hetch hetchy dam pros and cons

Restoring the valley would return to Yosemite National Park a major asset. In most areas of the country municipal water must be filtered AND treated. Most people would probably think that the Dakota Access Pipeline is just another pipeline, like the Alaska pipeline, except, it's not just another pipeline. Hetch Hetchy Reservoir (Yosemite National Park) - Tripadvisor It was NOT a mistake. The era's most controversial environmental issue was the five-year struggle over federal approval for . Reservoir releases also generate hydropower that San Francisco uses for . Hetch Hetchy Reservoir, California, USA. But a dam was put up as a first step in the Hetch Hetchy project and was completed in 1918. Muir believed that, Between these two powerful men was President Roosevelt, who from an emotional point of view agreed with Muir that the wildness of nature was a wonder to humans and must in part be preserved, but realistically he aligned with Pinchot because humans themselves live in nature and must subsequently use natural resources. Although Hetch Hetchy Reservoir is the most well-known, it stores less than 25% of the system's water. Hetch Hetchy Valley Response Paper - realhomeworkpros He is arguing that the conservationist only care about the real dollar cost for the project without consideration for what will be. Pinchot during this time understood that raging forest fires occurring in certain areas of the country was one aspect that needed to be fixed. The areas of land that have unmanaged ecosystems, where humans are not allowed to disturb, are places that the government set boundaries, named, and created regulations for. The $7 million from the Park Service would, if approved, "provide a preliminary analysis of the advantages of dam retention versus removal and restoration, with emphasis on the potential benefits of . This natural beauty-hunger is made manifest in the little window-sill gardens of the poor, though perhaps only a geranium slip in a broken cup, as well as in the carefully tended rose and lily gardens of the rich, the thousands of spacious city parks and botanical gardens, and in our magnificent National parksthe Yellowstone, Yosemite, Sequoia, etc.Natures sublime wonderlands, the admiration and joy of the world. This decision concluded a decade-long, highly contentious debate over the dam-and-reservoir complex to supply water to post-earthquake San Francisco, a battle that was . In re applications of A. H. Ward and Mariposa electrical . It is hard NOT to get inspired by the beauty of this park. Hetch Hetchy Debate Pros And Cons. If you're thinking about visiting Hetch Hetchy during your Yosemite vacation, these pros, cons, and views may help you decide whether to go. Hetch Hetchy today | Restore Hetch Hetchy It started with some basic facts; that it stores up to 117 billion gallons of drinking water; it is a clean, efficient water delivery system for 2.6 million residents daily; and it generates 1.6 billion kilowatt hours of clean hydroelectric power annually. The Hetch Hetchy Project controversy brought into sharp relief the difference between conservation and preservation. Generally, hydropower is the one of the oldest and most renewable sources of energy in the world today. Thats not all because the drinking water downstream from DAPL could be affected too, and next thing you know hundreds of thousands of people will. 4. Today, however, that valley is under 300 feet of water. Hetch Hetchy System - BAWSCA Up to 24% cash back (the hetch hetchy was a part of yosemite national park.) The issue at the time was should a portion of the public lands be given up as a right-of-way for San Francisco, et al, to store and transport water? This is proven through several of documents written by Gifford Pinchot and John Raker, San Francisco District, The yuma project both had positive and negative impacts. Due to the fact the logging company would be harming natural lands of the national, According to Jared Prince, The three purposes of the club - recreation, conservation, and education and are still major objectives of the club today (Prince). The debate over the Hetch Hetchy dam was about whether preserving the environment the way it is or using our natural resources efficiently had more value to human society. The cost of filtration is included in our figures. Basically, that is what the petition (suit) filed by Restore Hetch Hetchy is all about; that is, to come up with a plan to rework the water system so that Hetch Hetchy Valley does not need to be used to store the water. Increase in food production capacities. The Hetchy Dam controversy of the early 1900's was a debate that shaped how America has dealt with the environment since. Effective at low speeds: Water has a density 1,000 times greater than air, making it possible to generate electricity at low speeds. Eighty-five percent of the water comes from Sierra Nevada snowmelt stored in the Hetch Hetchy reservoir situated on the