Restore Hetch Hetchy

Last updated
Restore Hetch Hetchy
Formation1999 (1999)
Headquarters Oakland, California
Website www.hetchhetchy.org

Restore Hetch Hetchy is a US non-profit organization seeking to restore the Hetch Hetchy Valley in Yosemite National Park to its original condition.

Contents

History

The Hetch Hetchy Valley was sculpted by glaciers as recently as 10,000 years ago (like nearby Yosemite Valley). It has an elevation of 3,800 feet above sea level and is 3 miles long in an east to west orientation. [1] The Hetch Hetchy Valley is in the northwest corner of Yosemite National Park, which was established in 1890.

Even before the establishment of Yosemite National Park, the city of San Francisco began considering the Tuolumne River and Hetch Hetchy Valley as a possible location for a reliable water source. This sparked a social and political debate which lasted until the issue was brought before Congress. John Muir, a naturalist and president of the Sierra Club, fought vigorously against the proposition of flooding the valley, stating, "Dam Hetch Hetchy! 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." [2]

The construction of the O'Shaughnessy Dam (built 1915 - 1923) flooded the valley, creating the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir.

In the late 1980s, in response to an initiative by the Reagan Administration, the national Sierra Club created a group dedicated to restoring Hetch Hetchy Valley in Yosemite National Park called the Hetch Hetchy Restoration Task Force. In 1999, the Club created a separate non-profit organization called Restore Hetch Hetchy (RHH).

Because the reservoir in Hetch Hetchy is part of a water-diversion and electric-generating system on the Tuolumne River that includes the much larger downstream reservoir, Don Pedro (51% funded by the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission), as well as SFPUC's own Cherry and Eleanor Reservoirs near Hetch Hetchy, RHH filed comments in 2011 before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) on the 2015 relicensing of Don Pedro Reservoir.

In 2011, Restore Hetch Hetchy announced their plans to put the issue to the voters of San Francisco through a referendum. Proposition F [3] , which would've allocated money to identify other sources of water with a stated goal of restoring the valley went before San Francisco voters in November 2012. The proposition had extensive opposition, including the Mayor and entire Board of Supervisors, and Senator Dianne Feinstein [4] . It was soundly rejected, with 76.9% [5] of voters against the proposition.

In 2015, Restore Hetch Hetchy sued San Francisco, arguing that the continuing existence of the dam and reservoir is a violation of the California Constitution's prohibition against any "unreasonable method of diversion". The Tuolumne County Courts dismissed the case, saying California Courts have no jurisdiction, as the dam was allowed by federal law. Restore Hetch Hetchy appealed, and the California Attorney General opined that the matter should be tried on the technical, not legal, merits. In July 2018, the appeals court threw out the lawsuit, declaring that Congress had overruled the state. The case was taken to the California Supreme Court which, in mid-October 2018, rejected the lawsuit in a 3-0 ruling. [6] [7]

Beginning in 2018, the Department of the Interior of the Trump administration began to consider a proposal initiated by RHH and California Trout to allow limited boating on the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir for the first time, with representatives of the two organizations arguing that "San Francisco received [Hetch Hetchy's] benefits long ago, but the American people have not." [8]

A 2019 study commissioned by Restore Hetch Hetchy argued that draining the reservoir and equipping the valley with a tourism infrastructure comparable to that of Yosemite Valley (which receives around 100 times as many visitors annually than Hetch Hetchy's 44,000) could result in a "recreational value" of up to $178 million per year, or possibly an overall economic value of up to $100 billion. [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hetch Hetchy</span> Valley, reservoir, and aqueduct in California, USA

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. During the late 19th century, the valley was renowned for its natural beauty – often compared to that of Yosemite Valley – but also targeted for the development of water supply for irrigation and municipal interests. The controversy over damming Hetch Hetchy became mired in the political issues of the day. The law authorizing the dam passed Congress on December 7, 1913.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tuolumne River</span> River from Yosemite to the San Joaquin Valley, California

