What is the Hetch Hetchy water project?

The dam and reservoir, combined with a series of aqueducts, tunnels, and hydroelectric plants as well as eight other storage dams, comprise a system known as the Hetch Hetchy Project, which provides 80% of the water supply for 2.6 million people. The project is operated by the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission.

What happened at Hetch Hetchy?

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.

Where does the water from Hetch Hetchy go?

Located in the northwest portion of Yosemite National Park, Hetch Hetchy refers to a valley in the Sierra Nevada and a reservoir that supplies water to the San Francisco Bay Area. The valley is drained by the Tuolumne River.

How much water is in Hetch Hetchy today?

Hetch Hetchy is the only reservoir above its average storage of 63%, and is 82% full. Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Area’s largest water districts.

Why is Hetch Hetchy important?

Hetch Hetchy is unique because of its small holding capacity in comparison to the vast watershed feeding it. Not only does it supply 85 percent of the water for 2.6 million people in San Francisco, controlled releases via the O’Shaughnessy Dam are helping preserve downstream species—even in dry years.

Why was the State Water Project built?

The State Water Project (SWP) is the nation’s largest state-built water and power development conveyance system. The primary purpose of the SWP is to provide a water supply and delivery system to distribute water across California.

Why did they 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.

Why was the state water project built?

Is Hetch Hetchy water good?

Well, the good news is that our famed Hetch Hetchy supply is good to the last drop after all. The EWG report on the San Francisco City Water System (which excludes the Presidio and Treasure Island, for the record) records only nine types of contaminants, and only three at potentially alarming levels.

Who drinks Hetch Hetchy water?

The regional water system provides water to 2.4 million people in San Francisco, Santa Clara, Alameda and San Mateo counties.

What did the Hetch Hetchy dam do to the environment?

Dams are controversial among environmentalists, providing water and clean energy—but destroying and fragmenting habitat. A different story is unfolding at Hetch Hetchy reservoir in Yosemite National Park, where water is being released to conserve and restore wildlife.

What are the goals of the State water project?

The primary purpose of the SWP is water supply delivery and flood control, but it provides many additional benefits, including: Power generation. Recreation activities. Environmental stewardship.

What is the California State Water Project used for?

Why was the Hetch Hetchy project controversial?

Who uses Hetch Hetchy water?

Why is the Hetch Hetchy important?

Who benefits from the State water project?

The SWP delivers water to 29 urban and agricultural water suppliers in California, providing water to over 25 million California residents and 750,000 acres of irrigated farmland, directly supporting two-thirds of California’s $2.8 trillion economy.

What are the three major projects in the federal water project?

Project description

• Feather River facilities.
• Delta facilities.
• California Aqueduct.

Is it OK to drink bathroom sink water?

It is not usually unsafe to drink water from a bathroom sink. However, it is not advisable to do it regularly. This is because the water from your bathroom sink may contain contaminants, bacteria, and debris from the reservoir or the buildup on the pipes.

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.

Why is the Hetch Hetchy water system important?

The cities, water districts and private utilities represented by the Bay Area Water Supply and Conservation Agency (BAWSCA) rely upon the Hetch Hetchy system for water to protect the health, safety and economic well being of 1.8 million citizens, businesses and community organizations.

Should the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir be drained?

The advocacy group Restore Hetch Hetchy took its case for draining the reservoir to court, arguing in 2015 that the reservoir violates the California Constitution — specifically the mandate within Article X, Section 2 that requires diversions for all water use must be “reasonable.”