Hetch Hetchy

Hetch Hetchy is formed by a 364 feet high concrete dam. San Francisco received congressional approval in the 1914 for the water project with Groveland as the construction headquarters. It was completed in 1923 and is owned by the city of San Francisco. Swimming and boating in the lake are prohibited. Fishing is allowed, but only from the shore.

The restore Hetch Hetchy website can be found at hetchhetchy.org.

San Francisco received congressional approval in 1914 for the water project with Groveland as the construction headquarters. The regional water system provides water to 2.4 million people in San Francisco, Santa Clara, Alameda and San Mateo counties. The Bay Area Water Supply and Conservation Agency (BAWSCA) supplies 1.8 million of those citizens in the cities of Burlingame, Hayward, Menlo Park, Palo Alto, Redwood City and San Mateo, along with the Alameda County Water District, were among Bay Area communities whose support was influential in persuading Congress to pass the controversial Act, and President Woodrow Wilson to sign it. Not without opposition, those who want the Yosemite Valley restored can be found at hetchhetchy.org.

Eighty-five percent of the water comes from Sierra Nevada snowmelt stored in the Hetch Hetchy reservoir situated on the Tuolumne River in Yosemite National Park. Hetch Hetchy water travels 160 miles via gravity from Yosemite to the San Francisco Bay Area. The remaining 15 percent of water comes from runoff in the Alameda and Peninsula watersheds. This local water is captured in reservoirs located in San Mateo and Alameda counties. Delivering approximately 260 million gallons of water per day, the regional system consists of over 280 miles of pipelines, over 60 miles of tunnels, 11 reservoirs, five pump stations and two water treatment plants.

Hetch HetchyConstruction of the regional water system proceeded over the following 20 years, with water first delivered in 1934. Construction on the original Moccasin Powerhouse was started in fall 1921. The facility was completed and began generating power on August 14, 1925. The original powerhouse was removed from operation February 7, 1969.

The old Moccasin Powerhouse began Electrical generation in May 1918 and produced power for 44 years. The new Moccasin Powerhouse was completed and went into service in 1969. -San Francisco Water and Power

Hetch Hetchy water travels 160 miles via gravity from Yosemite to the San Francisco Bay Area. “Delivering approximately 260 million gallons of water per day, the regional system consists of over 280 miles of pipelines, over 60 miles of tunnels, 11 reservoirs, five pump stations and two water treatment plants.” -San Francisco Water Supply.

For more about Hetch Hetchy visit their website.

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