3 Flashcards | Quizlet 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. 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. 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 . Hoover Dam. In spite of Muirs eloquent and heated objections, the Raker Act was signed into law in December of 1913. 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. ", "San Francisco-Hetch Hetchy Valley Connection", "Hetch Hetchy controversy: Could Yosemite's 'second valley' be restored? In 1913, Woodrow Wilson appointed Lane his Secretary of the Interior. The first is utilitarian conservation. He had journeyed to Washington to lobby the federal government on behalf of the project. [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. . Another Iconic Valley In Yosemite? Report Estimates Tourism Benefits Of The second concept is preservation. 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. At the time, neither side understood the long-range consequences of human actions to manage the environment. The privately owned Spring Valley Water Company had required its customers to pay exorbitant rates for years. Specialty pricing may require . ", "Three Square Miles of Open Space: Is It Enough? But Hetch Hetchy, one of nature's perfect . This time it was in favor those who wanted to preserve the valley for generations yet to come. Restore Yosemite? It can be done. - Los Angeles Times . O'Shaughnessy Dam (California) - Wikipedia 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? It is spectacular: a miles-long placid blue lake nested within towering granite cliffs, from which waterfalls cascade. 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. No picture of the giant sequoia trees in Yosemite National Park manages to fully capture their immense size and majesty. Hetch Hetchy Reservoir, encompassing 2,000 acres of federal park land, has clearly been maintained for the benefit of San Francisco with minimal consideration of the wider public whose tax dollarsand, in the case of visitors, entrance feessupport the national park. 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. The maximum that the city has put away is 570,000 acre-feet of water. Once again, the political pendulum had swung. The reservoir is fed by the Tuolumne River. The openings in the Taft administration led to the eventual success of the Raker Act. GROVELAND,CA San Francisco may be required to pay more rent to the federal government for water from the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir or even tear down the O'Shaughnessy Dam. The dam and reservoir are the source for the Hetch Hetchy Aqueduct, which provides water for over . Yosemite Westgate Lodge offers newly-remodeled and well-appointed modern accommodation. A) 5 billion B . That reservoir is New Don Pedro, and it rests over existing pipelines to the Bay Area. A national debate ensued between the preservationist and conservationist factions of the young environmental movement. Then it travels through a series of mountain tunnels. Winter storms fill Hetch Hetchy, renew debate about reservoir's future Surrounding the water are a few waterfalls, the most prominent being Tueeulala and Wapama Falls, and countless rock features. Activity 1: Analysis. Right next to the Lucky Buck Cafe, youll find the Yosemite Westgate Lodge and Buck Meadows Lodge. While opponents of the dam were hard pressed for financial support, the city of San Franciscos campaign was well financed. (Read SPURs analysis of this plan.) [77][78], The economic wisdom of removing the dam has been frequently questioned. [57] Pipelines 3 and 4 end at the Pulgas Water Temple, a small park that contains classical architectural elements which celebrate the water delivery. 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. Coming from the San Francisco Bay Area youll pass right through Buck Meadows on Highway 120. Congress would decide the fate of the Hetchy Hetchy Valley. [8], While its cousin Yosemite Valley to the south had permanent Miwok settlements,[25] Hetch Hetchy was only seasonally inhabited. 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. [39], Interest in using the valley as a water source or reservoir dates back as far as the 1850s, when the Tuolumne Valley Water Company proposed developing water storage there for irrigation. Smith Peak (7,751 feet) is the highest point in the area and offers outstanding views. 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. It's a big job to open the tunnel and close it again. Building the Hetch Hetchy dam in such a remote location was an enormous project. To visit the waterfalls or Yosemites northern backcountry, you walk across OShaughnessy Dam. 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). Have all students read the debate overview and page one of the HR 7207, the "Raker Bill". Hetch Hetchy Reservoir and Water System "[32], In 1867, Charles F. Hoffman of the California Geological Survey conducted the first survey of the valley. In continuance, water has a personality and the presence of it can change moods and help people feel better. 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. In 2007, in approving the environmental impact report for the Water System Improvement Program an investment of more than $4 billion to shore up the seismic reliability of the Hetch Hetchy water system the SFPUC gave itself, and its wholesale customers on the peninsula, ten years to develop a plan that would identify reliable alternative sources of water to meet the regions future growth in demand, rather than diverting more water from the Tuolumne River. "[85] However, she does support breaching the dam once it has reached the end of its lifespan, and not replacing it. [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. Plus, they needed a way to bring supplies and workers into the mountains. [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. ", "Fall in the Main Tuolumne River at the Head of Hetch Hetchy Valley", "Fly Fishing Poopenaut Valley Tuolumne River", "Screech Brothers Find Hetch Hetchy Valley", "Big Oak Flat (No. Hetch Hetchy - Yosemite National Park (U.S. National Park Service) 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. Native American cultures were prominent before the 1850s when the first settlers from the United States arrived in the Sierra Nevada. [17] The valley's abundant plants provided nourishment for mule deer, black bears and bighorn sheep. Hodel Would Tear Down Dam in Hetch Hetchy - Los Angeles Times [20] They hunted, and gathered seeds and edible plants to furnish themselves winter food, trade items, and materials for art and ceremonial objects. The waterfall on the Tuolumne is now submerged under Hetch Hetchy Reservoir. Hetch Hetchy Dome, at 6,197ft (1,889m), lies directly north of it. Let the dam at Hetch Hetchy stand - sfchronicle.com People have died after being swept off the bridge and onto the rocks below. 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. The report cited other dam projects in making the argument that this project would increase tourism. For instance, the WET company helps people see the beauty of water through magnificent water fountains. Hetch Hetchy Valley, far from being a plain, common, rock-bound meadow, as many who have not seen it seem to suppose, is a grand landscape garden, one of Nature's rarest and most precious mountain temples. These clean and comfortable rooms also enjoy access to the pool, spa and other facilities at Yosemite Westgate Lodge. Due to extreme winter weather, Yosemite National Park is closed with no estimated date of reopening. There are many places to stop and enjoy views of the rushing water before turning around to return to your car. As a result, San Francisco secured a reliable and . Said San Francisco resident William Denman in 1918, "The first time I went into the Hetch Hetchy the mosquitoes were intolerable. The battle for Hetch Hetchy wasnt just conservationists vs preservationists. Then, well need to weigh our options for other new large water supplies, all of which will have enormous environmental tradeoffs: think of building a desalination plant, fighting with Los Angeles over the Sacramento Delta, building a peripheral canal or siting new large dams in presently undammed Sierra mountains and foothills. The glacially-carved U-shaped valley floor maximizes the amount of water stored in the reservoir. The idea of punching a hole in or removing the dam and allowing the valley to be restored to its pre-development conditions has been around since the late 1980s. Since then, the "Hetch Hetchy System" has continued to grow, now including nine impoundments . "Hetch Hetchy is a grand landscape garden, one of nature's rarest and most precious mountain temples. Gray pine, incense-cedar, and California black oak grow in abundance. Dbq Hetchy Project - 663 Words | Internet Public Library Hetch Hetchy and many others were built by . The National Park Service concluded that two years after draining the valley, grasses would cover most of its floor and within 10 years, clumps of cone-bearing trees and some oaks would take root. [2] 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. Storage and Delivery Updates | SFPUC benefits of hetch hetchy dam - Lindon CPA's