Royalty-free Creative Video Editorial Archive Custom Content Creative Collections. Mining was a huge activity of the mid to late 1800s that caused many people to travel west in search for gold. 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. 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. Over the years it has become a passion. Taking a long view, I look at what we might do with a restored Hetch Hetchy in this post from August 6, 2015. Which gave it more attention so more people came through and check it out. But rather that i saw more pros than cons in building the dam. In my opinion I am . Considering the context of the hetch hetchy debate at the time,. So the water is officially considered to be safer than most water sources, but not safe to drink unfiltered and untreated. In regards to the commons, the tragedy is very much relevant to not just the state, but also the individuals. He shows that every contribution is part of the whole nations power by which a difference in history can be. United States. In the end Congress chose management over aesthetics, voting 4325 (with 29 abstentions) to allow the Hetch Hetchy dam on federal land. The name Hetch Hetchy is derived from a Sierra Miwok word for a type of wild grass. The pipeline is essentially the fourth step of the Keystone Pipeline System. McEwen, 1972 Fresno High graduate, attended Fresno State and majored in Journalism. Into the conclusions of the studies listed above and the data on which they are based, and, finally, to weigh the pros and cons of dam removal and formulate your own position. 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. 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. Hetch Hetchy captures snowmelt that runs off granite, Ritchie said. I have had no response on these questions. They did not so much respond to where they stood on the issue, rather they outlined why they like the system as it is; they shared a previously published flyer: Hetch Hetchy Reservoir and the Hetch Hetchy Regional Water System. This few is that whatever man had been taking from nature it only used it for what was, They feel that being able to enjoy the natural beauty of the world was more beneficial to humanity than collecting resources from it and destroying it in the process. I imagine a meadow, dotted with oak, pine, and fir trees, and with the Tuolumne River meandering through it, said Rosekrans, executive director of Restore Hetch Hetchy, a Berkeley-based nonprofit. McEwen, a journalist, acquired a position in The Fresno Bee for 35 years. 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. Important Legacy real-time page. So Restore Hetch Hetchy filed an appeal with the Court of Appeals in Fresno, which heard arguments from both sides in May of this year. You may take easy hike to Wapama falls ( around 6 miles) or even more challenging hike to Rancheria falls ( around 14 miles). He felt that the act conflicted with the conditions of the Yosemite Act of 1890 that made it a park in the first place. On the other hand, Navajo representative, Ed Bencenti wrote the article, Senate Bill 2109 Seeks to Extinguish Navajo and Hopi Water Rights, in which he exposes the real intentions of the Senate Bill. The new 68-mile (109 km) railroad wound its way up the narrow canyon of the Tuolumne River past sharp curves and up steep 4% grades. 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 $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 . 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. 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. 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 . . . 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. These arguments were brought before congress to make a decision about the fate of the valley. The Hetch Hetchy Dam is the name of a popular reservoir and water system in the state of California. And that is what happened with San Franciscos initial request to be granted the right to build a dam inside the park. If you don't look at the dam and think about how it holds back the Tuolumne River and covers a valley that John Muir compared (pre-dam) to Yosemite Valley, it actually looks like another beautiful Yosemite mountain lake. 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. Only AFTER the Raker Act was put into place and AFTER the establishment of the National Park Service, was there any supportable cause to dissuade such usage in the future, but certainly NOT retro-actively. 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. Hetch Hetchy water used in cities has always been treated, at least in recent decades. The two books give near contemporary accounts of the Hetch Hetchy dam, one by the engineer in charge of building it. Although Hetch Hetchy Reservoir is the most well-known, it stores less than 25% of the system's water. Hetch Hetchy Reservoir is one of 9 reservoirs in the system. The Hetch Hetchy Valley and Reservoir in Yosemite National Park, a system that is operated by the San Francisco Public . 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. Guess who owns millions of acres of American wildlands? Some people are outraged by the pipeline because it contributes to man-made climate change. Proceedings before the secretary of the interior. However, due to the public debate in 1908, congress just tabled the bill (they didnt squash it). 1244). Hardin defines the commons as finite, usually natural, resources that are shared and freely accessible to everyone (1968, pp. Have all students read the debate overview and page one of the HR 7207, the "Raker Bill". 01 of 05. The Hetchy Dam controversy of the early 1900's was a debate that shaped how America has dealt with the environment since. The hearing considers an amendment to the Raker Act that authorized the dam. That rule applies to Hetch Hetchy water as well. There is a waiver for FILTERING but not for TREATMENT. Hetch Hetchy Reservoir. 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. Hetch Hetchy doesn't require permit, you need just regular National park pass. This river connects with the Colorado River as well, and now flows into Southern California 100 yards north of the US Mexico border. 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. (Hook. 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. Bill McEwen publishes this article in the Fresno Bee, located in Fresno, because he believes the project subsists unhelpful. 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. Hetch Hetchy Reservoir, California, USA. When Mountain in the Clouds was written, the removal of a huge dam thats been around for years seemed impossible. It uses a free resource. But whenever we did have floodings the cost was very high to try and building and fixing it back up. . Is there some filtering or treatment now being applied that wasnt when your flyer was written? Which they got more crops, which they used to get more money. It was deeded to them in a duly enacted act of Congress in 1913. 