But Hetch Hetchy was a federally protected as part of Yosemite National Park. The Engineer as Lobbyist - JSTOR The construction of the Hetch Hetchy Railroad took place from 1915 to 1918. 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. Pinchot was Americas Forester. He served as the first head of the United States Forest Service. 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 . It forced elected representatives to consider what a national park designation truly meant and whether or not the land within these parks deserved protection. HETCH HETCHY: The Epic Enviro Battle That Changed America Monroe was a Chicago poet who joined Muir and others on their 1908 and 1909 outings to the valley. Restore Hetch Hetchy and the Environmental Defense Funds own studies support a lower cost estimate, ranging from $1 billion to $2 billion. . "[81] Hodel, now retired, is still[when?] The extensive amount of storage, which is designed to benefit the Bay Area as droughts become more severe with climate. Day 6: Hetch Hetchy Reservoir to San Francisco. . For John Muir, it was about preserving a natural wonder which could be enjoyed by generations to come. 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. The gently rolling terrain has excellent views of the water and eye-catching Kolana Rock, which towers roughly 2,000 feet above. At SPUR, we have done a lot of work on climate change adaptation. As well dam for . This reservoir on the Sacramento River has been planned for decades [79] Some observers, such as Carl Pope (director of the Sierra Club), stated that Hodel had political motives[80] in proposing the study. Winter storms fill Hetch Hetchy, renew debate about reservoir's future [41], In 1906, after a major earthquake and subsequent fire that devastated San Francisco, the inadequacy of the city's water system was made tragically clear. [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. Second, the sanctity of the national parks which they believed should not be violated. What part should mountains, rivers, natural meadows or wild creatures play in American life? One route begins six miles beyond the entrance station. If the nation set aside some natural places as especially sacred, how far beyond their borders should a sense of the sacred extend? 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 maximum that the city has put away is 570,000 acre-feet of water. 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. Hetch Hetchy was the first major battle of the environmental movement. 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. Fourth, dams alter water quality. The Hetch Hetchy Reservoir also serves to provide energy in the form of hydroelectricity, with a capacity of over 200 megawatts a year. William Howard Taft became president in 1909. A full breakfast is served in the dining room. There is a third concept, too, though it was little understood at the time. 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. [56] All four pipelines cross the Hayward fault. As we all know, there is no use of water that is higher than the domestic use., He went on to say, We come straight to the question of whether the advantage of leaving this valley in a state of nature is greater than the advantage of using it for the benefit of the city of San Francisco.. However, the same NPS study also finds that with intensive management, an outcome in which "the entire valley would appear much as it did before construction of the reservoir" is feasible. As well dam for water-tanks the people's cathedrals and churches, for no holier temple has ever been . That reservoir is New Don Pedro, and it rests over existing pipelines to the Bay Area. The restoration of Hetch Hetchy would be a simple task compared to some dam removal efforts. Some years later, water began flowing to San Francisco. 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. [12] During the last glacial period, the Tioga Glacier[13] formed from extensive icefields in the upper Tuolumne River watershed; between 110,000 and 10,000 years ago Hetch Hetchy Valley was sculpted into its present shape by repeated advance and retreat of the ice, which also removed extensive talus deposits that may have accumulated in the valley since the Sherwin period. 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. Upcountry and the Bay Area. It's a big job to open the tunnel and close it again. Wapama Fall is reached via a five-mile, round-trip hike that follows the shoreline of the reservoir with moderate up and downhill hiking. DWR also found that the planning studies necessary to refine the costs and benefits of restoration would cost $65 million alone. The SFPUC and other Hetch Hetchy users are currently implementing plans to meet this demand through recycled water, groundwater and conservation. What should be the fate of prairies, wetlands, or coastal marshes? 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. Those in favor of dam removal have pointed out that many actions by San Francisco since 1913 have been in violation of the Raker Act, which explicitly stated that power and water from Hetch Hetchy could not be sold to private interests. 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. It then cascades on its westward descent through the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne, and enters the eastern end of Hetch Hetchy Reservoir. We would be trading flooded acres in one place for flooded acres in another. Since then, the "Hetch Hetchy System" has continued to grow, now including nine impoundments . Teams completed the OShaughnessy Dam in 1923 and the reservoir filled for the first time in May of that year. Could you imagine building a dam inside a national park today? The glacial Hetch Hetchy Valley lies in the northwestern part of Yosemite National Park and is drained by the Tuolumne River. Building the Hetch Hetchy dam in such a remote location was an enormous project. Use good judgment and stay safe. [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. Located at 3,900 feet, it boasts one of the longest hiking seasons in the park. remains the least visited area of the park. Some of these studies determined that the idea of draining the reservoir was technically feasible but incredibly costly. [50] The project is operated by the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission. Should nature be left alone so that flora and fauna flourish while people enjoy its primal wonders? [47] On October 28, 1934 twenty years after the beginning of construction on the Hetch Hetchy project a crowd of 20,000 San Franciscans gathered to celebrate the arrival of the first Hetch Hetchy water in the city. Mirror Lakes famous spring-time reflections capture the eye and mind. 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. [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. Off Deadline: Is 'Restore Hetch Hetchy' a pipe dream or a living vision 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. Divide the class into four small groups. But Sites would be what's called an off-channel reservoir, built away from the river. It would be almost impossible to build a new dam there today. Denouncing dam proponents as greedy, he wrote, These temple destroyers, devotees of ravaging commercialism, seem to have a perfect contempt for Nature, and instead of lifting their eyes to the God of the Mountains, life them to the Almighty Dollar. This is because the Tuolumne catchment basin above Hetch Hetchy is almost three times as large as the catchment area of the Merced River above Yosemite, allowing a greater volume of ice to form. 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. Bierstadts paintings and Muirs writings began to publicize the beauty of the Hetch Hetchy Valley. Hetch Hetchy Valley: Battle To Restore, History & Recreation Another Iconic Valley In Yosemite? Report Estimates Tourism Benefits Of

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