What happened to the Hetch Hetchy dam?
Despite opposition from many citizens, including most of the nation’s leading newspapers, Congress passed the Raker Act in 1913 allowing the city of San Francisco to destroy Hetch Hetchy. The City built a dam and reservoir, drowning this beautiful valley, even though other less-damaging sites existed.
Was the dam built in Hetch Hetchy?
In 1923, the O’Shaughnessy Dam was completed on the Tuolumne River, flooding the entire valley under the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir….Hetch Hetchy.
| Hetch Hetchy Valley | |
|---|---|
| Type | Glacial |
| Age | 10,000–15,000 years |
| Geography | |
| Location | Yosemite National Park, California, United States |
Is the Hetch Hetchy dam being removed?
The removal of the Hetch Hetchy dam and reservoir isn’t even in the planning stages yet; the measure on November’s ballot simply asked voters to earmark money for research and design of a new water system to take the place of the reservoir.
Could we dismantle the Hetch Hetchy dam in Yosemite?
“The state of California Department of Water Resources report confirms that dismantling O’Shaugnessy Dam and draining the Hetch Hetchy reservoir are unwarranted and the cost is indefensible, particularly given the tremendous infrastructure needs facing our State,” the senator said in July 2006.
Why was the Hetch Hetchy project controversial?
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.
What is the Hetch Hetchy controversy?
The battle over Hetch Hetchy was a fight to determine whether a beautiful valley would remain in its natural state or service the growing city of San Francisco’s water needs. The larger issues at stake would frame environmental debates for years to come.
Who was opposed to the building of Hetch Hetchy?
Siding with the conservationists, San Francisco citizens argued that the reservoir was necessary for the health of their city. On the other side, preservationists, led by John Muir, argued that Congress should protect the Hetch Hetchy Valley from destruction.
What was President Roosevelt’s role in Hetch Hetchy?
In 1908, Theodore Roosevelt’s Department of the Interior granted San Francisco the authority to dam the Tuolumne River in Hetch Hetchy Valley for use as a reservoir.
Why did San Francisco build the Hetch Hetchy dam?
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.
What is the Hetch Hetchy project?
The dam and reservoir are the centerpiece of the Hetch Hetchy Project, which in 1934 began to deliver water 167 miles (269 km) west to San Francisco and its client municipalities in the greater San Francisco Bay Area.
Does Hetch Hetchy Reservoir require filtration?
Due to its high-altitude location at 3,900 feet above sea level and its snowmelt-fed water supply, water from Hetch Hetchy Reservoir behind O’Shaughnessy Dam does not require filtration. The water is delivered by a gravity-based system and aqueduct to the Bay Area.