. 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. Hetch Hetchy Reservoir and its encompassing valley have a mild climate year-round and one of Yosemite's longest hiking . . Hetch Hetchy was the first major battle of the environmental movement. 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. Stated in one of his essays This grossly destructive commercial scheme has long been planned and urged, because of the comparative cheapness of the dam. 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). Hetch Hetchy, Unsung Hero of the National Park Service In this post from July 8, 2015, I discuss some of the history of how a dam and reservoir could be placed in a National Park. Likewise, the hydro-electric losses can be made up in other locations or by other forms, such as renewable sources as is already required by the state. Hidden in Yosemite National Park's peaceful northwest corner, Hetch Hetchy Valley is a treasure worth visiting in all seasons. Before the construction of O'Shaughnessy Dam could commence, the city completed a 70-foot (21 m) high dam at Lake Eleanor to provide water for the Early Intake Powerhouse, which was necessary to provide electricity for the construction site of the larger dam. It was denied in 1903 by Ethan Hitchcock, then Secretary of the Interior, because he felt that a National Park isnt like ordinary wildernesses. John Muir believed that nature was an example of the power of god and creation, and that the use of nature through management was an act of defamation. Browse 129 hetch hetchy reservoir stock photos and images available, or search for yosemite national park or tuolumne river to find more great stock photos and pictures. 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. During 19th century, the Hetch Hetchy Dam was being inhabited by the Native Americans who usually practiced the so called hunting-gathering. Rather, in a brief submitted to the appellate court by California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, the board said that the trial court erred when it ruled that federal law preempted California water law. The scenery on the way up is amazing (duh, it's . People who do not fully control the sources of their energy may take it for granted and waste it, however if they make changes in their lifestyle, these dangers can be avoided. 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. 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. Knapp and Americans view of the issue of the environment that the U.S. had been properly using the resources it had taken from the earth. 1. On the other hand, there is also the collective interest, which is the concern for what is best for the society so that the commons can be preserved and maintained for future generations (Hardin, 1968, pp. River Plan Too Fishy for my Taste Buds explains how the project will not help at all, something fishy must remain a secret. George Knapp held the view of the common American and stated Our natural resources have been used, not wasted. Water quality issues would have to be addressed if Hetch Hetchy water were put into the Don Pedro reservoir, of course. One of the most positives outcomes was that came from the control of the colorado river was that the crops were able to be saved because the unpredictable floods were no longer occurring. pp. It would be much easier to fight for restoration if we had some bad guys to rally against, but I dont see any. This grossly destructive commercial scheme has long been planned and urged (though water as pure and abundant can be got from sources outside of the peoples park, in a dozen different places), because of the comparative cheapness of the dam and of the territory which it is sought to divert from the great uses to which it was dedicated in the Act of 1890 establishing the Yosemite National Park. The Hetch Hetchy Project controversy brought into sharp relief the difference between conservation and preservation. USA.gov, The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration 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. 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. Considering the context of the hetch hetchy debate at the time,. Answer #1. McEwen, 1972 Fresno High graduate, attended Fresno State and majored in Journalism. If you're thinking about visiting Hetch Hetchy during your Yosemite vacation, these pros, cons, and views may help you decide whether to go. In re applications of A. H. Ward and Mariposa electrical . Will the San Joaquin River Restoration Project persists of improving or deteriorating Californias drought? Department of the interior. But rather that i saw more pros than cons in building the dam. McEwen, a journalist, acquired a position in The Fresno Bee for 35 years. In late 2016, the Obama administration designated an area in southeastern Utah as Bears Ears National Monument. The Bay Area Monitor thanks Craig Newmark Philanthropies for funding support of this site. Muir believed that people coming back from the rough backwoods will support the protection of Yosemite National Park. 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 . There is no question in my mind that historical precedence goes to San Francisco in keeping the reservoir right where it is. Then in 1913, when it was reconsidered, the Raker Act was passed. Since they built the dam, yuma became a bigger city which a lot of people passed through it to get to the gold rush. The projected restored the natural habitat of the river and opened it up to its original course from the Olympic Mountains to the Strait of Juan de Fuca. 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. Hetch Hetchy is only one of nine reservoirs in the San Francisco Public Utility Commission's water system. Feb 13, 2022. 