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. O'Shaughnessy Dam (California) - Wikipedia Related. 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. But tearing OShaughnessy Dam down now in order to restore Hetch Hetchy Valley would be a disaster. 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. remains the least visited area of the park. Above all, one's behavior Argument Against The Hetchy Dam 587 Words | 3 Pages So visit Hetch Hetchy. history. If you want to follow the old railroad line today, the Hetch Hetchy Road and most of the Mather Road were built on the old railroad bed and are beautiful scenic drives as well. 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. 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. "Dam Hetch Hetchy!" - I Take History The reservoir is eight miles long and the largest single body of water in Yosemite. A national debate ensued between the preservationist and conservationist factions of the young environmental movement. 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. The restoration of Hetch Hetchy would be a simple task compared to some dam removal efforts. He was a firm believer in utilitarian conservation. Two additional reservoirs in the Hetch Hetchy RegionLake Eleanor and Lake Lloyd (also We have historic photographs to remind us of what Hetch Hetchy Valley looked like before the dam was built. Some of these studies determined that the idea of draining the reservoir was technically feasible but incredibly costly. [8], Meadow plants unavailable in the lowlands were particularly valuable resources to these tribes. Fourth, dams alter water quality. [2] From Hetch Hetchy Reservoir, the water flows through the Canyon and Mountain Tunnels to Kirkwood and Moccasin Powerhouses, which have capacities of 124 and 110 megawatts, respectively. Third, dams alter natural habitats and change the ways in which rivers function. 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. On a national stage, Hetch Hetchy became caught in the cross fire between the interests of private utilities ownership and those of municipal ownership. For most of the year the waterfall offers a refreshing shower or cooling mist along with an amazing view. A recent report evaluates the economic benefits of restoring Hetch Hetchy Valley. 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. Building the Hetch Hetchy dam in such a remote location was an enormous project. The larger issues at stake would frame environmental debates for years to come. Such new supplies are not guaranteed to have the low greenhouse gas emissions profile that Hetch Hetchy water and power do and they could worsen climate change while increasing our vulnerability to it. The battle for Hetch Hetchy wasnt just conservationists vs preservationists. Principally, dam removal on the Klamath will require annual replacement of 696 gigawatt hours of electricity by other means. That's about twice the amount of power lost when Hetch Hetchy will be restored. What part should mountains, rivers, natural meadows or wild creatures play in American life? Three strikes for San Francisco | Restore Hetch Hetchy Once again, the political pendulum had swung. Slow down and spend the day at Tenaya Lake a beautiful and easy-to-get-to alpine lake cupped by granite domes. These benefits include: Reservoir-based recreation - swimming, fishing, camping etc. Gifford Pinchot wanted the U.S Forest Service to control the parks, but after his support to dam Hetchy Hetchy, Congress voted in 1916 to to establish the National Park Service whose sole purpose was "to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the wild life therein and to provide for the . The spacious rooms include access to a heated swimming pool, spa, playground, and laundry facilities. OShaughnessy Dam and the waterworks that connect it to the Bay Area are a marvel of engineering. The locations of these two formations roughly correspond with those of Cathedral Rocks and El Capitan seen from Tunnel View in Yosemite Valley. Download the official NPS app before your next visit. The Fight for Hetch Hetchy | Environment & Society Portal Why We Need Hetch Hetchy More Than Ever | SPUR 406 California Historical Landmark)", "John Muir's Yosemite: The father of the conservation movement found his calling on a visit to the California wilderness", "Timeline of the Ongoing Battle Over Hetch Hetchy", "The Hetch Hetchy Letters: If a Group of Intellectuals Argues in a Forest, and then that Forest is Submerged Under Water, Does Their Argument Matter? 