Its not just San Francisco.. SOLUTIONS. But changing the system would be jaw-droppingly expensive. We havent built a major dam in this state since 1979, McClintock said. Ultimately, passage of the passage of the Raker Act in 1913 by Congress granted San Francisco the right to flood the Hetch Hetchy Valley. The pipeline is essentially the fourth step of the Keystone Pipeline System. but rather that I saw more pros than cons in building the dam. As pollution and environmental destruction become a more imminent threat, humans must control their use of energy, preferably making sure not to use more than is necessary to sustain them. You own barren desert plains and looming jagged mountain peaks. tuolumne river. Why We Need Hetch Hetchy More Than Ever | SPUR 3. The hearing considers an amendment to the Raker Act that authorized the dam. Restore Hetch Hetchy is not anti-dam. 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. So when all of those people go and pass through they decided to put yuma on the map. It is recommended that the water is either boiled for 5 minutes before drinking, heavily filtered, or an iodine based purifier is used.. I snapped my first photograph in Yosemite December 24, 1979. As a reservoir, Hetch Hetchy is part of a system that provides water to 2.4 million people in the San Francisco Bay Area. All these iconic wild places are part of your "great American backyard." In my opinion I am . Generally, hydropower is the one of the oldest and most renewable sources of energy in the world today. Considering Glen Coles statement in A New Environmental Ethics on Yellowstone National Park, The primary purpose of Yellowstone National Park is to preserve natural ecosystems, In his journal he makes it clear between his distinction of conservation and sustainable use. 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. Hetch Hetchy gushes over wetlands - White Mountain Research Center So San Francisco won the day, fair and square. The two books give near contemporary accounts of the Hetch Hetchy dam, one by the engineer in charge of building it. Hetch Hetchy Photos and Premium High Res Pictures - Getty Images Monitoring location 11275500 is associated with a LAKE, RESERVOIR, IMPOUNDMENT in TUOLUMNE COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. Hetch Hetchy is only one of nine reservoirs in the San Francisco Public Utility Commission's water system. Pinchots legacy was the creation of managed wilderness lands that could be used by humans in their survival. Theodore roosevelt approved the concept of the o'shaughnessy dam, which ultimately created the hetch hetchy reservoir within yosemite. Ecocentrism is an environmental point of view that . Sure, Restore Hetch Hetchy had some suggestions, but San Francisco has to do the research; they know what functionality they need. You own magnificent red-rock canyons and beautiful turquoise rivers. The Sierra Club gained 1,000 members by 1908 and from them on continued to rise. pp. 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. 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 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. The O'Shaughnessy Dam was completed in . But tearing down O'Shaughnessy Dam in order to restore Hetch Hetchy Valley would be a disaster. . Although Hetch Hetchy Reservoir is the most well-known, it stores less than 25% of the system's water. 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. That anyone would try to destroy [Hetch Hetchy Valley] seems; incredible; but sad experience shows that there are people good enough and bad enough for anything. 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. 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. Dams, aquifers and parks. Engineers came to try to protect the low flow, valleys, flooding and stable, The book had a great impact on the Elwha River and was cited, both as an inspiration and as cold, hard evidence, by the first advocates for dam removal. This lead to one of the biggest events in US history, which was the removal of the Elwha Dam about 30 years after the book was written. The area where the Hetch Hetchy project was to take place was an established part of a national park and therefore off limits for human use. Other supporters of the appeal include the State Water Resources Control Board. Hetch Hetchy water used in cities has always been treated, at least in recent decades. The leaders of the tribe say that Washington never considered their concerns, as required by the federal law (Worland). The very idea that a dam and a reservoir was allowed and constructed within a National Park is repugnant. . The tragedy in essence due to unrestricted use and access to a limited resource, which ultimately leads to the reduction of the resource as a result of over-exploitation. Reprinted in Roderick Nash, The American Environment: Readings in The History of Conservation (Reading, Mass. 8. Find Hetch Hetchy Dam stock photos and editorial news pictures from Getty Images. Hetch Hetchy Valley, Yosemite National Park, California The Greatest Every person uses the commons in accordance with their individual interests. 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. These two viewpoints came into conflict when the Hetch Hetchy project was proposed to create a water supply above San Francisco. 2. Ive tried to be fair in the presentation of the issue, but have made clear which side of the fence I daggle my feet. It was not a mistake. It was merely unfortunate. Mining was a huge activity of the mid to late 1800s that caused many people to travel west in search for gold. Leopold grew up in the 1800s when the railroads were being built and all the forests were being cut down to make room for them. The Hetch Hetchy Dam is the name of a popular reservoir and water system in the state of California. . 