hetch hetchy dam pros and cons

8. Increase in food production capacities. During 19th century, the Hetch Hetchy Dam was being inhabited by the Native Americans who usually practiced the so called hunting-gathering. Will the San Joaquin River Restoration Project persists of improving or deteriorating Californias drought? Pinchots legacy was the creation of managed wilderness lands that could be used by humans in their survival. It was denied in 1903 by Ethan Hitchcock, then Secretary of the Interior, because he felt that a National Park isnt like ordinary wildernesses. 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. 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. 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. 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. The cost of filtration is included in our figures. The making of gardens and parks goes on with civilization all over the world, and they increase both in size and number as their value is recognized. Answer #1. Though it took a while to respond, they were very cordial. Local job creation. But there are signs all over Yosemite about not drinking the water because of the Giardia parasites. Some people are outraged by the pipeline because it contributes to man-made climate change. In most areas of the country municipal water must be filtered AND treated. 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. Something that had to do with the protests part is the Dakota Access Pipeline, or DAPL. 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. It was deeded to them in a duly enacted act of Congress in 1913. In re applications of A. H. Ward and Mariposa electrical . 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. Posted on May 6, 2013 by Galen Hiltbrand. Like we said, Hetch Hetchy is in the northwestern section of Yosemite National Park. 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 . But while it is deemed as very beneficial, it also has its downsides. The Hetchy Dam controversy of the early 1900's was a debate that shaped how America has dealt with the environment since. Mining was a huge activity of the mid to late 1800s that caused many people to travel west in search for gold. 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 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. Up to 24% cash back (the hetch hetchy was a part of yosemite national park.) The Sierra Club gained 1,000 members by 1908 and from them on continued to rise. Guide to Visiting Hetch Hetchy . 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. But rather that i saw more pros than cons in building the dam. . 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. danitza athanassiadis biography; statute of limitations on traffic tickets in california; craigslist low income apartments for rent. The dam in Hetch Hetchy Valley would subsequently be named in his honor. The hearing considers an amendment to the Raker Act that authorized the dam. It lost in a . So San Francisco won the day, fair and square. Oak Trees end up showing the history of conservation, and wildlife comes from what others consider devastation of the land. The rights were acquired in the late 1880s, the dams construction began in 1921 and completed in 1923. The Hetch Hetchy Project controversy brought into sharp relief the difference between conservation and preservation. Hetch Hetchy Environmental Debates. of 3. pros and cons of living in mackay; is alaska: the last frontier coming back in 2021; hillsborough county public schools employee handbook; index of series cheers; jack steward is he married. 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. Hetch Hetchy Valley as a repository for the water from the Tuolumne River belongs to San Francisco, et al. Rainer National Park and Glacier National Park. We can produce power from dams because of the kinetic energy of the water movements as it causes turbines to spin. The Hetch Hetchy entrance to the park is a gateway to Yosemite Valley's breathtaking cousin. need to think this through better) The Keystone Pipeline has been debated for sometime now. During the early 1900s there was a large debate in the United States concerning the proposed construction of the Hetch Hetchy dam. Knapp and Americans view of the issue of the environment that the U.S. had been properly using the resources it had taken from the earth. You own barren desert plains and looming jagged mountain peaks. 497 Words2 Pages. 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. He felt that the act conflicted with the conditions of the Yosemite Act of 1890 that made it a park in the first place. 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. It is hard NOT to get inspired by the beauty of this park. Fresno transpires as one of the fastest growing population county, and they accustomed to obtaining high temperatures. Attraction of tourists. 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. Feel free to comment, like, or share. There are other posts on the plight of Hetch Hetchy at Yosemite Tales. 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). 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. Due to its high-altitude location at 3,900 feet above sea level and its snowmelt-fed water supply, water from Hetch . 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. Again, San Francisco Water Public Records did not respond to the argument In Favor of Restoration, so let me share what I have learned from various resources. 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. Hello, my name is Jeff Kreider. Up to 24% cash back (the hetch hetchy was a part of yosemite national park.) Do the State and Federal filtration standards that Hetch Hetchy Reservoir meets or exceeds include the standards necessary to eliminate the Giardia parasites? Pros: The damming and flooding of Hetch Hetchy, which is a portion of Yosemite National Park, is by far the biggest harm our national parks have ever seen. 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. John Muir was the main proponent for the preservationists. 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. List of the Advantages of Dams. Hetch Hetchy Reservoir, California, USA. In addition, Nash continues his article by giving facts about the water in Texas being glutted with run-off from centers of population, factories and farms that all alter the chemical constitution of water (3) creating a deeper predicament for the people in Texas. Wilderness belongs to you. Provide at least two arguments supporting your position. 