Is it possible or even practicable to restore a valley that has been under water for almost a hundred years? Yes, it is. Numerous studies have confirmed this. In 1988 the National Park Service outlined several different approaches to the restoration of the valley. Restoring Hetch Hetchy Valley will be the most ambitious and audacious act of environmental preservation in our history – yet it is totally doable.

Removing some dams can be difficult, because sediment has built up behind them. This will not be a problem at Hetch Hetchy – there is little sediment behind the dam due to the granite rock of the Tuolumne watershed.

The dam will be removed down to the former streambed elevation at 3500 feet, with the outlet restored using pre-dam photographs. In recontouring the valley and stabilizing the river banks, the goal will be to mimic the native terrain using historical accounts and scientific data.

What will the restored valley look like? Will it be wilderness? Will it be swamped with cars and visitors just like Yosemite?

A restored Hetch Hetchy almost certainly won’t look like Yosemite Valley. Yosemite was developed according to 19th and 20th century conceptions of public access to wilderness. Today, no-one wants to see lines of cars or hotels spread along a monumental valley within a National Park.

We need to develop a restoration plan that visitors throughout California, across America, and around the world can be proud of. We have the opportunity to create an experience of visiting Hetch Hetchy Valley that is even superior to a visit to present-day Yosemite Valley - one that protects its wilderness character while maximizing opportunities for access to visitors with any sense of adventure.

Responsibility for the design of recreational access to the restored Hetch Hetchy Valley will be up to the National Park Service, working with public input to implement current best ideals for sustainable, low-impact use.

We envisage access into the valley will be via shuttle bus or tramway, as is already practiced in other National Parks such as Zion. This no-charge public transport will lead from the park entrance station to the edge of the valley, bringing in visitors and all the gear we need to have fun - bicycles, kayaks, fishing rods, ice chests, backpacks, camping gear, etc.

There will be a system of paths laid out. Some will provide easy access to the river and points along the valley floor for day-hikers and families. Other trails will lead to more remote campsites up the valley or connect with the existing trail system in the rest of Yosemite National Park.

We’d like to see an unobtrusive visitor center, providing information and education on the history and ecology of the valley. There might also be a cultural contact area where the story of Native Americans living in the valley can be told.

Most of all, there will be lots of areas where visitors can - as John Muir wrote - stand waist-deep in grass and flowers. You will be able to gaze at the different characteristics of the three major waterfalls, and marvel at the native grasses and trees that will be growing again in the Valley.

You will be able to enjoy nine more miles of the Tuolumne River, now connecting the designated Wild and Scenic River below Hetch Hetchy Valley with the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne and its headwaters in Tuolumne Meadows.

During the initial years of restoration, visitors will be able to watch the process of regeneration in action. As David Brower said, people will be able to watch the emergence of “every new thing that grows, walks and flies” during this restoration. Think of bringing your children back every few years to watch Hetch Hetchy come back to life. Imagine telling your grandchildren you watched one of the world’s most spectacular mountain valleys come back to life - and telling them how you helped make that happen.

Today, Hetch Hetchy is the least visited area of Yosemite National Park. Compared to the 3.4 million visitors that Yosemite Valley attracts each year, only 50,000 people experience Hetch Hetchy. More people hike into the backcountry than visit Hetch Hetchy – mainly because the only permitted recreations are fishing from the reservoir shoreline and hiking a few trails high above the reservoir.

You and your family can help create a 21st century model for National Park usage that balances maximum environmental preservation with the greatest public access and recreation opportunities.

The current system based on the Hetch Hetchy reservoir provides hydro-electric power generation as well as water to San Francisco. How will removing the reservoir impact that power generation facility?

San Francisco operates three medium-sized hydro-electric power plants in the Tuolumne River watershed - Kirkwood, Moccasin, and Holm. Draining the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir will reduce power generation at these by about 20% - an average of about 280 million kWh per year. This is a small part of the output of a standard combined-cycle power plant. It would result in a loss of approximately $10 million in annual power sales, but would not impact power delivery to San Francisco.

Generation at the Kirkwood power plant would depend on the natural flow of the Tuolumne River, and would be significantly diminished during late summer and fall. Generation at Holm powerhouse below Cherry Lake would be less affected. Much of the water passing through Holm would be diverted into the Mountain Tunnel and be used to generate power a second time at the Mocassin powerhouse.

The current power produced by the SFPUC system, although not carbon-based, is not green since it requires the continued destruction of significant habitat. It does not meet the California definition of “renewable” energy.

Restore Hetch Hetchy supports a power replacement plan that is truly renewable, and will not increase emissions of any pollutants or carbon that causes global warming. Emissions must be offset by dedicated conservation programs or renewable energy generation such as wind or solar. Natural gas or pumped storage may also be part of a power replacement program, provided the need for instantaneous generation is met but overall emissions will not be increased.

The Hetch Hetchy reservoir is owned and operated by the City and County of San Francisco. Authorized by congress in 1913, the use of the Hetch Hetchy Valley as a water storage facility is subject to both federal and state controls. There are three primary institutions that can and should authorize the removal of the reservoir:

• The United States Congress can vote to amend the Raker Act and require San Francisco to return control of the Hetch Hetchy Valley to the National Park Service. San Francisco’s right to use Tuolumne River water would not be affected by the loss of the reservoir.
• The courts can find San Francisco in violation of the Raker Act and/or the California Constitution and instruct San Francisco to remove the reservoir from Hetch Hetchy Valley so that it can be restored.
• The people of San Francisco can vote to find alternative storage for its water supply, drain the reservoir and return the Hetch Hetchy Valley to the control of the National Park Service in order that it can be restored.

Restore Hetch Hetchy is leveraging its grassroots support to influence all three decision makers. On any given weekend, volunteers can be found on the street corners of San Francisco talking with residents about the opportunities for restoration. Additionally, Restore Hetch Hetchy recently hired the law firm of Hogan Lovells, LLC and has developed a “braintrust” of California environmental and constitutional scholars in order to begin to pursue a parallel legal strategy.

If you would like to be a part of this important effort, please contact us today.