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. Finally, in 1988, a third generator was added to the Kirkwood Powerhouse. Restore Hetch Hetchy and the Environmental Defense Funds own studies support a lower cost estimate, ranging from $1 billion to $2 billion. Hetch Hetchy is the incredible story of Americas most controversial dam and the birth of the environmental movement. Required fields are marked *. The history of Californias growth is inextricably linked to the search for water. Hetch Hetchy System - BAWSCA 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. [21][33] Albert Bierstadt, Charles Dorman Robinson and William Keith were known for their landscapes that drew tourists to the Hetch Hetchy Valley. Dam shame / It's time that San Francisco let go of Hetch Hetchy - SFGATE [30] After the valley's native inhabitants were driven out by the newcomers, it was used by ranchers, many of whom were former miners, to graze livestock. Had it been, the Sierra Clubs members would have presented a united front in opposition to its development. It pitted Gifford Pinchot, Americas first forester, against John Muir, Americas legendary conservationist. [54] The entire system produces about 1.7 billion kilowatt hours per year, enough to meet 20% of San Francisco's electricity needs. Should nature be left alone so that flora and fauna flourish while people enjoy its primal wonders? This trail is 13 miles round-trip with 3,700 feet elevation gain. . [40] The city would repeatedly try to acquire water rights to Hetch Hetchy, including in 1901, 1903 and 1905, but was continually rebuffed because of conflicts with irrigation districts that had senior water rights on the Tuolumne River, and because of the valley's national park status. This limits their ability to access spawning habitat, seek out food resources, and escape predation. 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. [46], Work on the Hetch Hetchy Project began in 1914. Some years later, water began flowing to San Francisco. Hetch Hetchy - Wikipedia 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. As the Hetch Hetchy Valley was part of Yosemite National Park, Hitchcock preferred to protect the park's natural wonders. 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. A bigger population will increase demand, meanwhile climate change could significantly reduce supply through drought and hydrological cycle changes. 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. He was opposed by then Mayor Diane Feinstein who argued that the dam was San Franciscans birthright. (Source: American Rivers, How Dams Damage Rivers). That reservoir is New Don Pedro, and it rests over existing pipelines to the Bay Area. [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. 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 [50] The project is operated by the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission. California O Shaughnessy Dam Analysis 1428 Words | 6 Pages. Tom Philp of The Sacramento Bee - The Pulitzer Prizes It was the second tallest dam in the U.S. at the time. Second, dams slow rivers. Residents drink it in 26 cities and water districts from San. So the idea of planning for new water supplies need not be on the ballot. Photo: Kim Lawson. But during peak spring flow, the thundering waterfall can wash over the bridge making it dangerous to cross. [17] The valley's abundant plants provided nourishment for mule deer, black bears and bighorn sheep. 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. [82] Dianne Feinstein opposed this allocation, saying, "I will do all I can to make sure it isn't included in the final bill. Another Iconic Valley In Yosemite? Report Estimates Tourism Benefits Of Not far from there, youll find more budget-minded lodging at Buck Meadows Lodge. The waterfall on the Tuolumne is now submerged under Hetch Hetchy Reservoir. An adjacent building contains another five suites with vaulted ceilings, forest views and soaking tubs. Stand on OShaughnessy Dam and feel the cool updraft. 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. As well dam for . Another popular trail crosses the OShaughnessy Dam and then takes a left turn to climb steeply out of the Hetch Hetchy valley. The Great Alaskan Land Fraud and the Pinchot-Ballinger Controversy caused both Richard A. Ballinger and Gifford Pinchot to resign and be fired respectively. 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. 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. O'Shaughnessey Dam Facts. 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. The glacially-carved U-shaped valley floor maximizes the amount of water stored in the 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. It is spectacular: a miles-long placid blue lake nested within towering granite cliffs, from which waterfalls cascade. Show More. It is part of our More than Just Parks Environmental Heroes series. 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. [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. Apply Today! Bierstadts paintings and Muirs writings began to publicize the beauty of the Hetch Hetchy Valley. [42] They claimed the valley was not unique and would be even more beautiful with a lake. 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. 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. Muir concludes his treatise on Hetch Hetchy with the now familiar words, "Dam Hetch Hetchy! And today there is even an organization, Restore Hetch Hetchy, which is committed to doing just that. "[34], When Yosemite Valley became part of a state park in 1864, Hetch Hetchy received no such designation. Rancheria Falls itself is a series of whitewater cascades that crashes through a narrow canyon on its way to the reservoir. I will agree to take down Hetch Hetchy, when we first replace it with a bigger new reservoir such as a bigger taller Yosemite Valley dam at El Capitan.