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, lift them to the Almighty Dollar. Sure, Restore Hetch Hetchy had some suggestions, but San Francisco has to do the research; they know what functionality they need. Then What? 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. In the 1600s when Europeans began to settle in North America, there were 1037 million acres of forestland. Theodore Roosevelt had to send out armies to protect the land and get people to understand the national parks, Yellowstone and Yosemite, that they needed to be treated the right. His sorrow and melancholy mood towards the possible destruction of the stunning ecosystem is obvious: I was saddened to think of the tragedy that might occur if this great wilderness was consumed by a web of roads and pipelines, drilling rigs and industrial facilities. Additionally, Carter appeals to the nation by choosing words such as, tremendous opposition by the American people, symbol of our national heritage, and it will be a grand triumph for America to give the reader a feeling of importance towards this problem. 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. This would also mean that park of the national park would be flooded destroying the forest and nature living in the valley.The common view among americans was that is was in the most part for the greater good. 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. 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. Proceedings before the secretary of the interior. Robin Meadows covers water for the Monitor. In a state wracked with drought, the Hetch Hetchy is an exception to the rule. People would save large amounts of money because it was not needed to be used on distillation payments. san francisco. Waterways can be used for transportation purposes. 1245). The dam and reservoir are the source for the Hetch Hetchy Aqueduct, which provides water for over . However, the intentions of the Senate Bill are not ethical and efficient; instead of attempting to alleviate the issue of the scarcity of water, it is contributing to this problem by taking away the water that belonged to the tribes and giving it to coal, Also if some respected the movement, they did not take care of it because they saw no need to for a clean environment. The Hetch Hetchy Project controversy brought into sharp relief the difference between conservation and preservation. 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. Another positive impact on yuma from the project. 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. Dam Hetch Hetchy! But that is what the suite is all about. If they expand filtration at Sunol, they would need to break gravity at that point. Rosekrans had previously worked at the Environmental Defense Fund, a New York-based environmental advocacy nonprofit, where he was lead author of the 2004 report Paradise Regained: Solutions for Restoring Yosemites Hetch Hetchy Valley. By california standards, hetch hetchy is not a large reservoir. 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. In the end Congress chose management over aesthetics, voting 43-25 (with 29 abstentions) to allow the Hetch Hetchy dam on federal land. However, not until 1987 under President Reagan did hope resurfaced that we may actually get it back. But a dam was put up as a first step in the Hetch Hetchy project and was completed in 1918. But with them building the dam the water level would lower down making it harder to be at a safe distance from the ground. Reliable: Dams are used to create a clean, reliable, and efficient source of energy compared to other sources of energy. The battle for hetch hetchy was perhaps the first effort at what is now known as. Supporters of the appeal include Barbara Griffin and Robert Binnewies, both former superintendents of Yosemite National Park. Pinchot stated that to be a good forester you must be a good citizen. in addition, he dedicated four decades of all his knowledge to his community. 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. San Francisco's water system, which includes Hetchy Hetchy, is expected to fill this winter for the first time since 2019. After the built the dam farm land increased by a lot. SOLUTIONS. 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. Up to 24% cash back (the hetch hetchy was a part of yosemite national park.) Not only was that bad for the environmental movement, but also many people did not know how to act in the national parks. Trash was left behind by almost everyone who mined, and that really affected the environment. "Dam Hetch Hetchy! The Sierra Club is one of the original opponents of flooding Hetch Hetchy, calling it the greatest blemish in our national parks, and the organizations former executive director David Brower recommended that Rosekrans lead an effort to restore the valley. Basically, this is a debate between ecocentric people and anthropocentric people. . By being able to connect socially and politically Pinchot was able to push his agenda to improve environmental, The plan that has been proposed by Bybee Logging Company is, a reckless proposal, the Bybee Timber Sale, which involves national forest land on the edge of Crater Lake National Park (Environment Oregon). . In most areas of the country municipal water must be filtered AND treated. Due to its high-altitude location at 3,900 feet above sea level and its snowmelt-fed water supply, water from Hetch . 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. Today, hetch hetchy valley is a dammed and flooded reservoir. 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 club continues opening National Parks, building monuments and dams in rivers and protecting the sequoia trees in many other parks (The Sierra Club). There is no question in my mind that historical precedence goes to San Francisco in keeping the reservoir right where it is. Giving a Dam: Congress Debates Hetch Hetchy. During 19th century, the Hetch Hetchy Dam was being inhabited by the Native Americans who usually practiced the so called hunting-gathering. Instead, he envisions what once was and could be again. The latest twist in this long story has just unfolded, and the final chapter is yet to come. Rebuttal to the Argument in Opposition to Restoration. 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. Then in 1913, when it was reconsidered, the Raker Act was passed. I welcome comments on this post (as I do on anything posted). 4. 1. The Sierra Club gained 1,000 members by 1908 and from them on continued to rise. For example, raising a dam on another reservoir in the system could flood another stretch of the Tuolumne River that, while outside Yosemite National Park, is designated as a national Wild and Scenic River. In July of this year, the judges affirmed the previous ruling in favor of San Francisco: The trial court correctly concluded Restore Hetch Hetchys claims are preempted under federal law.. Pros and cons of allowing the Hetch Hetchy Dam to remain in place; Controversy surrounding removal of the Hetch Hetchy Dam; and ; Your position on whether the Hetchy Hetchy Dam should be removed or not. Preservationists vehemently opposed the . 