The Tuolumne River flows for 149 miles (240 km) through Central California, from the high Sierra Nevada to join the San Joaquin River in the Central Valley. Originating at over 8,000 feet (2,400 m) above sea level in Yosemite National Park, the Tuolumne drains a rugged watershed of 1,958 square miles (5,070 km2), carving a series of canyons through the western slope of the Sierra. While the upper Tuolumne is a fast-flowing mountain stream, the lower river crosses a broad, fertile and extensively cultivated alluvial plain. Like most other central California rivers, the Tuolumne is dammed multiple times for irrigation and the generation of hydroelectricity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne</span> Canyon carved by the Tuolumne River in California, United States

The Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne is the notable canyon section of the river valley of the Tuolumne River, located within Yosemite National Park, in Tuolumne County and the Sierra Nevada, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of the Yosemite area</span> History of the Sierra Nevada region of California

Human habitation in the Sierra Nevada region of California reaches back 8,000 to 10,000 years ago. Historically attested Native American populations, such as the Sierra Miwok, Mono and Paiute, belong to the Uto-Aztecan and Utian phyla. In the mid-19th century, a band of Native Americans called the Ahwahnechee lived in Yosemite Valley. The California Gold Rush greatly increased the number of non-indigenous people in the region. Tensions between Native Americans and white settlers escalated into the Mariposa War. As part of this conflict, settler James Savage led the Mariposa Battalion into Yosemite Valley in 1851, in pursuit of Ahwaneechees led by Chief Tenaya. The California state military forces burned the tribe's villages, destroyed their food stores, killed the chief's sons, and forced the tribe out of Yosemite. Accounts from the Mariposa Battalion, especially from Dr. Lafayette Bunnell, popularized Yosemite Valley as a scenic wonder.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Don Pedro Reservoir</span> Reservoir in Tuolumne County, California

Don Pedro Reservoir, also known as Lake Don Pedro, is a reservoir formed by the construction of the New Don Pedro Dam across the Tuolumne River in Tuolumne County, California, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raker Act</span>

The Raker Act was an act of the United States Congress that permitted building of the O'Shaughnessy Dam and flooding of Hetch Hetchy Valley in Yosemite National Park, California. It is named for John E. Raker, its chief sponsor. The Act, passed by Congress in 1913 by the Wilson administration, specified that because the source of the water and power was on public land, no private profit could be derived from the development. The plan for damming the valley was fought for years by John Muir. Construction of the dam was finished in 1923.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cherry Creek (Tuolumne River tributary)</span> River in California, United States

Cherry Creek is a large, swift-flowing stream in the Sierra Nevada mountain range, and is the largest tributary of the Tuolumne River. The creek is 40 miles (64 km) long measured to its farthest headwaters; the main stem itself is 26 miles (42 km) long, draining a watershed of 234 square miles (610 km2) in the Stanislaus National Forest. Part of the drainage also extends into the northwest corner of Yosemite National Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cherry Lake</span> Reservoir in Tuolumne County, California

Cherry Lake is an artificial lake in the Stanislaus National Forest of Tuolumne County, California, U.S.A., about 25 miles (40 km) east of the city of Sonora. It is at an elevation of 4,700 feet (1,433 m) on the western side of the Sierra Nevada, and lies just outside the western boundary of Yosemite National Park. The lake has a capacity of 273,500 acre⋅ft (337,400,000 m3) and is formed by Cherry Valley Dam on Cherry Creek.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake Eleanor</span> Reservoir in California, United States

Lake Eleanor is a reservoir located in the northwestern backcountry of Yosemite National Park at an altitude of 4,657 feet (1,419 m). The reservoir has a capacity of 26,100 acre-feet (32,200,000 m3) and a surface area of 953 acres (3.9 km2).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Edward Colby</span>

William Edward Colby was an American lawyer, conservationist, and first Secretary of the Sierra Club.

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.

