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. 16 Main Pros and Cons of Hydropower - Green Garage 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. 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. Pinchots legacy was the creation of managed wilderness lands that could be used by humans in their survival. The sturdy and concrete material can help store water for a long time. I asked them where they stood on the issue of restoring Hetch Hetchy Valley. He felt that the act conflicted with the conditions of the Yosemite Act of 1890 that made it a park in the first place. Why is it so controversial? Royalty-free Creative Video Editorial Archive Custom Content Creative Collections. 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. Robin Meadows covers water for the Monitor. 98 Hetch Hetchy Dam Premium High Res Photos - Getty Images Energy for northern california would be provided. 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.. . Hetch Hetchy Environmental Debates | National Archives A decade later the O'Shaughnessy Dam, the second largest civil engineering project of its day after the Panama Canal, was completed. If the dams were not built then till this day there would still be and uncontrollable and an uncontrollable, In response to this discussion, Senators Kyl and McCain wrote the article, An Endless Tribal Water Fight, in hopes of defending the intentions of their bill. Find Hetch Hetchy Dam stock photos and editorial news pictures from Getty Images. SF's Hetch Hetchy water system is almost full. Is that a good thing? Hardin writes that the tragedy of the commons is that the conflict between the individual interests and the collective interest will always lead to the depletion of the commons, unless otherwise held in check (1968, pp. There is a waiver for FILTERING but not for TREATMENT. The hearing considers an amendment to the Raker Act that authorized the dam. See these: The Plight of Hetch Hetchy This section of the Yosemite History page begins the series of discussions on Hetch Hetchy. Hetch Hetchy System - BAWSCA We havent built a major dam in this state since 1979, McClintock said. 1245). Hardin defines the commons as finite, usually natural, resources that are shared and freely accessible to everyone (1968, pp. Which is used for more people. Others believe that itll benefit the economy and will not have major impact on the environment. 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. Copyright 2014-2023 Yosemite Tales | Powered by WordPress | Design by Starry Night Web Designs. This topic is highly controversial because of the negative impacts it causes on the environment, the political issues, and economic benefits. For Restore Hetch Hetchy, however, the overriding concern is righting what they see as a historical wrong to an iconic national park. Why We Need Hetch Hetchy More Than Ever | SPUR 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." John Muir, 1909. Description. 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. 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. The Hetch Hetchy Dam is destroying a piece of land that is the homes of multiple types of animals. However, the source of that contamination is in contention and that more analysis was necessary. 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. Hidden in Yosemite National Park's peaceful northwest corner, Hetch Hetchy Valley is a treasure worth visiting in all seasons. 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. In the past there was always flood incidents due to the river being uncontrolled and overflowing. Hydroelectricity is responsible for 19% of the world's energy supply, offering over 3000 terawatts each year. Which means we lose more money. Thus long ago a few enterprising merchants utilized the Jerusalem temple as a place of business instead of a place of prayer, changing money, buying and selling cattle and sheep and doves; and earlier still; the first forest reservation, including only one tree, was likewise despoiled. The Sierra Club also built a visitor and education center in 1898. The Hetch Hetchy Controversy, 1903-13: Additional Resources in the The debate featured those for the proposed dam the conservationists and those opposed the preservationists. Generally, hydropower is the one of the oldest and most renewable sources of energy in the world today. Your 50025 word paper should: Read each of the articles on the uploaded file. 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. United States. 1244). 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. It pitted a powerful city against a dedicated group of conservationists. Hetch Hetchy Reservoir. 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. Bill McEwen publishes this article in the Fresno Bee, located in Fresno, because he believes the project subsists unhelpful. Due the logging proposal there have been various lawsuit claims from Cascadia Wild and Oregon Wild conservation groups. California should now spend money for, In the 1800s, the first national debate occurred over the idea of damming Hetch Hetchy. 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. of 3. 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. The Hetch Hetchy Dam is the name of a popular reservoir and water system in the state of California. It was not a mistake. It was merely unfortunate. The Hetch Hetchy Valley and Reservoir in Yosemite National Park, a system that is operated by the San Francisco Public . 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. Mountain in the Clouds showed clearly the problems that are occurring and opens peoples eyes to. yosemite national park. Royalty-free Creative Video Editorial Archive Custom Content Creative Collections. Every person uses the commons in accordance with their individual interests. 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. The Tuolumne River was dammed 100 years ago in Hetch Hetchy Valley to create a reservoir of drinking water for residents of San Francisco and the Peninsula. Are you aware of any further testing to pin point the comparatively high rate of contamination in areas serviced by Hetch Hetchy water?. 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. During 19th century, the Hetch Hetchy Dam was being inhabited by the Native Americans who usually practiced the so called hunting-gathering. Dams, aquifers and parks. Hetch Hetchy Valley Response Paper - realhomeworkpros There is no question in my mind that historical precedence goes to San Francisco in keeping the reservoir right where it is. San Francisco's water-bank in Don Pedro Reservoir, downstream on the Tuolumne River, holds twice as much water as Hetch Hetchy. Throughout the documentary, Leopolds biographer. 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. Hetch Hetchy captures snowmelt that runs off granite, Ritchie said. So they used it for irrigation which gave them more farm land. View Hetch-Hetchy from RMP 511 at University of New Hampshire. According to the California Department of Water Resources, it would cost $65 million to properly study the pros and cons of draining Hetch Hetchy. CONTENT. 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. Lawsuit to drain Hetch Hetchy Reservoir goes back to court Restoring the valley would return to Yosemite National Park a major asset. 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. . 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 . Important Legacy real-time page. SOLUTIONS. 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. Commons can be either depleted as a source, as in deforestation, or polluted as a sink, as in pollution of the atmosphere (1968, 1245). 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. Today, hetch hetchy valley is a dammed and flooded reservoir. Ive posted on this subject a number of times (see the links below). We can produce power from dams because of the kinetic energy of the water movements as it causes turbines to spin. They also cannot pass through because there is going to be a dam in there way. 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. While the dam did drive away some business from Yuma, it also brought people and grew the cities of Yuma. The Hetch Hetchy Railroad | Microbiome Digest - Bik's Picks But there are signs all over Yosemite about not drinking the water because of the Giardia parasites. 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. Hetch Hetchy gushes over wetlands - White Mountain Research Center Hetch-Hetchy - Theodore Roosevelt approved the concept of The era's most controversial environmental issue was the five-year struggle over federal approval for . Hetch Hetchy was the first major battle of the environmental movement. Energy powers many of the things key to life. 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. So San Francisco won the day, fair and square. 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. 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). Theodore roosevelt approved the concept of the o'shaughnessy dam, which ultimately created the hetch hetchy reservoir within yosemite. 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). Which would cause them to go out of business. Hetch Hetchy is just 15 miles north of Yosemite Valley and the two are often called twins. 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. 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. 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. This park is more than mere scenic opportunities; it is a virtual wonderland wrought by yesteryear. However, due to the public debate in 1908, congress just tabled the bill (they didnt squash it).