So they used it for irrigation which gave them more farm land. but rather that I saw more pros than cons in building the dam. Hardin defines a technical solution as one that uses science or technology to save the commons (1968, pp. 1244). How feasible is restoration? 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, the source of that contamination is in contention and that more analysis was necessary. . Divide the class into four small groups. United States. Its not just San Francisco.. 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, Restoration would not only make Yosemite whole once again it would inspire people that we dont need to live with mistakes of the past. 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. 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. Water data back to 1930 are available online. Don Pedro Dam was originally put up by the Modesto and Turlock Irrigation Districts to better control their acquired water rights of the Tuolumne River. Basically, this method of power generation uses water, which is a free . Hetch Hetchy is just 15 miles north of Yosemite Valley and the two are often called twins. Pinchots legacy was the creation of managed wilderness lands that could be used by humans in their survival. Hetch Hetchy Reservoir and its encompassing valley have a mild climate year-round and one of Yosemite's longest hiking . 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. Then What? 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. 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. Hetch Hetchy Reservoir. 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. 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). RestoreHetch Hetchy Valley. Preservationists vehemently opposed the . Encountered a bear meandering down the trail towards us about a 1/2 mile from the fork to go up left . 1. san francisco. 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. Find Hetch Hetchy Dam stock photos and editorial news pictures from Getty Images. When people are not aware of where their energy comes from, it threatens their values and ideals. But a dam was put up as a first step in the Hetch Hetchy project and was completed in 1918. The Hetch Hetchy Project controversy brought into sharp relief the difference between conservation and preservation. The debate featured those for the proposed dam the conservationists and those opposed the preservationists. Reservoir releases also generate hydropower that San Francisco uses for . 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. Water flows can be controlled to a certain extent. 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. 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. San Francisco began a partnership with Turlock and Modesto to share in Don Pedro Dam as well as the Tuolumne River (to which they already shared rights). Up to 24% cash back position: Righter, oxford university press, 2005, chapter 1 the uses of the valley,. Bringing to light the question of progress or plants (for this purpose it is a generic term encompassing various flora and fauna)? What Are The Pros And Cons Of Hydraulic Fracturing 292 Words | 2 Pages . But rather that i saw more pros than cons in building the dam. The river later turned away flowing West, and led into the Southern California Salton Sink river. This river connects with the Colorado River as well, and now flows into Southern California 100 yards north of the US Mexico border. 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. 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. 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 first great American conservation movement was born during the Progressive Era out of the concern that industrial growth and urban development threatened to extinguish America's wilderness. 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. 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. Building a dam on the tuolumne river at hetch. Agencies Accelerate Efforts to Build Transit-Oriented Development, San Francisco Public Utilities Commission. Mountain in the Clouds showed clearly the problems that are occurring and opens peoples eyes to. A different story is unfolding at Hetch Hetchy reservoir in Yosemite National Park, where water is being released to conserve and restore wildlife. It lost in a . While the dam did drive away some business from Yuma, it also brought people and grew the cities of Yuma. In a state wracked with drought, the Hetch Hetchy is an exception to the rule. 4. The construction of the Hetch Hetchy Railroad took place from 1915 to 1918. Posted on May 6, 2013 by Galen Hiltbrand. Due to its high-altitude location at 3,900 feet above sea level and its snowmelt-fed water supply, water from Hetch . 1970 ford torino for sale; federal premium barnes tsx 300 win mag Tribal activists say that the pipeline could pollute their main water supply and would destroy a historic burial ground. 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. of 5. 01 of 05. Hydroelectricity is responsible for 19% of the world's energy supply, offering over 3000 terawatts each year. He felt that the act conflicted with the conditions of the Yosemite Act of 1890 that made it a park in the first place. The Fresno appellate court disagreed. tuolumne river. It was denied in 1903 by Ethan Hitchcock, then Secretary of the Interior, because he felt that a National Park isnt like ordinary wildernesses. Hetch Hetchy: Pros and Cons of Restoration. . Owned by the city of San Francisco, Hetch Hetchy Reservoir provides water to 2.7 million residents and businesses in the San Francisco Bay Area. That said, the board does not support either side in the Hetch Hetchy debate. 