Restore Hetch Hetchy

[NCN007]

Give the nation a second Yosemite Valley

Lawmakers call for Hetch Hetchy study
By Stuart Leavenworth -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PDT Tuesday, September 14, 2004

Two California legislators are calling for a state study to examine if a submerged valley in Yosemite National Park could be restored without hurting water and power supplies.

In a Sept. 9 letter, Assemblyman Joe Canciamilla, D-Pittsburg, and Lois Wolk, D-Davis, urged Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to endorse a restoration study for the Hetch Hetchy Valley, which was inundated and turned into a reservoir for San Francisco in 1923.
...
"California and the nation could recover one of its natural jewels, now a forgotten and seldom visited corner of Yosemite National Park."

http://www.sacbee.com/content/politics/story/10737398p-11655837c.html

http://www.environmentaldefense.org/hetchhetchy/

[Brotherjohn]

1. That's stunning. I'd been to Yosemite (and long to go back)...

I'd heard of Hetch Hetchy, and even went up to Tuolomne Meadows, but never made it to the reservoir.

But I had no idea that the Tuolomne Valley was so comparably striking in its geologic features.

Regardless of water supply issues, I think a winning tactic proponents might take is to push the idea that "two Yosemites" would alleviate the crowding in Yosemite Valley substantially, AND increase tourism dollars to California substantially as well.

[pantouflard]

2. Thanks for posting this. I heard about the effort from the Mono Lake

Committee during a summer visit to the eastern side. How cool that state assembly members are jumping on the bandwagon. I'm going to contact my state rep. and see if he'll join in.

It's going to be pretty damn hard to get SF to give up their precious water. Hope we can push this project through before CA is stuck with an unending drought...

[Dem2theMax]

3. Hetch Hetchy was supposed to be even more beautiful than

Yosemite valley. I lived just outside the park for one glorious summer. Pure heaven. Wish I had never left there. Thank you for the info and links. This is the first I have heard of this.

Edited to add: I read the article from the first link and they mentioned the "New Don Pedro Reservoir." Threw me. I lived there in 1973 and the reservoir was there THEN. Checked google and sure enough, it was built in 1971. And they call that new? lol. I've never seen it full and I've by there probably a hundred times or more. It sounds like it could really work. I hope they can do this. I've heard talk about it ever since I lived up there.
Now I'm homesick for my wonderful little piece of paradise in the middle of nowhere. sigh.

[pinniped]

4. Here's another good article from the Chronicle...

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2004/11/21/BAG8G9V89Q1.DTL