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Topic: Hetch Hetchy

Overview April 24, 2014

Hetch Hetchy

Owned by San Francisco, Hetch Hetchy Reservoir in Yosemite National Park provides water to nearly 3 million people in 29 cities across the San Francisco Bay Area. The water, provided by snowmelt via the Tuolumne River, does not require filtration.

Stored in Hetch Hetchy Reservoir behind O’Shaughnessy Dam, the water is delivered by a gravity based system and aqueduct to the Bay Area.

Hetch Hetchy has generated controversy since it was first proposed as a source of water following the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. Congress also had to approve the project because it was located in a national park. John Muir and the Sierra Club unsuccessfully fought the reservoir’s establishment since it required flooding a scenic mountain valley. After its construction in the 1920s, various groups have lobbied to restore the Hetch Hetchy Valley to its natural state.

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Aquafornia news May 24, 2023 CBS Sacramento

Fight to get rid of California’s famous Hetch Hetchy Reservoir alive and well as it turns 100

As California’s famous Hetch Hetchy Reservoir celebrates its 100th birthday, the fight to get rid of it is alive and well. Spreck Rosekrans is with Restore Hetch Hetchy, a group dedicated to draining the reservoir and restoring it to its original state. … But like most things, it’s not that simple. Hetch Hetchy provides around 97 percent of drinking water to San Francisco. Jenn Bowles is with the Water Education Foundation, an impartial organization that doesn’t have an official stance on the issue. She said San Franciscans are very particular about their water, which is considered especially pure and soft. … Past efforts to remove the reservoir have failed, but Rosekrans still has hope. He said he thinks the undamming of Hetch Hetchy is something he’ll see in his lifetime.

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Aquafornia news May 17, 2023 San Francisco Chronicle

S.F.’s legendary Hetch Hetchy reservoir turns 100. What’s next?

On May 24, 1923, San Francisco officials sent water thundering into a valley that Sierra Club founder John Muir described as a “​​one of Nature’s rarest and most precious mountain temples.” Thus the controversial Hetch Hetchy reservoir was born – and 100 years later, some environmentalists still cherish the notion of restoring the temple by draining the valley, even as San Franciscans continue to rely, almost wholly, on its pure, high-quality water. … Yet at the same time, the opposite talk has even begun of raising the O’Shaughnessy Dam that encloses the reservoir, so the valley can hold even more water.

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Aquafornia news May 3, 2023 KQED - San Francisco

Wednesday Top of the Scroll: Celebration and concern – Hetch Hetchy reservoir turns 100, but climate change complicates its future

San Francisco Mayor London Breed and a gaggle of water officials gathered in the northwest corner of Yosemite National Park on Tuesday to celebrate the centennial of the creation of the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir and the O’Shaughnessy Dam. … The water system, San Francisco’s main water source, provided a stable supply of pristine Sierra Nevada snowmelt for city residents through most of the 20th century. But as human-caused climate change worsens, some water experts say the stability of San Francisco’s mountain tap is losing its surety for the 21st century and beyond. “I no longer think it will be a reliable water system,” said Samuel Sandoval Solis, an expert in water management at UC Davis. … The water passes over three faultlines and is used for about 85% of the water needs for 2.7 million people in San Francisco and parts of Santa Clara, San Mateo and Alameda counties.

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Aquafornia news December 7, 2021 San Francisco Chronicle

Photos: How Hetch Hetchy Valley went from natural paradise to concrete basin

Rare photos show the transformation of Hetch Hetchy Valley from untouched paradise to home of the O’Shaughnessy Dam, which supplies some of the country’s cleanest water to 2 million people in San Francisco and beyond.

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Publication August 18, 2014

Water & the Shaping of California
Published 2000 - Paperback

The story of water is the story of California. And no book tells that story better than Water & the Shaping of California.

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Publication August 18, 2014

Water & the Shaping of California
Published 2000 - hardbound

The story of California is the story of water. And no book tells that story better than Water & the Shaping of California.

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Maps & Posters May 20, 2014

Water Cycle Poster

Water as a renewable resource is depicted in this 18×24 inch poster. Water is renewed again and again by the natural hydrologic cycle where water evaporates, transpires from plants, rises to form clouds, and returns to the earth as precipitation. Excellent for elementary school classroom use.

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Maps & Posters May 20, 2014

California Water Map, Spanish

Spanish language version of our California Water Map

Versión en español de nuestro mapa de agua de California

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Maps & Posters April 17, 2014 California Water Bundle

California Water Map
Updated December 2016

A new look for our most popular product! And it’s the perfect gift for the water wonk in your life.

Our 24×36 inch California Water Map is widely known for being the definitive poster that shows the integral role water plays in the state. On this updated version, it is easier to see California’s natural waterways and man-made reservoirs and aqueducts – including federally, state and locally funded projects – the wild and scenic rivers system, and natural lakes. The map features beautiful photos of California’s natural environment, rivers, water projects, wildlife, and urban and agricultural uses and the text focuses on key issues: water supply, water use, water projects, the Delta, wild and scenic rivers and the Colorado River.

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Aquapedia background February 4, 2014 Layperson's Guide to California Water California Water Map

Hetch Hetchy Reservoir and Water System

Hetch Hetchy – a Sierra Miwok word for a type of wild grass – is a valley in Yosemite National Park whose river was dammed to create a water supply for the San Francisco Bay Area. The O’Shaughnessy Dam on the Tuolumne River forms Hetch Hetchy Reservoir.

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.

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