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. See Also:Giving a Dam: Congress Debates Hetch Hetchy, Giving a Dam: Congress Debates Hetch Hetchy. Building a dam on the Tuolumne River at Hetch Hetchy was fiercely debated when it was proposed in the early 1900s, and the reservoir continues to spark controversy today. 01 of 05. . Bringing to light the question of progress or plants (for this purpose it is a generic term encompassing various flora and fauna)? Protective measure against floods. That will determine whether or not it is feasible. Divide the class into four small groups. Due the logging proposal there have been various lawsuit claims from Cascadia Wild and Oregon Wild conservation groups. Here are the pros and cons of hydropower: List of Pros of Hydropower. 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. . 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. True, a smaller Lake Eleanor was already there. When people are not aware of where their energy comes from, it threatens their values and ideals. . So when all of those people go and pass through they decided to put yuma on the map. For example, in the spring/summer of 1905, an insane flood hit the lower part of the river as a flash flood. A society as advanced as the humans on earth must have areas of wilderness regulated by the government. Select from premium Hetch Hetchy Dam of the highest quality. Supporters of the appeal include Barbara Griffin and Robert Binnewies, both former superintendents of Yosemite National Park. These arguments were brought before congress to make a decision about the fate of the valley. Ultimately, passage of the passage of the Raker Act in 1913 by Congress granted San Francisco the right to flood the Hetch Hetchy Valley. This park is more than mere scenic opportunities; it is a virtual wonderland wrought by yesteryear. Some negative impacts to yuma is from the steamboat business. 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. Lund estimates that being able to forego filtration saves the SFPUC $1 or $2 billion every year. I snapped my first photograph in Yosemite December 24, 1979. . The Fresno appellate court disagreed. Another positive impact on yuma from the project. . . Reservoir releases also generate hydropower that San Francisco uses for . 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. The Hetch Hetchy Dam is destroying a piece of land that is the homes of multiple types of animals. Restoring the valley would return to Yosemite National Park a major asset. Everyone has at least seen or heard of an argument or dispute involving the environment. Hardin defines a technical solution as one that uses science or technology to save the commons (1968, pp. . These two viewpoints came into conflict when the Hetch Hetchy project was proposed to create a water supply above San Francisco. Pros And Cons Of Hech Hetchy. 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. It was originally posted in June 2015. Throughout the documentary, Leopolds biographer. Maybe well find a legal one, allowing all parties to see alternative ways to handle the water system that would benefit both San Francisco AND visitors to Yosemite. Since they built the dam, yuma became a bigger city which a lot of people passed through it to get to the gold rush. 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. Word choice not only helps to visualize the situation better, but also to touch the minds and hearts of his audience. Energy for northern california would be provided. For example, thanks to the reservoirs nearly 4,000-foot elevation in the Sierra Nevada, the water in it is amazingly pure. in addition, he dedicated four decades of all his knowledge to his community. Not only would restoration make Yosemite entire once more, but would also encourage others that we don't have to continue making . The pipeline is called the Dakota Access Pipeline project and is being built by the Energy Transfer Partners company. 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. Its not just San Francisco.. Considering the context of the hetch hetchy debate at the time,. Basically, this method of power generation uses water, which is a free . 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. In the end Congress chose management over aesthetics, voting 43-25 (with 29 abstentions) to allow the Hetch Hetchy dam on federal land. Hetch Hetchy Reservoir in Yosemite National Park is seen in 2022. Waterways can be used for transportation purposes. tuolumne river. The sturdy and concrete material can help store water for a long time. Learn more 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 . It uses a free resource. 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. 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. The proposed dam in Hetch Hetchy Valley was to supply fresh water and electricity to San Francisco. 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. There is a lot of background information about the Keystone as well that it has an environmental and economic impacts. Water quality issues would have to be addressed if Hetch Hetchy water were put into the Don Pedro reservoir, of course. When the gold rush happen they put yuma on the map. While the dam did drive away some business from Yuma, it also brought people and grew the cities of Yuma. 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. Pinchot stated that to be a good forester you must be a good citizen. They would lose about 20% of their hydropower. SOLUTIONS. Hetch Hetchy: Pros and Cons of Restoration. The debate featured those for the proposed dam the conservationists and those opposed the preservationists. The dam and reservoir are the source for the Hetch Hetchy Aqueduct, which provides water for over . 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 . So they used it for irrigation which gave them more farm land. Dams are controversial among environmentalists, providing water and clean energybut destroying and fragmenting habitat. 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. Their arguments are curiously like those of the devil, devised for the destruction of the first garden. (Hook. Important Legacy real-time page. River Plan Too Fishy for my Taste Buds explains how the project will not help at all, something fishy must remain a secret. Tribal activists say that the pipeline could pollute their main water supply and would destroy a historic burial ground. 