Our campaign
In 1987, Secretary of the Interior Donald Hodel proposed that Hetch Hetchy be restored. But then mayor and current U.S. senator Diane Feinstein disagreed, calling the reservoir “San Francisco’s birthright.”
Situated inside Yosemite National Park, Hetch Hetchy Valley was described by John Muir as “one of nature’s rarest and most precious mountain temples.” It was one of the most spectacular landscapes on earth, and it was protected for a reason.
Congress, three short years after allowing Hetch Hetchy to be clear-cut dammed and flooded, realized its mistake. It passed the National Park Service act to ensure that our parks were managed for national interests and not simply local benefit. The dam at Hetch Hetchy remains, however, and is the greatest blemish in any of our national parks.
At Restore Hetch Hetchy, we are passionately dedicated to our objective of restoring Hetch Hetchy Valley and making Yosemite National Park once again. To be successful, we are aware of the water and power benefits made possible by the existing dam and reservoir are replaced or improved. We take our mission statement seriously.
Our mission
The mission of Restore Hetch Hetchy is to return the Hetch Hetchy Valley in Yosemite National Park to its natural splendor ─ while continuing to meet the water and power needs of all communities that depend on the Tuolumne River.
We do not begrudge San Francisco and other Bay Area communities the use of Tuolumne River water. But the water needs to be stored outside Yosemite National Park.
We understand that San Francisco’s water system will need certain improvements, and some hydropower will need to be replaced with renewable power. We have done substantial research on these water and power alternatives, but San Francisco appears to need a political or legal imperative to consider these water and power alternatives.
A slideshow of people involved in the history of Hetch Hetchy and Yosemite.
So, we are pursuing legal and political opportunities to make San Francisco confront the damage it has done to Yosemite. Please join us. Together we can restore Hetch Hetchy Valley for our children and for generations to come.
Our blog
Our flagship blog features analysis of news from our staff and announcements of upcoming events.
Dams & diversions and water & power
In “Eel River’s rebirth requires sacrifice”, San Francisco Chronicle reporter Kurtis Alexander reminds us that dam removals require balancing the...
Superior Court Judge rules for rivers and against water agencies
The path to restoring Hetch Hetchy will be increasingly easier as San Francisco adapts its system for a future that includes both climate change and...
Our Hetch Hetchy love triangle
The board, staff and supporters of Restore Hetch Hetchy are united by a common thread. We love Yosemite National Park – all of it, and we are...
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