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http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20041010/news_1n10hetch.html
New report backs campaign to restore valley in Yosemite
By Terence Chea
ASSOCIATED PRESS
October 10, 2004
SAN FRANCISCO - Of all the battles waged over natural resources in
California, perhaps none is bolder or more romantic than a campaign by
environmentalists to tear down a dam in Yosemite National Park that has
provided water and electricity to much of Northern California for 80 years.
A report by Environmental Defense is the latest attempt to sway public
opinion in favor of draining Hetch Hetchy Valley and restoring to nature
what conservationist John Muir called Yosemite Valley's little brother - a
"precious mountain temple" and "grand landscape garden" that lies 300 feet
under water.
The authors of the report, "Paradise Regained," argue water quality, supply
and storage, as well as power generation, could be maintained if the Hetch
Hetchy Valley, in the Sierra Nevada about 160 miles east of San Francisco,
were drained and restored.
The study, released last month, proposes a variety of alternative water and
power sources for the San Francisco Bay Area and the Central Valley if the
O'Shaughnessy Dam were taken down.
The report comes as the Bay Area embarks on a $3.6 billion expansion and
retrofit of the Hetch Hetchy water system, which seismologists warn could
leave millions without drinking water if a major earthquake strikes.
"We have an amazing opportunity to return Yosemite's second crown jewel to
the American people," said Tom Graff, Environmental Defense's California
regional director. "It's not technically or institutionally simple, but we
think it can happen if federal, state and regional agencies cooperate."
The report was met with a mixture of curiosity, skepticism and downright
opposition from officials in the Bay Area and the Central Valley, which rely
on the Tuolumne River and Hetch Hetchy Reservoir for drinking water,
irrigation and hydropower.
They pointed out the daunting technical, financial and political obstacles
to revamping the system.
"The concept of tearing down Hetch Hetchy infrastructure and restoring that
valley might excite the imagination, but it needs a reality check," said
Kate Hora, a spokeswoman for the Modesto Irrigation District. The district
supplies water from the Tuolumne River to farmers and residents in the
Modesto area.
California's senior U.S. senator, Democrat Dianne Feinstein, said she was
opposed to "the destruction of one of the largest sources of clean drinking
water in California."
"In a state that has faced repeated droughts and is desperate for water
sources, I believe this would be a terrible mistake," she said in a
statement.
The debate over Hetch Hetchy Reservoir has stirred passions since 1913, when
Congress passed the Raker Act, which authorized the damming of the Tuolumne
River despite fierce opposition from conservationists.
The Hetch Hetchy system provides some of the nation's highest-quality
drinking water to more than 2.4 million residents in San Francisco and its
fast-growing suburbs in San Mateo, Santa Clara and Alameda counties.
The first serious look at restoring Hetch Hetchy came in the mid-1980s when
Interior Secretary Donald Hodel commissioned a study that concluded the
valley would return to life within a decade if the dam were taken down.
But the idea was shelved after it encountered intense opposition from
powerful water interests.
Over the past year, the campaign to restore Hetch Hetchy has gained momentum
with a University of California Davis study published on alternative water
sources, and a recent series of editorials in the Sacramento Bee advocating
the valley's restoration.
Environmental Defense decided to conduct a study after San Francisco
officials declined to do a joint study two years ago.
The report, written by researchers at Environmental Defense and three
consulting firms, concludes the Bay Area could receive a majority of its
drinking water and hydropower by using other reservoirs on the Tuolumne
River.
In especially dry years, water supplies could be obtained by boosting Bay
Area storage capacity and water purchases from agricultural districts, as
well as storing water in underground reservoirs.
The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, which manages the Hetch
Hetchy water and power system, released a statement saying it was
sympathetic with the study's goals, but urged caution.
"The report today paints a very optimistic and rosy picture of the minimal
impact on the Bay Area," SFPUC spokesman Tony Winnicker said. "The reality
is much more complicated. At what cost does it all happen? And who's going
to pay?"
Environmental Defense says its report is meant only as a starting point for
discussion. The group hopes federal, state and local agencies will agree to
a more comprehensive study that could put a price tag on the project.
"Imagine the opportunity to allow nature to re-create another place like
Yosemite Valley. Why not at least take a look?" said Ron Good, executive
director of Restore Hetch Hetchy. "It was done by humans. It can be undone
by humans."