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. 497 Words2 Pages. As it is clear from the Pros and Cons above, (and San Franciscos less than enthusiastic undertaking in alternative view points) there are some sound reasons why San Francisco doesnt want to give up their Dam/Reservoir. Emma odom hetch hetchy dam environmental debate the hetch hetchy dam in yosemites national park is the. 29 Crucial Pros & Cons of Dams - E&C Amid a worsening drought, the Bay Area's water supplies are in good shape. Hetch Hetchy: Pros and Cons of Restoration - Yosemite Tales Is there some filtering or treatment now being applied that wasnt when your flyer was written? But after a change of administration at the White House and the 1906 earthquake, sentiments in favor of San Francisco grew. Against Pipeline Pros And Cons 120 Words | 1 Pages. 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. Royalty-free Creative Video Editorial Archive Custom Content Creative Collections. The Hetch Hetchy Controversy, 1903-13: Additional Resources in the View Hetch-Hetchy from RMP 511 at University of New Hampshire. Current conditions of LAKE OR RESERVOIR WATER SURFACE ELEVATION ABOVE NGVD 1929 and RESERVOIR STORAGE are available. Lawsuit to drain Hetch Hetchy Reservoir goes back to court Which means we lose more money. . 1970 ford torino for sale; federal premium barnes tsx 300 win mag plz help!!!! what are the pros and cons of the hetch hetchy dam Hetch Hetchy | Hetch Hetchy Dam & Reservoir History | Yosemite.com Hetch Hetchy is an iconic, uncommon, and stunning terrain. With having low flow in the Dam it affected the Colorado River, other rivers, canals and dams too. It carried workers and materials for the dam, as well as tourists, postage and other amenities. Hetch Hetchy Valley Response Paper - realhomeworkpros Hetch Hetchy water travels 160 miles via gravity from . 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. The responsibility for alleviating the situation fell on the department of the Interiors Bureau of Reclamation. Pg.11 They noticed how bad the situation was so they tried stopping it. 1. . Historical photographs show why: like Yosemite Valley, Hetch Hetchy has sheer granite walls that originally rose dramatically from a wide valley floor. So they used it for irrigation which gave them more farm land. in addition, he dedicated four decades of all his knowledge to his community. Building a dam on the Tuolumne River at Hetch . Emma Odom Hetch Hetchy Dam Environmental Debate The Hetch Hetchy Dam in Yosemite's national park is the focal point of a battle between the city of San Francisco, which built the dam almost a century ago, and environmentalists, who want it to be torn down. The sturdy and concrete material can help store water for a long time. Rebuttal to the Argument in Opposition to Restoration. We argued that the reservoir is not reasonable because the value of the restored valley is greater than the cost of changing the water system. At the time, they put the recreational value of the restoration at up to $8.8 billion and the cost of water system changes at $2 billion, both over 50 years. 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. In the end Congress chose management over aesthetics, voting 43-25 (with 29 abstentions) to allow the Hetch Hetchy dam on federal land. 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. However, not until 1987 under President Reagan did hope resurfaced that we may actually get it back. Pinchot during this time understood that raging forest fires occurring in certain areas of the country was one aspect that needed to be fixed. Feature Photo: Brooks Andersons Hetch Hetchy: Requiem For a Valley, Ive been curious about the water purity issue and that one of the features of the Tuolumne River is its purity and that it could be delivered without filtration. Instead, he envisions what once was and could be again. 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. Expert Help. Energy for northern california would be provided. Use the car park at O'Shaughnessy Dam with overnight parking available. However, the steep terrain, sharp curves, and heavy . (510) 839-1608 It is my goal to use this site to share, not only my experiences and photos, but also some of its history and the tales of those who forged it. In fact . Hetch Hetchy is a valley, a reservoir, and a water system in California in the United States.The glacial Hetch Hetchy Valley lies in the northwestern part of Yosemite National Park and is drained by the Tuolumne River.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. Note they also derive water from local watersheds and do filter that supply. 