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. But rather that i saw more pros than cons in building the dam. Hetch Hetchy water used in cities has always been treated, at least in recent decades. One of the positive impacts was the increase of irrigation in yuma. But while it is deemed as very beneficial, it also has its downsides. Local job creation. The values are at the heart of our legal petition filed April 21, 2015. Don Pedro is operated by the Turlock and Modesto Irrigation Districts, but 1/3 of its volume is dedicated to a water supply bank for San Francisco. Though the system fosters this behavior, it is the individuals that increase their usage of the commons and play into the hand of the failed system as opposed to standing up against it. The dam made irrigation, This year has been really hectic, with protests and elections alike. A society as advanced as the humans on earth must have areas of wilderness regulated by the government. This, coupled with many accounts that say the beauty and grandeur of the valley rivaled that of its sister, Yosemite Valley, just makes it worse. When people are not aware of where their energy comes from, it threatens their values and ideals. . I snapped my first photograph in Yosemite December 24, 1979. Here are the pros and cons of hydropower: List of Pros of Hydropower. United States. 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. The very idea that a dam and a reservoir was allowed and constructed within a National Park is repugnant. At Congressional hearings on Hetch Hetchy held in 1913, supporters of the plan like Gifford Pinchot, the first Chief Forester of the United States and a noted environmentalist, argued that conservation of natural resources was best achieved through management of the wilderness. He convinced Theodore Roosevelt, president at the time, to go camping with him in Yosemite to get Roosevelts support for the National park. Ive tried to be fair in the presentation of the issue, but have made clear which side of the fence I daggle my feet. United States. Dams provide us with a source of clean energy. The city of San Francisco, rebuilding after the devastating 1906 earthquake, believed the dam was necessary to meet its burgeoning needs for reliable supplies of water and electricity. That rule applies to Hetch Hetchy water as well. 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. . It would not take much to increase the capacity to store all of what Hetch Hetchy currently stores. 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 . They would lose about 20% of their hydropower. Word choice not only helps to visualize the situation better, but also to touch the minds and hearts of his audience. However, due to the public debate in 1908, congress just tabled the bill (they didnt squash it). So when all of those people go and pass through they decided to put yuma on the map. . San Francisco's water system, which includes Hetchy Hetchy, is expected to fill this winter for the first time since 2019. Instead, he envisions what once was and could be again. Reliable: Dams are used to create a clean, reliable, and efficient source of energy compared to other sources of energy. See these: The Plight of Hetch Hetchy This section of the Yosemite History page begins the series of discussions on Hetch Hetchy. I also reached out to San Francisco Water Public Records (SFWATER.ORG) for their views on the issue. Their arguments are curiously like those of the devil, devised for the destruction of the first garden. Water flows can be controlled to a certain extent. 1245). "Dam Hetch Hetchy! Note: you may use the handout or navigate to our feature on the Hetch Hetchy Environmental Debates to access the overview and copy of the Raker Bill. Bringing to light the question of progress or plants (for this purpose it is a generic term encompassing various flora and fauna)? True, a smaller Lake Eleanor was already there. Others are mainly outraged because the Standing Rock Sioux tribe never agreed to the construction of the pipeline. Today, however, that valley is under 300 feet of water. Something that had to do with the protests part is the Dakota Access Pipeline, or DAPL. HETCH HETCHY RES A HETCH HETCHY CA. In 1913, President Woodrow Wilson signed legislation approving the construction of the O'Shaughnessy Dam to inundate the Hetch Hetchy Valley inside Yosemite National Park. Since then, support and action has grown to the point that some studies have been made on the subject, a whole organization, Restore Hetch Hetchy (HetchHetchy.org), has materialize to champion its cause, and currently there is even a law suit working through the courts to force San Francisco to take the subject more seriously. Hetch Hetchy would never get built today, but restoring it is something for the long haul, Lund told the Monitor. Pros: Hetch Hetchy is an iconic, rare and spectacular landscape, Hetch Hetchy is part of Yosemite National Park and its damming and flooding is by far the worst destruction of our national parks have ever experienced. These two viewpoints came into conflict when the Hetch Hetchy project was proposed to create a water supply above San Francisco. The state constitution says all water use must be reasonable, Rosekrans said. Hetch-22. And that is what happened with San Franciscos initial request to be granted the right to build a dam inside the park. The Hetch Hetchy entrance to the park is a gateway to Yosemite Valley's breathtaking cousin. Restore Hetch Hetchy is not anti-dam. Protective measure against floods. The debate featured those for the proposed dam the conservationists and those opposed the preservationists. San Francisco's water-bank in Don Pedro Reservoir, downstream on the Tuolumne River, holds twice as much water as Hetch Hetchy. Select from premium Hetch Hetchy Dam of the highest quality. . It was named by Josiah Whitney (after his daughter) in the 1860s. 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? When Spreck Rosekrans visits Hetch Hetchy the valley in Yosemite National Park that San Francisco turned into a reservoir nearly a century ago he looks beyond what is. One claim in particular from the conservervation groups is, It says the logging requires building a road through two areas of virgin forest, which would make them ineligible for future wilderness designation (Juillerat, OPB).