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But how did the dam get to be here? You may take easy hike to Wapama falls ( around 6 miles) or even more challenging hike to Rancheria falls ( around 14 miles). 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. Hodel Would Tear Down Dam in Hetch Hetchy - Los Angeles Times 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. Water could be diverted into the Kirkwood and Moccasin Powerhouses using lower-impact diversion dams, providing power generation on a seasonal basis, and the enlarged height at Don Pedro would also increase power generation there. We would be trading flooded acres in one place for flooded acres in another. The water is transported from the reservoir by the Hetch Hetchy Aqueduct which is made up of 170 miles of gravity-driven pipelines, dams, and other reservoirs. The grassroots organization of environmental activism, established by John Muir and his supporters, became a model for future environmentalists. Restore Hetch Hetchy and the Environmental Defense Funds own studies support a lower cost estimate, ranging from $1 billion to $2 billion. There is no Starbucks here no daily parade of tour buses and RVs. OShaughnessy Dam and the waterworks that connect it to the Bay Area are a marvel of engineering. For functional purposes, Hetch Hetchy was a promising solution to San Francisco's serious water shortages. As a result, San Francisco secured a reliable and . 2023 Yosemite Mariposa County Tourism Bureau, Yosemite Itineraries: What to Do in Yosemite. DWRs meta-study found a range of costs from $3 billion to $10 billion for restoration and replacement of water and power sources. ", "Hetch Hetchy reclaimed: The dam downstream", "Alternatives for restoration of Hetch Hetchy Valley following removal of the dam and reservoir page 15", "Chapter 9: Impact of restoration on hydropower production and revenues", "Putting Bay Area's Water Sources to a Vote", "Hodel Would Tear Down Dam in Hetch Hetchy", "On Hetch Hetchy, John Muir was wrong: California's revered naturalist wrote a poetic diatribe against the drowning of the great valley. 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. The other route begins at the entrance station and is 16 miles round-trip with 3,300 feet of elevation gain. As a consequence, visitors came to experience it for themselves. 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. There have been lawsuits over whether San Francisco violated the agreements of the Raker Act. 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). Would there be any room in an acquisitive society for wildness, or for non material spiritual values?. O'Shaughnessy Dam is a 430-foot (131 m) high concrete arch-gravity dam in Tuolumne County, California, United States.It impounds the Tuolumne River, forming the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir at the lower end of Hetch Hetchy Valley in Yosemite National Park, about 160 miles (260 km) east of San Francisco. Some hydro-power dams withhold and then release water to generate power for peak demand periods, which is particularly disruptive to migrating fish. [42] They claimed the valley was not unique and would be even more beautiful with a lake. 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. Assign each group to analyze one or more . Above all, one's behavior Argument Against The Hetchy Dam 587 Words | 3 Pages 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. Teams completed the OShaughnessy Dam in 1923 and the reservoir filled for the first time in May of that year. In the 21st century, Ken Brower, son of the renown environmentalist David Brower, wrote a fascinating account of the failed campaign to save Hetch Hetchy and the modern effort to Reverse an American Mistake, complete with speculation about how the rebirth of a wild valley might evolve. 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). [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. Friday, enjoy an evening about bats starting at 7 pm. Bierstadts paintings and Muirs writings began to publicize the beauty of the Hetch Hetchy Valley. 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. The construction of the Hetch Hetchy Railroad took place from 1915 to 1918. These are called Bay Division Pipelines (BDPL) 1, 2, 3, and 4, with nominal pipeline diameters of 60, 66, 78, and 96 inches (1.5, 1.7, 2.0 and 2.4m, respectively). "[61][62], The battle over Hetch Hetchy Valley continues today[when?] The trail to Wapama Falls is one of the most popular trails in the Hetch Hetchy area for a good reason. But Hetch Hetchy, one of nature's perfect . O'Shaughnessy Dam (California) - Wikipedia And in a larger sense, the waters of California served as the converting agents. Call 209-372-0200 for the latest road and weather conditions, Hetch Hetchy Road Daily Hours: 8 am to 5 pm. The most prominent preservationist spokesman was John Muir.. Youll just need to see them for yourself. San Francisco could flood the valley and work began the following year. 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. It is part of our More than Just Parks Environmental Heroes series. . As a 13.4-mile (21.4 km) round-trip hike, Rancheria Falls gets fewer day-hikers than Wapama Falls but is a popular backpacking stop. This strenuous 2.5-mile, round-trip hike to the Tuolumne River has 1,229 feet of elevation gain. It involved the unintended consequences of efforts to shape the environment to meet human needs. As John Clayton writes, At the height of Progressivism, Phelan and other good-government types believed that the city should administer its own utilities. It is definitely worth to visit Hetch Hetchy area especially in 2021 when main Yosemite area requires booking permits in advance. 