New report backs campaign to restore valley in Yosemite
By Terence Chea
ASSOCIATED PRESS
October 10, 2004
SAN FRANCISCO - Of all the battles waged over natural resources in
California, perhaps none is bolder or more romantic than a campaign by
environmentalists to tear down a dam in Yosemite National Park that has
provided water and electricity to much of Northern California for 80 years.
A report by Environmental Defense is the latest attempt to sway public
opinion in favor of draining Hetch Hetchy Valley and restoring to nature
what conservationist John Muir called Yosemite Valley's little brother - a
"precious mountain temple" and "grand landscape garden" that lies 300 feet
under water.
The authors of the report, "Paradise Regained," argue water quality, supply
and storage, as well as power generation, could be maintained if the Hetch
Hetchy Valley, in the Sierra Nevada about 160 miles east of San Francisco,
were drained and restored.
The study, released last month, proposes a variety of alternative water and
power sources for the San Francisco Bay Area and the Central Valley if the
O'Shaughnessy Dam were taken down.
The report comes as the Bay Area embarks on a $3.6 billion expansion and
retrofit of the Hetch Hetchy water system, which seismologists warn could
leave millions without drinking water if a major earthquake strikes.
"We have an amazing opportunity to return Yosemite's second crown jewel to
the American people," said Tom Graff, Environmental Defense's California
regional director. "It's not technically or institutionally simple, but we
think it can happen if federal, state and regional agencies cooperate."
The report was met with a mixture of curiosity, skepticism and downright
opposition from officials in the Bay Area and the Central Valley, which rely
on the Tuolumne River and Hetch Hetchy Reservoir for drinking water,
irrigation and hydropower.
They pointed out the daunting technical, financial and political obstacles
to revamping the system.
"The concept of tearing down Hetch Hetchy infrastructure and restoring that
valley might excite the imagination, but it needs a reality check," said
Kate Hora, a spokeswoman for the Modesto Irrigation District. The district
supplies water from the Tuolumne River to farmers and residents in the
Modesto area.
California's senior U.S. senator, Democrat Dianne Feinstein, said she was
opposed to "the destruction of one of the largest sources of clean drinking
water in California."
"In a state that has faced repeated droughts and is desperate for water
sources, I believe this would be a terrible mistake," she said in a
statement.
The debate over Hetch Hetchy Reservoir has stirred passions since 1913, when
Congress passed the Raker Act, which authorized the damming of the Tuolumne
River despite fierce opposition from conservationists.
The Hetch Hetchy system provides some of the nation's highest-quality
drinking water to more than 2.4 million residents in San Francisco and its
fast-growing suburbs in San Mateo, Santa Clara and Alameda counties.
The first serious look at restoring Hetch Hetchy came in the mid-1980s when
Interior Secretary Donald Hodel commissioned a study that concluded the
valley would return to life within a decade if the dam were taken down.
But the idea was shelved after it encountered intense opposition from
powerful water interests.
Over the past year, the campaign to restore Hetch Hetchy has gained momentum
with a University of California Davis study published on alternative water
sources, and a recent series of editorials in the Sacramento Bee advocating
the valley's restoration.
Environmental Defense decided to conduct a study after San Francisco
officials declined to do a joint study two years ago.
The report, written by researchers at Environmental Defense and three
consulting firms, concludes the Bay Area could receive a majority of its
drinking water and hydropower by using other reservoirs on the Tuolumne
River.
In especially dry years, water supplies could be obtained by boosting Bay
Area storage capacity and water purchases from agricultural districts, as
well as storing water in underground reservoirs.
The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, which manages the Hetch
Hetchy water and power system, released a statement saying it was
sympathetic with the study's goals, but urged caution.
"The report today paints a very optimistic and rosy picture of the minimal
impact on the Bay Area," SFPUC spokesman Tony Winnicker said. "The reality
is much more complicated. At what cost does it all happen? And who's going
to pay?"
Environmental Defense says its report is meant only as a starting point for
discussion. The group hopes federal, state and local agencies will agree to
a more comprehensive study that could put a price tag on the project.
"Imagine the opportunity to allow nature to re-create another place like
Yosemite Valley. Why not at least take a look?" said Ron Good, executive
director of Restore Hetch Hetchy. "It was done by humans. It can be undone
by humans."