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. 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. Its very clean; theres very little sediment. The water is disinfected with ultraviolet light but, in contrast to almost all other reservoirs in the U.S., filtration is not required. Therefore, this proves that Bybee Logging Company would cause an act of infringement to the Antiquities Act. This flood ended up changing the flow of the water uncontrollable and ended up leading into the Imperial Valley. 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 . Hetch Hetchy Environmental Debates. 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. Due to the high intelligence level of human, we often think that we know what are the consequences of our action, and do things the way we like without knowing the real impact that we cause. It uses a free resource. Write an opinion piece (e.g. Others are mainly outraged because the Standing Rock Sioux tribe never agreed to the construction of the pipeline. So more people started to stay and the town's population became bigger. Current conditions of LAKE OR RESERVOIR WATER SURFACE ELEVATION ABOVE NGVD 1929 and RESERVOIR STORAGE are available. John Muir believed that nature was an . Hetch Hetchy would never get built today, but restoring it is something for the long haul, Lund told the Monitor. The Time article A High-Plains Showdown Over the Dakota Access Pipeline by Justin Worland talks about a controversy over a 1,200-mile pipeline stretching from North Dakota to Illinois. Ultimately, passage of the passage of the Raker Act in 1913 by Congress granted San Francisco the right to flood the Hetch Hetchy Valley. Hetch Hetchy captures snowmelt that runs off granite, Ritchie said. Roosevelt makes connection between conservation and progress,patriotism,and morality of the American people by putting different people since or point of view of other people and himself to not waste our natural resources. 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. The era's most controversial environmental issue was the five-year struggle over federal approval for . 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. Some negative impacts to yuma is from the steamboat business. 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. The floor of Yosemite is about 4,000 feet above the sea, the Hetch -Hetchy floor about 3,700; the walls of both are of gray granite, rise abruptly out of the flowery grass and groves are sculptured in the same style, and in both every rock is a glacial monument. What I havent done is look more closely at the pros and cons of the issues on each side. In the past there was always flood incidents due to the river being uncontrolled and overflowing. 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. 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. Other supporters of the appeal include the State Water Resources Control Board. Royalty-free Creative Video Editorial Archive Custom Content Creative Collections. 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. The Public Works Administration (PWA) funded a major increase in the height of the O'Shaughnessy Dam, which creates Hetch Hetchy Reservoir. 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? Here are the pros and cons of hydropower: List of Pros of Hydropower. Its going to be used to transport oil to the United States from Canada. Rebuttal to the Argument in Opposition to Restoration. Its not going to be easy or simple and, maybe, not even feasible. For example, thanks to the reservoirs nearly 4,000-foot elevation in the Sierra Nevada, the water in it is amazingly pure. 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). 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. 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. The valley is in Yosemite National park would deliver power and water to the city over 100 miles away. But that is what the suite is all about. Hetch Hetchy is unique because of its small holding capacity in comparison to the vast watershed feeding it. . Hetch Hetchy is only one of nine reservoirs in the San Francisco Public Utility Commission's water system. 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 balttle over hetch hetchy robert w. Department of the interior. Your 50025 word paper should: Read each of the articles on the uploaded file. 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. NEXT. San Francisco's water-bank in Don Pedro Reservoir, downstream on the Tuolumne River, holds twice as much water as Hetch Hetchy. Reliable: Tidal currents are predictable. John Muir was the main proponent for the preservationists. He argued that conservationists only wished to dam Hetch Hetchy as it would be low cost and saw no value in its natural state. But with them building the dam the water level would lower down making it harder to be at a safe distance from the ground. Trash was left behind by almost everyone who mined, and that really affected the environment. The cost of filtration is included in our figures. The Hetch Hetchy Project controversy brought into sharp relief the difference between conservation and preservation. Hidden in Yosemite National Park's peaceful northwest corner, Hetch Hetchy Valley is a treasure worth visiting in all seasons. See Also:Giving a Dam: Congress Debates Hetch Hetchy, Giving a Dam: Congress Debates Hetch Hetchy. 