Tuolumne River in Yosemite National Park. Pros And Cons Of Hech Hetchy. The reservoir is about a 1-hour drive from both Groveland and Yosemite Village. The hearing considers an amendment to the Raker Act that authorized the dam. Hetch Hetchy Photos and Premium High Res Pictures - Getty Images 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." John Muir, 1909. This November, a group of environmental advocates will put forth a ballot measure that would require the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission to develop a plan to drain Hetch Hetchy. We cant build more dams as long as the radical environmental laws make their construction impossible(McClintock). The Hetch Hetchy Dam is destroying a piece of land that is the homes of multiple types of animals. According to suggestions listed in the petition, itself, the water from the reservoir at Hetch Hetchy can be stored downstream, say at Don Pedro Dam. Hetch Hetchy Reservoir in Yosemite National Park is seen in 2022. We are fighting a battle to try our case in the California courts, Rosekrans said. : Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, 1968). The dam had been completed by the city of San Francisco in 1923, after years of controversy over flooding the magnificent Hetch Hetchy Valley, the smaller twin of Yosemite Valley. Arguments in Favor of Restoring Hetch Hetchy - Sierra Club The trial court ruled in San Franciscos favor in 2016, saying that California courts lack jurisdiction over Hetch Hetchy because the dam there was approved by Congress. Department of the interior. United States. Photo by Isaiah West Taber. Many of these floods are very hard, because they may end up changing their way of flow or the insane amount of damage not only to the Dams and rivers but too the people as well. The Hetch Hetchy Railroad | Microbiome Digest - Bik's Picks The dam and reservoir are the source for the Hetch Hetchy Aqueduct, which provides water for over . Hetch Hetchy Valley, Yosemite National Park, California The Greatest Whether it was from your teacher, the news or something on the internet that you glanced at then moved on to watch more cat videos, you still noticed it. Wilderness is a type of protection given to the most pristine wildlands left on Earth areas within national parks, forests, recreation areas and other wildlands where there are no roads or development. The Hetch Hetchy Railroad (HHRR) was a 68-mile (109 km) standard gauge Class III railroad constructed by the City of San Francisco to support the construction and expansion of the O'Shaughnessy Dam across Hetch Hetchy Valley.. Based in Groveland, the HHRR operated from 1917 to 1949.It primarily carried construction crews and materials, but also took excursion passengers, freight, and mail. We have estimated the cost to be $B 2.0 over 50 years primarily for water supply, water quality and hydropower replacement. The ideas expressed in this book transcend generation to generation. Steve Ritchie, a San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) water manager who oversees the Hetch Hetchy system, says storing the water elsewhere would cost billions of dollars. . Nevertheless, like anything else worthwhile, from the very beginning, however well guarded, they have always been subject to attack by despoiling gain-seekers and mischief-makers of every degree from Satan to Senators, eagerly trying to make everything immediately and selfishly commercial, with schemes disguised in smug-smiling philanthropy, industriously, shampiously crying, Conservation, conservation, panutilization, that man and beast may be fed and the dear Nation made great. In contrast, the recreational value of a restored valley is estimated to be $B 8.7 over 50 years far greater than the cost of making it possible. Given that the valley was flooded, restoration would be an ideal opportunity to witness, first hand, its rebirth. Agencies Accelerate Efforts to Build Transit-Oriented Development, San Francisco Public Utilities Commission. Hetch Hetchy was the first major battle of the environmental movement. However, even if Hetch Hetchy Reservoir is drained (with its water to be stored elsewhere and the valley restoration begins), Yosemite will still not be whole. Lake Eleanor is another reservoir with another Dam and within the boundary of Yosemite National Park and also part of the Hetch Hetchy water system for San Francisco. The sturdy and concrete material can help store water for a long time. It is definitely worth to visit Hetch Hetchy area especially in 2021 when main Yosemite area requires booking permits in advance. What are the Pros and Cons of Hydropower and Tidal Energy 1-86-NARA-NARA or 1-866-272-6272, Advisory Committee on the Records of Congress, Hetch Hetchy: Congress and the Environment, For suggestions on how to usethese documents in a classroom, visit, To learn more about the Hetch Hetchy Valley, visit, To learnabout the devastating earthquake to San Francisco in 1906, visit, If you