Hetch hetchy dam controversy. Hetch 2022-10-25

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The Hetch Hetchy Dam controversy was a long-standing and highly divisive debate over the construction of a dam in the Hetch Hetchy Valley of Yosemite National Park in California. The Hetch Hetchy Valley was a beautiful and pristine wilderness area, home to a diverse array of plant and animal life, and was considered by many to be a natural treasure. However, the city of San Francisco saw the Hetch Hetchy Valley as a potential source of clean, reliable drinking water for its growing population.

In the early 1900s, San Francisco began advocating for the construction of a dam in the Hetch Hetchy Valley. The city argued that the dam would provide a much-needed source of water for its citizens, and that it would be more cost-effective and efficient than building a pipeline or canal to bring water from a distant source. However, opponents of the dam argued that it would destroy the natural beauty of the valley and disrupt the habitat of the many animals and plants that lived there.

The debate over the Hetch Hetchy Dam was a complex and multifaceted one, and it attracted the attention of politicians, environmentalists, and everyday citizens alike. Some argued that the need for a reliable source of drinking water was more important than preserving the natural beauty of the valley, while others believed that the value of the Hetch Hetchy Valley as a natural resource was priceless and should not be compromised.

In the end, the city of San Francisco was granted permission to build the dam, and construction began in 1913. The Hetch Hetchy Dam was completed in 1923, and it remains in operation today, providing a vital source of water for the city of San Francisco. However, the controversy over the dam has never fully died down, and to this day, there are those who believe that the Hetch Hetchy Valley should be restored to its natural state.

The Hetch Hetchy Dam controversy highlights the complex and often conflicting values that can come into play when deciding how to use natural resources. On one hand, there is the need for clean, reliable sources of drinking water, which is essential for the health and well-being of a community. On the other hand, there is the desire to preserve natural areas, which provide important habitat for a variety of plant and animal life, and which have intrinsic value in their own right. Balancing these competing interests is not always easy, and it requires careful consideration and difficult trade-offs. However, it is ultimately up to society to decide how to best use and manage its natural resources, and the Hetch Hetchy Dam controversy serves as a reminder of the importance of these decisions.

August 14 — Hetch Hetchy Began Producing Power (1925)

hetch hetchy dam controversy

To drain the reservoir, the Hetch Hetchy engineers would need to open the pipes—and leave them open until the water is gone. Available at: Restore Hetch Hetchy. Controversy Surrounding The Dam The common controversy about the dam is when they wanted the Native Americans to leave. Top: Taken in the early 1900s before the O'Shaughnessy Dam was constructed, shows the Hetch Hetchy Valley and the Tuolumne River, looking east. 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. 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. The economic wisdom of removing the dam has been frequently questioned.

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Hetch

hetch hetchy dam controversy

This is an excellent location for a night in Yosemite National Park if you want to take in the sights and experience nature in its purest form. But the restoration effort would have to begin quickly. The New York Times. While the Club lost that fight, we went on to stop dams in Dinosaur National Monument and the Grand Canyon, led by our first Executive Director David Brower. The 68mi 109km The Early Intake Lower Cherry Powerhouse began commercial operation five years before the O'Shaughnessy Dam was completed.

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The Controversial Hetch Hetchy Valley

hetch hetchy dam controversy

It is the highest point in the area, rising to 7,751 feet and offering spectacular views of the surrounding area. California Department of Water Resources. But since its construction in 1921, the reservoir has filled up with so much sediment that only 10 percent of its volume is water. Few people ever saw Hetch Hetchy because you had to hike deep into the park and there were no trails. Steve Ritchie, a Some of the costs would be operational, recurring year after year. Where Is Hetch Hetchy In Yosemite? The need to dam up Hetch Hetchy would be removed because I feel as if deep ecologists are pointing to the wrong target.

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What Happens When You Remove a Dam?

hetch hetchy dam controversy

The reservoir is fed by the Tuolumne River and provides water to the city of San Francisco. Much like the potential plans for Hetch Hetchy, the newly-exposed land But in the case of the From there, the Glines Canyon dam is being slowly removed in notches on alternate sides—taken apart bit by bit and creating spillways to release water with each layer. A fitting tribute to John Muir would be for us to find the wisdom and the will to restore the grandeur of Hetch Hetchy Valley, in the early 21st century, for our families and all future generations. According to John Muir, the Hetch Hetchy Valley was the twin to the world-famous Yosemite Valley. Unlikely as it may be San Francisco has to get its water from somewhere , the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir removal is an issue that its proponents promise to keep pressing, so it could continue to show up every voting season.


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Hetch Hetchy Reservoir

hetch hetchy dam controversy

Hetch Hetchy: Facts and Figures. San Francisco Bay Guardian. Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences. It's a man-made solution, but it doesn't work for all fish. These are called Bay Division Pipelines BDPL 1, 2, 3, and 4, with nominal pipeline diameters of 60, 66, 78, and 96 inches 1. Hetch hetchy—timeline of the ongoing battle over hetch hetchy.

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Essays on An Analysis of the Hetch Hetchy Valley Dam Controversy. Free essay example about An Analysis of the Hetch Hetchy Valley Dam Controversy

hetch hetchy dam controversy

The San Clemente Dam on the Carmel River in Northern California creates the Northern boundary of Big Sur, and its reservoir provides water to Monterey. The O'Shaughnessy Dam was completed in 1923 and, after the necessary pipelines and power houses were completed, San Francisco began using water from the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir for its water supply and electrical power generation. If I were to travel back in time to 1920s right in the middle of the Hetch Hetchy Damcontroversy I would bring with me a whole new outlook. The project is the largest dam removal ever to take place in America; its goal is to restore sediment downstream and make salmon breeding grounds more habitable. As a 1988 report prepared by the Bureau of Reclamation for the National Park Service states: "Such restoration would renew the national commitment to maintaining the integrity of the national park system and keep in perpetual conservation an irreplaceable and unique natural area. Currently, wild salmon traveling up the Carmel River get past the dam through what's called a "The fish jump from panel to panel.

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Inside San Francisco’s Biggest Solar Power Project (And the History Behind It)

hetch hetchy dam controversy

. Do You Need The Yosemite Pass For Hetch Hetchy? University of California Davis. Restoring a Valley 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. Environmental destruction, either natural or man-made, will never be stopped completely. Environment and Society: A CriticalIntroduction. In 1987, Secretary of the Interior Donald Hodel created a brief controversy when he suggested tearing down O'Shaughnessy Dam.

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Hetch Hetchy

hetch hetchy dam controversy

Historical photographs show why: like Yosemite Valley, Hetch Hetchy has sheer granite walls that originally rose dramatically from a wide valley floor. President The Hetch Hetchy Reservoir was completed in 1923 and still supplies water and electric power to San Francisco. References: Bolin, Leslie K. Since water is one of the basic needs of most people, the Dam plays a vital role in all the residence as well as with the Native Americans who used to live at Hetch Hetchy Dam during 19th century. Consider one project in progress that involves re-routing an entire river.


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Hetch Hetchy: Time to Redeem a Historic Mistake

hetch hetchy dam controversy

According to the University of California — Irvine's School of Social Ecology, socialecology is defined as, "the interactions within the social, institutional, and cultural contexts of people-environment relations that make up well-being. Since the government of the United States was planning to pursue the conservation movement against one another. When San Francisco, California proposed to build a dam in the Hetch Hetchy Valley to provide a reliable water supply, Congress debated whether it should make land available for water use or protect wilderness. University Press, Welch, Bigelow. In 1913 the Raker Bill passed, authorizing the flooding of Hetch Hetchy. .

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