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. Some people are outraged by the pipeline because it contributes to man-made climate change. Hardin defines the commons as finite, usually natural, resources that are shared and freely accessible to everyone (1968, pp. The Battle over Hetch Hetchy - Google Books Some of the costs would be operational, recurring year after year. California should now spend money for, In the 1800s, the first national debate occurred over the idea of damming Hetch Hetchy. USA.gov, The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration Something that had to do with the protests part is the Dakota Access Pipeline, or DAPL. There is a waiver for FILTERING but not for TREATMENT. True, a smaller Lake Eleanor was already there. It then outlined five features that form the keystone of this clean, efficient water and power delivery system: The flyer goes on to say that the system supplies their customers with water and power that is delivered by a greenhouse gas-free system.. In the 1800s, that number of tress and forests decreased tremendously because expansion and progression recklessly exploited natural resources by clear-cutting forest to use wood for fuel and building supplies. The debate featured those for the proposed dam the conservationists and those opposed the preservationists. The dam made irrigation, This year has been really hectic, with protests and elections alike. 16 Main Pros and Cons of Hydropower - Green Garage With that, San Francisco looses its gravity-fed, filtration-free water source as well as some Hydro-electric generation (at least by a measurable degree). Ultimately, Muir lost in his long battle to protect Hetch Hetchy, but what was established was that to infringe upon the resources of the national parks was simply not worth the money and time because of the long legal battle that would occur. The hearing considers an amendment to the Raker Act that authorized the dam. 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 brought and gave good to yuma and went through the colorado river because yuma was mostly a flood plain at a constant level. Thats because Hetch Hetchy Reservoir has built-in advantages that save huge amounts of money. What I havent done is look more closely at the pros and cons of the issues on each side. Aldo Leopold discusses these dangers in his essay, Good Oak, suggesting solutions to prevent them and improve the environment in the process. The Progressive Eras most controversial environmental issue was the 19081913 struggle over federal government approval for building the Hetch Hetchy dam in a remote corner of federally-owned land in Californias Yosemite National Park. McEwen, a journalist, acquired a position in The Fresno Bee for 35 years. Another positive impact on yuma from the project. Provide at least two arguments supporting your position. The cost of filtration is included in our figures. Guess who owns millions of acres of American wildlands? CONTENT. One of the more recent conflicts is the Keystone XL Pipeline. . But with them building the dam the water level would lower down making it harder to be at a safe distance from the ground. Hetch Hetchy is just 15 miles north of Yosemite Valley and the two are often called twins. This photo from the early 1900s shows Hetch Hetchy Valley from the southwestern end, with the Tuolumne River flowing through the lower portion of the valley prior to damming. Newest results. The Public Works Administration (PWA) funded a major increase in the height of the O'Shaughnessy Dam, which creates Hetch Hetchy Reservoir. However, due to the public debate in 1908, congress just tabled the bill (they didnt squash it). 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. 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. That will determine whether or not it is feasible. 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. 174 Hetch Hetchy Reservoir Premium High Res Photos With negatives comes positives, in this case the hoover dam helped us control the colorado river which was and still is one our main resources. Hetch Hetchy: Pros and Cons of Restoration, Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), http://www.sfgate.com/green/article/Anti-dam-group-questions-Hetch-Hetchy-water-3257983.php, Yosemite of Yesteryear Early Hotels Revisited. Though it took a while to respond, they were very cordial. san francisco. 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. There is a lot of background information about the Keystone as well that it has an environmental and economic impacts. That said, the board does not support either side in the Hetch Hetchy debate. The dam in Hetch Hetchy Valley would subsequently be named in his honor. 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. But there are signs all over Yosemite about not drinking the water because of the Giardia parasites. Yuma's irrigation in the past was horrible but has gotten better throughout the years. Hetch Hetchy - full day or half day - Yosemite National Park Forum There is no question in my mind that historical precedence goes to San Francisco in keeping the reservoir right where it is. A decade later the O'Shaughnessy Dam, the second largest civil engineering project of its day after the Panama Canal, was completed. Visit Hetch Hetchy Reservoir in Groveland | Expedia 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. Energy powers many of the things key to life. 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. He was able to see firsthand the damage humans were causing. 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. repositorio-aberto.up.pt The two books give near contemporary accounts of the Hetch Hetchy dam, one by the engineer in charge of building it. It is recommended that the water is either boiled for 5 minutes before drinking, heavily filtered, or an iodine based purifier is used. Other articles where Hetch Hetchy Reservoir is discussed: dam: Rise of environmental and economic concerns: San Francisco to build a reservoir in Hetch Hetchy Valley. Hidden in Yosemite National Park's peaceful northwest corner, Hetch Hetchy Valley is a treasure worth visiting in all seasons. 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. Hetch Hetchy Dam Controversy | APECSEC.org