have problems viewing these images please contact. Every person uses the commons in accordance with their individual interests. tuolumne river. Ive posted on this subject a number of times (see the links below). As in Yosemite, the sublime rocks of its walls seem to glow with life, whether leaning back in repose or standing erect in thoughtful attitudes, giving welcome to storms and calms alike, their brows in the sky, their feet set in the groves and gay flowery meadows, while birds, bees, and butterflies help the river and waterfalls to stir all the air into musicthings frail and fleeting and types of permanence meeting here and blending, just as they do in Yosemite, to draw her lovers into close and confiding communion with her. The Sierra Club also built a visitor and education center in 1898. Rebuttal to the Argument in Opposition to Restoration. 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." . Ive tried to be fair in the presentation of the issue, but have made clear which side of the fence I daggle my feet. Our figures include replacing that with solar power.. Raquel Coelho de Matos 2 Dissertao de A different story is unfolding at Hetch Hetchy reservoir in Yosemite National Park, where water is being released to conserve and restore wildlife. I think I can partially answer your question. Hetch Hetchy Dam and Reservoir Expansion - Living New Deal SOLUTIONS. Rainer National Park and Glacier National Park. 1244). Building a dam on the Tuolumne River at Hetch . . Between 1908 and 1913, Congress debated whether to make a water resource available or preserve a wilderness when the growing city of San Francisco, California proposed building a dam in the Hetch Hetchy Valley to provide a steady water supply. O'Shaughnessy Dam (California) - Wikipedia The Continuing Battle Over Hetch Hetchy In this final post from April 7, 2016, I reflect on the aftermath of the construction of the dam. Over the years it has become a passion. Today, hetch hetchy valley is a dammed and flooded reservoir. Between 1908 and 1913, congress debated whether to make a water resource available or preserve a wilderness when the growing city of san francisco, california proposed building a dam in the hetch hetchy valley to . Others believe that itll benefit the economy and will not have major impact on the environment. . Copyright 2014-2023 Yosemite Tales | Powered by WordPress | Design by Starry Night Web Designs. Since December 19, 1913, when the Raker Act was signed by President Wilson, there has been a lamentation on the loss of Hetch Hetchy Valley. Updated: May 13, 2022. These two viewpoints came into conflict when the Hetch Hetchy project was proposed to create a water supply above San Francisco. Here are the pros and cons of hydropower: List of Pros of Hydropower. students will explore the divisions this controversy exposed within the conservation movement by using teacher selected documents and text representative of both sides of the debate along with actual records of the congressional hearings held to decide the valley's fate. The Battle over Hetch Hetchy - Google Books Its not going to be easy or simple and, maybe, not even feasible. But whenever we did have floodings the cost was very high to try and building and fixing it back up. 16 Main Pros and Cons of Hydropower - Green Garage Donald Hodel, then Secretary of the Interior, suggested that the time might be ripe to remove the OShaughnessy Dam that holds back the Tuolumne River creating the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir. 01 of 05. It was originally posted in June 2015. However, not until 1987 under President Reagan did hope resurfaced that we may actually get it back. Pros and Cons of Dams - Pros an Cons Hetch Hetchy Dam Controversy | APECSEC.org In addition, if the building of two roads were to go near or go through a body of water they would harm the environment of the salmon. Considering the context of the hetch hetchy debate at the time,. You might say mining was a decent thing to help the environment financially, but a lot of the times after people were done mining they left the environment a mess including the rivers and its banks. Hetch Hetchy Reservoir | reservoir, Yosemite National Park, California Current conditions of LAKE OR RESERVOIR WATER SURFACE ELEVATION ABOVE NGVD 1929 and RESERVOIR STORAGE are available. Hetch Hetchy Reservoir Pictures, Images and Stock Photos 8. The Hetch Hetchy water system includes other reservoirs, and the one in Hetch Hetchy Valley stores only about a quarter of the water San Francisco gets from the Tuolumne River. The making of gardens and parks goes on with civilization all over the world, and they increase both in size and number as their value is recognized. You own magnificent red-rock canyons and beautiful turquoise rivers. A Map and Guide to Hetch Hetchy Reservoir at Yosemite - TripSavvy In 1961 they all participated in an expansion of the reservoir creating a larger dam increasing storage from just short