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. [72] The water storage provided at Hetch Hetchy could be transferred into Lake Don Pedro lower on the Tuolumne River by raising the New Don Pedro Dam 30ft (9.1m). Yet environmentalists have dreamed of restoring the dramatic valley along the Tuolumne River, which was filled in by the lake when the dam was built in 1938 under the New Deal. 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 Hetch Hetchy Valley is a part of Yosemite National Park. The surface of the water hides an additional 300 feet of granite cliffs and once-upon-a-time waterfalls within its depths. Plus, the granite walls converge into a narrow outlet at the bottom of the valley the perfect location for a dam. This trail is 13 miles round-trip with 3,700 feet elevation gain. [2], Wapama Falls, at 1,080ft (330m), and Tueeulala Falls, at 840ft (260m) both among the tallest waterfalls in North America are both located in Hetch Hetchy Valley. The Dam Rent Is Too Low - PERC As of October 2022, Hetch Hetchy was at 77.5% of its capacity. "[32], In 1867, Charles F. Hoffman of the California Geological Survey conducted the first survey of the valley. Once again, the political pendulum would swing. There are many places to stop and enjoy views of the rushing water before turning around to return to your car. [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. 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. Including additions made between 1934 and 1938, the dam currently stands 430 feet (131 m) above the bedrock below. No picture of the giant sequoia trees in Yosemite National Park manages to fully capture their immense size and majesty. The battle over the Hetch Hetchy, in part, was a fight over public versus private ownership of vital resources such as water. Photo: Chris Migeon The regional water system provides water to 2.4 million people in San Francisco, Santa Clara, Alameda and San Mateo counties. As well dam for water tanks the peoples cathedrals and churches, for no holier temple has ever been consecrated by the heart of man.'. [16], Compared with Yosemite Valley, the walls of Hetch Hetchy are smoother and rounder because it was glaciated to a greater extent. [26], In the early 1850s, a mountain man by the name of Nathan Screech[27] became the first non-Native American to enter the valley. Sign up for helpful guides, beautiful videos, and insider tips on the national parks. Fourth, dams alter water quality. The Great Alaskan Land Fraud and the Pinchot-Ballinger Controversy caused both Richard A. Ballinger and Gifford Pinchot to resign and be fired respectively. Congress would decide the fate of the Hetchy Hetchy Valley. "[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. Forests might provide for the material well-being of human beings, but they did not exist for this reason alone. The city must pay a lease of $30,000 per year for the use of Hetch Hetchy, which sits on federal land. When changes are made there are unintended consequences. Dam Hetch Hetchy! [3] Kolana Rock, at 5,772ft (1,759m), is a massive rock spire on the south side of the Hetch Hetchy Valley. It pitted Gifford Pinchot, Americas first forester, against John Muir, Americas legendary conservationist. And today there is even an organization, Restore Hetch Hetchy, which is committed to doing just that. Everyone who drinks water or takes a shower in San Francisco should go. And it is the largest single source of water supply for the Bay Area. Muir and other defenders of Hetch Hetchy believe the fight revolved around two central issues. Yosemite's Hetch Hetchy Water Wars - Yosemite National Park Trips Park entry (as needed). In the distance, long white plumes of water cascade hundreds of feet down from rocky heights. William Howard Taft became president in 1909. Gravel, logs, and other important food and habitat features can become trapped. The U.S. Congress passed and President Woodrow Wilson signed the Raker Act in 1913, which permitted the flooding of the valley under the conditions that power and water derived from the river could only be used for public interests. In continuance, water has a personality and the presence of it can change moods and help people feel better. First, the beauty of the valley which they felt should not be sacrificed to build a dam. This ballot measure is so problematic that SPUR has taken early action to oppose it. 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. What should be the fate of prairies, wetlands, or coastal marshes? 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. 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. If you delight in getting off the well-beaten path, or if you are looking for a peaceful natural retreat, its perfection. High temperatures prevail in summer months, but its a small price to pay for the reward of vast wilderness filled with stunning peaks, hidden canyons, and remote lakes. List what negative externalities are associated with the construction It pitted a powerful city against a dedicated group of conservationists. 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. 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. Hetch Hetchy Reservoir and Water System 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.

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