[15] When the glacier retreated for the final time, sediment-laden meltwater deposited thick layers of silt, forming the flat alluvial floodplain of the valley floor. 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 was the first major battle of the environmental movement. After 2.5 miles (4.0 km), youll reach the Wapama Falls Bridge with an up-close view of the lowest section of Wapama Falls. As the Hetch Hetchy Valley was part of Yosemite National Park, Hitchcock preferred to protect the park's natural wonders. 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. Everyone who drinks water or takes a shower in San Francisco should go. [70] Hodel called for a study of the effect of tearing down the dam. The glacial Hetch Hetchy Valley lies in the northwestern part of Yosemite National Park and is drained by the Tuolumne River. But Hetch Hetchy, one of nature's perfect . . [54][55], After passing through the powerhouses, Hetch Hetchy water flows into the 167mi (269km) Hetch Hetchy Aqueduct which travels across the Central Valley. It forced elected representatives to consider what a national park designation truly meant and whether or not the land within these parks deserved protection. Related. Hetch Hetchy's restoration, after all, will benefit national . They suggest that draining the reservoir and turning Hetch Hetchy Valley into a tourist center similar to Yosemite Valley could be worth up to $178 million per year. [53], As completed, O'Shaughnessy Dam is 910 feet (280m) long, spanning the valley at its narrow outlet. And in a larger sense, the waters of California served as the converting agents. When changes are made there are unintended consequences. Instead, it was a more complicated battle which pitted public interests against private interests. It is the primary water source for about 2.5 million residents of the San Francisco Bay Area. [3] Kolana Rock, at 5,772ft (1,759m), is a massive rock spire on the south side of the Hetch Hetchy Valley. Public disapproval nationwide with the Raker Act helped to bring about the creation of the National Park Service. This is why environmental impact statements, which were not required prior to 1969, are so important today. In the Bay Area, Hetch Hetchy water is stored in local facilities including Calaveras Reservoir, Crystal Springs Reservoir, and San Antonio Reservoir. [8], While its cousin Yosemite Valley to the south had permanent Miwok settlements,[25] Hetch Hetchy was only seasonally inhabited. The Hetch Hetchy Valley was within Yosemite National Park and protected by the federal government, leaving it up to Congress to decide the valley's fate. What part should mountains, rivers, natural meadows or wild creatures play in American life? [79] Some observers, such as Carl Pope (director of the Sierra Club), stated that Hodel had political motives[80] in proposing the study. You could then scuba ElCapitan down to the valley floor. Although Hetch Hetchy is included within the boundaries of Yosemite National Park, the entrance is separate from the rest of the park. Start by hiking across the OShaughnessy Dam then turn east along the shore of the reservoir. We would be trading flooded acres in one place for flooded acres in another. Many examples of red-barked manzanita can be seen along the Hetch Hetchy Road. Wapama and Rancheria Falls Looking up at Wapama Falls from the footbridge on the hiking trail. 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. [46], Work on the Hetch Hetchy Project began in 1914. Monroe went on to lobby members of Congress as the battle moved to Washington D.C. She was a tireless advocate who believed that people needed to be educated in order to do what was best for everyone involved. In Yosemite National Park, the Hetch Hetchy reservoir relies on the annual snowmelt to stay full. RELATED: A Woman Started The Environmental Movement (Can It Continue?). ", "San Francisco-Hetch Hetchy Valley Connection", "Hetch Hetchy controversy: Could Yosemite's 'second valley' be restored? For most of the year the waterfall offers a refreshing shower or cooling mist along with an amazing view. One route begins six miles beyond the entrance station. 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. 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. This strenuous 2.5-mile, round-trip hike to the Tuolumne River has 1,229 feet of elevation gain. An anthropocentrist would agree with building the dam in the park without taking into consideration what the dam would do to the already existing ecosystem due to not caring about the established animals and plants. 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. 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. For functional purposes, Hetch Hetchy was a promising solution to San Francisco's serious water shortages. 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. The bustling metropolis of Los Angeles could not have become the city it did without the water which flowed from the Owens Valley hundreds of miles away. As in Yosemite, the sublime rocks of its walls seem to glow with life . 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. The upcountry portion of the System begins with Hetch Hetchy Reservoir in Yosemite National Park. A full breakfast is served in the dining room. . 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 doesn't need to be filtered, a process that is expensive and energy intensive. ", "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. For thousands of years, Native Americans subjected the valley to controlled bushfires, which prevented forest from taking over the valley meadows. In 1913, Woodrow Wilson appointed Lane his Secretary of the Interior. And it is the largest single source of water supply for the Bay Area. Gravel, logs, and other important food and habitat features can become trapped. 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. Dianne Feinstein, the mayor of San Francisco at the time, said in a Los Angeles Times story in 1987: "All this is for an expanded campground? . On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. The exploitation of Californias natural resources continued unabated in the years leading up to Hetch Hetchy. 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. Hetch Hetchy and Yosemite Valley are so similar because they were created by the same sequences of geological activity. 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. [37][38] However, ranchers who had previously owned land in the new park continued their use of Hetch Hetchy Valley a "sheep-grazing free-for-all [that] threatened to denude the High Sierra meadows"[37] before disputes over state and private properties in respect to national park boundaries were finally settled in the early 1900s. Rancheria Falls itself is a series of whitewater cascades that crashes through a narrow canyon on its way to the reservoir. "[81] Hodel, now retired, is still[when?] In: Educational Resources, History, National Parks, Your email address will not be published. [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. Then it travels through a series of mountain tunnels. [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. It pitted Gifford Pinchot, Americas first forester, against John Muir, Americas legendary conservationist. View of the OShaughnessy Dam and the Hetchy Hetchy Road and parking. Hetch Hetchy, for the time being, was safe, and it would not be inundated during Roosevelts watch.. It carried workers and materials for the dam, as well as tourists, postage and other amenities. Another popular trail crosses the OShaughnessy Dam and then takes a left turn to climb steeply out of the Hetch Hetchy valley. As a result, San Francisco secured a reliable and . The battle over the Hetch Hetchy, in part, was a fight over public versus private ownership of vital resources such as water. In the autumn of 1871, John Muir visited Hetch Hetchy for the first time. There are many places to stop and enjoy views of the rushing water before turning around to return to your car. Two additional reservoirs in the Hetch Hetchy RegionLake Eleanor and Lake Lloyd (also While opponents of the dam were hard pressed for financial support, the city of San Franciscos campaign was well financed. Hetch Hetchy water travels 160 miles via gravity from . In spite of Muirs eloquent and heated objections, the Raker Act was signed into law in December of 1913. The Tuolumne River originates in the peaks above Tuolumne Meadows and is the major drainage system for the northern part of Yosemite.