of 300,000 acre-feet to a bit over 2,000,000 acre-feet. Located at 3,900 feet, Hetch Hetchy boasts one of the longest hiking seasons in the park and is an ideal place for thundering spring waterfalls and wildflower displays. Hetch Hetchy Environmental Debates | National Archives It carried workers and materials for the dam, as well as tourists, postage and other amenities. These arguments were brought before congress to make a decision about the fate of the valley. Sad to say, this most precious and sublime feature of the Yosemite National Park, one of the greatest of all our natural resources for the uplifting joy and peace and health of the people, is in danger of being dammed and made into a reservoir to help supply San Francisco with water and light, thus flooding it from wall to wall and burying its gardens and groves one or two hundred feet deep. If they expand filtration at Sunol, they would need to break gravity at that point. 1245). 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. Giving a Dam: Congress Debates Hetch Hetchy - George Mason University Theodore Roosevelt: Conservation As A National Duty introduces the problem of the lack of natural resources, and how are we going to fix the problem for future generations? Hetch Hetchy hike offers stunning views and deep mystery - USA TODAY Why We Need Hetch Hetchy More Than Ever | SPUR Whether or not it has first been filtered, public water must then be treated to achieve a 99.99% reduction in pathogens. Hetch Hetchy Environmental Debates. Even the author, Bruce Brown, said I cant say I thought Id live to see the day which goes to show how radical the idea was when he wrote it so many years ago. There doesnt seem to be financial or business need within their own sphere of financial responsibility forcing the city to consider relocating the water storage. The values are at the heart of our legal petition filed April 21, 2015. They would lose about 20% of their hydropower. Ever since the establishment of the Yosemite National Park, strife has been going on around its borders and I suppose this will go on as part of the universal battle between right and wrong, however much its boundaries may be shorn, or its wild beauty destroyed. Jay Lund, director of the UC Davis Center for Watershed Sciences, thinks so. This link will take you to the page; just scroll down from there. Is there some filtering or treatment now being applied that wasnt when your flyer was written? Hetch Hetchy | Hetch Hetchy Dam & Reservoir History | Yosemite.com Hetch Hetchy water used in cities has always been treated, at least in recent decades. What Are The Pros And Cons Of Hydraulic Fracturing 292 Words | 2 Pages . Because after they built a dam the water levels decreased. But while it is deemed as very beneficial, it also has its downsides. "Dam Hetch Hetchy!": John Muir Contests the Hetch-Hetchy Dam He convinced Theodore Roosevelt, president at the time, to go camping with him in Yosemite to get Roosevelts support for the National park. The proposed dam in Hetch Hetchy Valley was to supply fresh water and electricity to San Francisco. Preservationist and Sierra Club founder John Muir did not testify before Congress, but he argued against the Hetch Hetchy plan in this excerpt from his 1912 book, The Yosemite. Hetch Hetchy Reservoir, a source of drinking water for 2.7 million people in the City of San Francisco, is viewed from O'Shaughnessy Dam on October. However, pumps and filtration could be added at a fraction of what Restore Hetch Hetchy says would be the benefit of a restored valley. Hetch Hetchy captures snowmelt that runs off granite, Ritchie said. The public lands in the context of 1908 and 1913 when the merits were debated, included ALL federally held lands whether wilderness, forests or national parks. I also reached out to San Francisco Water Public Records (SFWATER.ORG) for their views on the issue. That rule applies to Hetch Hetchy water as well. Though it took a while to respond, they were very cordial. Hetch Hetchy is just 15 miles north of Yosemite Valley and the two are often called twins. The Public Works Administration (PWA) funded a major increase in the height of the O'Shaughnessy Dam, which creates Hetch Hetchy Reservoir. HETCH HETCHY RES A HETCH HETCHY CA - USGS Water Data for the Nation Though the article demonstrated (at least, to me) that there were political retorts on both sides of the issue, the fact that the contracted giardiasis rates were higher than in other areas of California was not contested. He wrote the book, A Sand County Almanac. It would be much easier to fight for restoration if we had some bad guys to rally against, but I dont see any. As Leopold moves along in A Sand County Almanac, the reader finally understands the full scale of thought that is placed in front of them. Copyright 2023 IPL.org All rights reserved. Pinchot made efforts to understand the physical and biological background behind forest fires and this would impress politicians