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. However, the term was really able to come to prominence after economist Garret Hardin invoked the analogy in his 1968 paper Science. 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. The Hetch Hetchy water system includes other reservoirs, and the one in Hetch Hetchy Valley stores only about a quarter of the water San Francisco gets from the Tuolumne River. The brought and gave good to yuma and went through the colorado river because yuma was mostly a flood plain at a constant level. Updated: May 13, 2022. 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 . 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. 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. Because after they built a dam the water levels decreased. 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). When Mountain in the Clouds was written, the removal of a huge dam thats been around for years seemed impossible. There is a waiver for FILTERING but not for TREATMENT. 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. May be crucial for the energy transition process. NEXT. 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. 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. 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. The Sierra Club also built a visitor and education center in 1898. 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. This is proven through several of documents written by Gifford Pinchot and John Raker, San Francisco District, The yuma project both had positive and negative impacts. 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. 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. 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. He wrote the book, A Sand County Almanac. Hetch Hetchy doesn't require permit, you need just regular National park pass. Both Kyl and McCain do a good job of presenting their claims to support their interests. 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. One of the more recent conflicts is the Keystone XL Pipeline. Meanwhile, the population has nearly doubled. However, the steep terrain, sharp curves, and heavy . As Leopold moves along in A Sand County Almanac, the reader finally understands the full scale of thought that is placed in front of them. Today, a little over 700 million acres in the United States is forestlandonly thanks to preservation laws. 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. Mountain in the Clouds showed clearly the problems that are occurring and opens peoples eyes to. 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. These arguments were brought before congress to make a decision about the fate of the valley. If they expand filtration at Sunol, they would need to break gravity at that point. Water flows can be controlled to a certain extent. Hardin defines the commons as finite, usually natural, resources that are shared and freely accessible to everyone (1968, pp. Today, hetch hetchy valley is a dammed and flooded reservoir. As well dam for water-tanks the peoples cathedrals and churches, for no holier temple has ever been consecrated by the heart of man. 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. 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. Hidden in Yosemite National Park's peaceful northwest corner, Hetch Hetchy Valley is a treasure worth visiting in all seasons. It was NOT a mistake. The two sides include Preservationists who wanted to preserve Hetch Hetchy and Conservationist who believed that we should take advantage of the resources Hetch Hetchy provides. [emailprotected]. This created conflicts between the Conservationists and the Preservationists over the thought of building a dam in Hetch Hetchy. 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. 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. CONTENT. In regards to the commons, the tragedy is very much relevant to not just the state, but also the individuals. Monitoring location 11275500 is associated with a LAKE, RESERVOIR, IMPOUNDMENT in TUOLUMNE COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 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. 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. The state constitution says all water use must be reasonable, Rosekrans said. That is why I think it is good that the issue is now before the courts. I see that in July of 2010 an article on SFGATE.com (by Kelly Zito of the Chronicle at http://www.sfgate.com/green/article/Anti-dam-group-questions-Hetch-Hetchy-water-3257983.php), expressed that same concern. Hetch Hetchy Reservoir and its encompassing valley have a mild climate year-round and one of Yosemite's longest hiking . After Muir dies the club established National Park Service, who Stephen Mather was director of in 1916. Not only was that bad for the environmental movement, but also many people did not know how to act in the national parks. 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. Copyright 2014-2023 Yosemite Tales | Powered by WordPress | Design by Starry Night Web Designs. . Whether it was from your teacher, the news or something on the internet that you glanced at then moved on to watch more cat videos, you still noticed it. At least, not at this time. . Its going to be used to transport oil to the United States from Canada. Newest results. 1245). Basically, this is a debate between ecocentric people and anthropocentric people. He argued that conservationists only wished to dam Hetch Hetchy as it would be low cost and saw no value in its natural state. I welcome comments on this post (as I do on anything posted). Water quality would remain high. 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? Hetch Hetchy was the first major battle of the environmental movement. 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. The regional water system provides water to 2.4 million people in San Francisco, Santa Clara, Alameda and San Mateo counties. Rather, in a brief submitted to the appellate court by California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, the board said that the trial court erred when it ruled that federal law preempted California water law.

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