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. 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. 1243). These arguments were brought before congress to make a decision about the fate of the valley. Rainer National Park and Glacier National Park. JI & SP: Today, Hetch Hetchy Valley is a dammed and flooded reservoir. If the logging of Crater Lake is to impel, many of the natural treasures in the park would be wiped out and unsuitable as a wilderness destination (Juillerat, OPB). Some of the costs would be operational, recurring year after year. Copyright 2023 IPL.org All rights reserved. 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 does it supply 85 percent of the water for 2.6 million people in San Francisco, controlled releases via the O'Shaughnessy Dam are helping preserve downstream specieseven in dry years. Expert Help. 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 scenery on the way up is amazing (duh, it's . Considering the context of the hetch hetchy debate at the time,. 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. 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. 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. The Hetch Hetchy Dam is destroying a piece of land that is the homes of multiple types of animals. 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. 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. Get here via Hetch Hetchy Road, which is open during daylight hours. After the built the dam farm land increased by a lot. 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. 497 Words2 Pages. Copyright 2014-2023 Yosemite Tales | Powered by WordPress | Design by Starry Night Web Designs. "Dam Hetch Hetchy! Hello, my name is Jeff Kreider. Pinchot during this time understood that raging forest fires occurring in certain areas of the country was one aspect that needed to be fixed. Given that the valley was flooded, restoration would be an ideal opportunity to witness, first hand, its rebirth. Hetch Hetchy was the first major battle of the environmental movement. pp. Today, hetch hetchy valley is a dammed and flooded reservoir. I snapped my first photograph in Yosemite December 24, 1979. The Don Pedro reservoir, downstream from Hetch Hetchy, on the Tuolumne River, currently has the capacity to hold ALL the water in the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir. I also asked San Francisco Water Public Records the following: 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. Since they built the dam, yuma became a bigger city which a lot of people passed through it to get to the gold rush. Our figures include replacing that with solar power.. For Restore Hetch Hetchy, however, the overriding concern is righting what they see as a historical wrong to an iconic national park. And Im in favor of that. However, due to the public debate in 1908, congress just tabled the bill (they didnt squash it). Located more than 900 metres (3,000 feet) above sea level, the Hetch Hetchy site offered a good storage location in the Sierra Nevada for water that could be delivered without pumping to San Francisco via an aqueduct nearly . River Plan Too Fishy for my Taste Buds explains how the project will not help at all, something fishy must remain a secret. Pinchot would soon face opposition from ranchers and miners that began to hurt his position on conservation. Hardin defines the commons as finite, usually natural, resources that are shared and freely accessible to everyone (1968, pp. Beautiful reservoir with great views, pristine water. 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 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. Attraction of tourists. He was able to see firsthand the damage humans were causing. Which made yuma need more food and money and that is where irrigation come out of to help make more, With the Colorado River dammed, it drives away all of the steamer boat companies in Yuma that were using the Colorado as a source of transportation of cargo, goods and passengers. The proposed dam in Hetch Hetchy Valley was to supply fresh water and electricity to San Francisco. This topic is highly controversial because of the negative impacts it causes on the environment, the political issues, and economic benefits. United States. 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. Their system is mostly gravity driven, and it would remain so. Today, however, that valley is under 300 feet of water. Dams may be able to clean up the water. People would save large amounts of money because it was not needed to be used on distillation payments. I have had no response on these questions. 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? Ive tried to be fair in the presentation of the issue, but have made clear which side of the fence I daggle my feet. 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. 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. 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. A rational person will always follow their individual interests unless their portion of the cost of collective interests is more than the cost of their individual interests. 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. 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. . The hearing considers an amendment to the Raker Act that authorized the dam. The latest twist in this long story has just unfolded, and the final chapter is yet to come. Answer #1. 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.