Restoring Hetch Hetchy and the Tuolumne River
January 14th, 2006 by Robyn SuddethI just found this really interesting short story titled After The Fall from the Los Angeles Times– musings about what it would be like should Congress decide to restore Hetch Hetchy valley in Yosemite.
The author, Greg Sarris, talks of the cycle of human interaction with the natural environment, of the everlasting effects of each mark we make and the irony in the fact that fixing our blunders could require more human control over nature than the mistake represented in the first place. He does a great job reminding us that we can neve be free of any impact we have. Click the link above and check it out- it’s a well written and thought-provoking story that doesn’t take too much time.
Below are a few before and after shots of Hetch Hetchy Valley that I found on Sierra Club’s Restore Hetch Hetchy website. The left photo was taken by Isiah West Taber in 1908, and the right by Ron Good in 2003.
Notice the waterfalls in the two pictures- once you see that it’s easier to do the comparison.
January 19th, 2006 at 4:48 pm
[...] I recently wrote a post referring to a short story from the LA Times about what the process would be like if Congress ever decided to restore Hetch Hetchy Valley. (See Restoring Hetch Hetchy and the Tuolumne River) This would mean removing the dam and a free-flowing Tuolumne River. [...]
April 16th, 2006 at 4:29 am
Removal of O’Shaughnessy Dam and restoring Hetch Hetchy is much more than an idea.
Last year, UC Davis completed a study that showed that a re-operation plan for Don Pedro could meet most hydrological needs - so no real net loss of water.
Congress Members Radonovich and Costa met with with a delegation to consider the restoration proposal, California Governor Schwarzenegger asked the Bureau of Reclamation to study the Don Pedro re-op plan and Hetch Hetchy restoration plan; and more recently, several Legislators introduced bills to consider the plans.
To learn more, check out http://www.hetchhetchy.org