California Trout is a San Francisco-based 501(c)(3) conservation group with a mission to ensure resilient wild fish in California waters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Environment of California</span> Results of human habitation of California

The environment of California describes results of human habitation of the American State of California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Falls Creek (California)</span> River in California, United States

Falls Creek, also known as the Falls River, is a tributary of the Tuolumne River in Yosemite National Park, California, United States. The creek begins at the northern boundary of the national park and flows 24 miles (39 km) to empty into the Tuolumne at Hetch Hetchy Reservoir, dropping over two well-known waterfalls. The Pacific Crest Trail and other national park trails follow the creek for much of its course.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Don Pedro Dam</span> Dam in California

New Don Pedro Dam, often known simply as Don Pedro Dam, is an earthen embankment dam across the Tuolumne River, about 2 miles (3.2 km) northeast of La Grange, in Tuolumne County, California. The dam was completed in 1971, after four years of construction, to replace the 1924 concrete-arch Don Pedro Dam.

The Modesto Irrigation District (MID) is a special-purpose district that provides irrigation and drinking water, and electrical service, to customers in the San Joaquin Valley within Stanislaus County, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">O'Shaughnessy Dam (California)</span> Dam in Tuolumne County, California, United States

O'Shaughnessy Dam is a 430-foot (131 m) high concrete arch-gravity dam in Tuolumne County, California, United States. It impounds the Tuolumne River, forming the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir at the lower end of Hetch Hetchy Valley in Yosemite National Park, about 160 miles (260 km) east of San Francisco. The dam and reservoir are the source for the Hetch Hetchy Aqueduct, which provides water for over two million people in San Francisco and other municipalities of the west Bay Area. The dam is named for engineer Michael O'Shaughnessy, who oversaw its construction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rim Fire</span> Wildfire in the central Sierra Nevada region of California

The Rim Fire was a massive wildfire that started in a remote canyon in Stanislaus National Forest, in California. This portion of the central Sierra Nevada spans Tuolumne and Mariposa counties. The fire started on August 17, 2013, during the 2013 California wildfire season, and grew to be the second-largest wildfire in California's recorded history and the largest recorded in the Sierra Nevada, having burned 257,314 acres. As of 2022, the Rim Fire was California's 11th-largest modern wildfire. The Rim Fire was fully contained on Thursday, October 24, 2013, after a nine-week suppression effort by firefighters. Due to a lack of winter rains, some logs smoldered in the interior portion of the fire footprint throughout the winter. More than a year passed before it was declared out on November 4, 2014.

Moccasin Dam is a small dam on Moccasin Creek in Tuolumne County, California, in the town of Moccasin, west of Yosemite. It holds the Moccasin Reservoir. The dam, reservoir and associated hydroelectric power plant are part of the Hetch Hetchy Project, which provide water and power to the city of San Francisco. The dam is located near the junction of Highway 120 and Highway 49.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rancheria Creek (Tuolumne County, California)</span> Stream in California

Rancheria Creek is a 22-mile (35 km) long stream in northern Yosemite National Park mostly in Tuolumne County, California and is a tributary of the Tuolumne River. Draining a large area of the Sierra Nevada, it is the largest tributary of the Tuolumne within Yosemite National Park. The stream is labeled as Kerrick Creek on some early maps.

References

  1. Charles Frederick Hoffmann (1838-1913), " Notes on Hetch-Hetchy Valley," Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences (San Francisco: CAS, 1868), series 1, 3:5, pp. 368-370. Digitized by Dan Anderson, July 2005. http://www.yosemite.ca.us/library/notes_on_hetch-hetchy_valley.html
  2. Muir, John (1912). "The Yosemite".
  3. San Francisco Voter Information Pamphlet November 2012 (PDF). San Francisco Department of Elections. p. 102.
  4. San Francisco Voter Information Pamphlet November 2012 (PDF). San Francisco Department of Elections. p. 105.
  5. "San Francisco Department of Elections".
  6. "State Supreme Court Turns Down Effort To Drain Hetch Hetchy Reservoir". CBS San Francisco. October 18, 2018. Retrieved October 22, 2018.
  7. Egelko, Bob (October 18, 2018). "State high court rejects Berkeley group's suit to drain Hetch Hetchy Reservoir". SFChronicle.com. Retrieved October 22, 2018.
  8. "A historic bid for limited boating at Hetch Hetchy Reservoir". SFChronicle.com. September 28, 2019. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
  9. Thomas, Gregory (August 1, 2019). "Could Hetch Hetchy Valley be worth $100 billion?". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved October 1, 2019.