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. The Hetch Hetchy Reservoir in Yosemite delivers water to 2.6 million Bay Area residents every day. 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. Guide to Visiting Hetch Hetchy . With having low flow in the Dam it affected the Colorado River, other rivers, canals and dams too. 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. In the past there was always flood incidents due to the river being uncontrolled and overflowing. Amid a worsening drought, the Bay Area's water supplies are in good shape. After Muir dies the club established National Park Service, who Stephen Mather was director of in 1916. . Royalty-free Creative Video Editorial Archive Custom Content Creative Collections. That will determine whether or not it is feasible. Water quality issues would have to be addressed if Hetch Hetchy water were put into the Don Pedro reservoir, of course. 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. Many worry that it will intrude on property rights, while others believe that it will be a danger to the environment. 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). Hetch Hetchy is only one of nine reservoirs in the San Francisco Public Utility Commission's water system. He also gives the specific dilemma that, The Hetchy Dam controversy of the early 1900s was a debate that shaped how America has dealt with the environment since. CONTENT. Department of the interior. 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. Pinchot would soon face opposition from ranchers and miners that began to hurt his position on conservation. True, a smaller Lake Eleanor was already there. A little more research and a clearer explanation of the pros and cons of the Prop, as well as possible reasons for the lack of clarity to voters, is in order, based on quotes the writer . Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where Nature may heal and cheer and give strength to body and soul alike. Which means we lose more money. That is why I think it is good that the issue is now before the courts. But rather that i saw more pros than cons in building the dam. The story about the Hetch Hetchy Railroad, built in the 1910s and 1920s to bring the construction crews and materials needed to build the dam, hydroelectric plants, and aqueducts is very interesting if you like history and maps.After completion of the dam in 1923, the HHRR was used to carry tourists and mail to the Northern Yosemite area. SOLUTIONS. 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. We have estimated the cost to be $B 2.0 over 50 years primarily for water supply, water quality and hydropower replacement. The leaders of the tribe say that Washington never considered their concerns, as required by the federal law (Worland). All these iconic wild places are part of your "great American backyard." Our figures include replacing that with solar power.. It is recommended that the water is either boiled for 5 minutes before drinking, heavily filtered, or an iodine based purifier is used. On the global level, many people recognize the wisdom in preserving wilderness simply because the Earth itself is our home and should be respected and honored. Don Pedro Reservoir, downstream on the Tuolumne River, holds 6 times as much water as Hetch Hetchy Reservoir. The manmade Hetch Hetchy Reservoir in Yosemite National Park provides water to the city of San Francisco through a gravity-fed pipe system that spans California's vast central valley. 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. This fight set the stage for future battles between those who believed natural resources were to be used for the greatest good versus . 1244). Beautiful reservoir with great views, pristine water. Again, as I said in an earlier post about the nature of the government and of the Department of Interior more specifically, their job was of managing the land resources for progressive purposes (water use, timber, land appropriation). . of 3. One of the more recent conflicts is the Keystone XL Pipeline. Pinchots legacy was the creation of managed wilderness lands that could be used by humans in their survival. 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 Natures rarest and most precious mountain temples. [emailprotected]. Are you aware of any further testing to pin point the comparatively high rate of contamination in areas serviced by Hetch Hetchy water?. Copyright 2023 IPL.org All rights reserved. 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. 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 director. 7. The pipeline is called the Dakota Access Pipeline project and is being built by the Energy Transfer Partners company. Fortunately, humans have governments that will manage our areas of natural wilderness. While the dam did drive away some business from Yuma, it also brought people and grew the cities of Yuma. Water flows can be controlled to a certain extent. 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. In late 2016, the Obama administration designated an area in southeastern Utah as Bears Ears National Monument. As well dam for water-tanks the peoples cathedrals and churches, for no holier temple has ever been consecrated by the heart of man. Hetch Hetchy Reservoir in Yosemite National Park is seen in 2022. He is arguing that the conservationist only care about the real dollar cost for the project without consideration for what will be, Environments today that we consider as natural or wilderness are not particularly wild or natural. Meanwhile, the population has nearly doubled. This flood ended up changing the flow of the water uncontrollable and ended up leading into the Imperial Valley. NEXT. Write an opinion piece (e.g. 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). George Knapp held the view of the common American and stated Our natural resources have been used, not wasted. Leopold begins small in part I, he talks about this circle of life with animals and plants all playing a part and owning the land. But after a change of administration at the White House and the 1906 earthquake, sentiments in favor of San Francisco grew. Hello, my name is Jeff Kreider. Copyright 2014-2023 Yosemite Tales | Powered by WordPress | Design by Starry Night Web Designs. A society as advanced as the humans on earth must have areas of wilderness regulated by the government. 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. 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.
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