and those who were involved in the environmental field. Monitoring location 11275500 is associated with a LAKE, RESERVOIR, IMPOUNDMENT in TUOLUMNE COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. It would not take much to increase the capacity to store all of what Hetch Hetchy currently stores. Dams provide us with a source of clean energy. The commons are essentially Earths finite resources such as water resources, forest resources, fish stock, energy, and endangered species. Carter uses phrases such as most unforgettable and humbling experience, flooded with life, and once-in-a-lifetime wild life spectacle to describe the true beauty of nature for which the reader can relate to. There was no distinction between wilderness, National Forests or National Parks. NEXT. In the past there was always flood incidents due to the river being uncontrolled and overflowing. Use the car park at O'Shaughnessy Dam with overnight parking available. Through his life experience, he then realize sustainability importance, all species have inherent value in the biosphere, humans have no right to reduce this richness and diversity only to satisfy our needs, from the perspective of, John Muir, a naturalist and preservation pioneer of nature took an ethical stand for land ethics when he shared his thoughts that all living things are equally important parts of the land, and animals and plants have as much right to live and survive as people do. You. As a boy Aldo Leopold thought by killing the predators on the mountain, there will be more deer to hunt which is an advantage for the hunters; however, he did not know that his action could affect the sustainability of the mountain. I reached out to Restore Hetch Hetchy and asked them, WHY Restore Hetch Hetchy wants the valley restored. In response, Spreck Rosekrans, Executive Director said (among other things): Restore Hetch Hetchys mission remains, to return the Hetch Hetchy Valley in Yosemite National Park to its natural splendor while continuing to meet the water and power needs of all communities that depend on the Tuolumne River.. Not only was that bad for the environmental movement, but also many people did not know how to act in the national parks. A non-technical solution is one that uses other means such as legislation and education to solve the problems with the commons by changing peoples values or morals (Hardin, 1968, pp. Started at the dam, CCW on Friday 10/14, late arrival had us starting at 4PM. The Tragedy of Commons is a concept originally contrived by William Forster Llyod in 1833 in the essay Two Lectures on the Checks to Population. Rules were not set in the early stages of the parks, so people would overkill the animals and damage the trees by puncturing the outer layer . 2. In 2012, Restore Hetch Hetchy placed a measure on the San Francisco ballot that would have required the city to conduct an $8 million study on the impacts of draining the reservoir. See Also:Giving a Dam: Congress Debates Hetch Hetchy, Giving a Dam: Congress Debates Hetch Hetchy. I would never put Hetch Hetchy where it is, but the fix itself would be destructive somewhere else, said Laura Tam, sustainable development policy director of SPUR, a San Francisco-based nonprofit dedicated to urban planning in the Bay Area. 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. In the 1600s when Europeans began to settle in North America, there were 1037 million acres of forestland. The fact that his book brought about the removal of the Elwha dam is a significant thing and is important to the future of conservation. Maybe well find a legal one, allowing all parties to see alternative ways to handle the water system that would benefit both San Francisco AND visitors to Yosemite. Emma odom hetch hetchy dam environmental debate the hetch hetchy dam in yosemites national park is the. Hetch Hetchy Valley as a repository for the water from the Tuolumne River belongs to San Francisco, et al. Argument Against The Hetchy Dam - 587 Words - Internet Public Library This conceptual metaphor is used as the allegory for suitability dilemmas. A decade later the O'Shaughnessy Dam, the second largest civil engineering project of its day after the Panama Canal, was completed. Considering the context of the hetch hetchy debate at the time,. Their system is mostly gravity driven, and it would remain so. Waterways can be used for transportation purposes. Thats because Hetch Hetchy Reservoir has built-in advantages that save huge amounts of money. Yet, on September 19th, 2011 the demolition of the dam began and was the largest dam removal in history. The dam had been built in the early 20s and remained there, blocking the flow of the river for about 100 years before it was finally taken down. Learn more Whether to restore Hetch Hetchy will be the subject of a panel discussion Thursday at the Commonwealth Club, with experts from both sides of the debate, including Tom Graff, regional . The Fresno appellate court disagreed.