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91-546: The SFPUC manages a complex water supply system consisting of reservoirs, tunnels, pipelines and treatment facilities and is the third largest municipal utility agency in California. The SFPUC provides fresh water from Hetch Hetchy Reservoir and other sources to 2.7 million customers for residential, commercial, and industrial uses. About one-third of its delivered water is sent to customers within San Francisco, while

182-478: A "recreational value" of up to $ 178 million per year, or possibly an overall economic value of up to $ 100 billion. Those in opposition of dam removal state that demolishing O'Shaughnessy Dam would take away a valuable source of clean, renewable hydroelectric power in the Kirkwood and Moccasin powerhouses; even if measures such as seasonal water diversion into the powerhouses were employed, it would only make up for

273-517: A General Manager as the chief executive of the SFPUC, with each division headed by an Assistant General Manager (AGM). The six divisions are: Business Services, External Affairs, Infrastructure, Power Enterprise, Water Enterprise, and Wastewater Enterprise. Then-SFPUC director Harlan Kelly resigned on November 30, 2020, charged with accepting bribes from a contractor. Kelly's trial began in June 2023. Kelly

364-620: A Miwok word earlier anglicized as hatchhatchie , which means "edible grasses" or "magpie". It is likely that the edible grass was blue dicks . Chief Tenaya of the Yosemite Valley's Ahwaneechee tribe claimed that Hetch Hetchy was Miwok for "Valley of the Two Trees", referring to a pair of yellow pines that once stood at the head of Hetch Hetchy. Miwok names are still used for features, including Tueeulala Fall, Wapama Fall, and Kolana Rock. While its cousin Yosemite Valley to

455-746: A New Moccasin Powerhouse in 1969 when the Old Moccasin Powerhouse was taken out of service. Finally, in 1988, a third generator was added to the Kirkwood Powerhouse. Hetch Hetchy Valley serves as the primary water source for the City and County of San Francisco and several surrounding municipalities in the greater San Francisco Bay Area . The dam and reservoir, combined with a series of aqueducts, tunnels, and hydroelectric plants as well as eight other storage dams, comprise

546-611: A V-shaped river canyon cut out by the ancestral Tuolumne River. About one million years ago, the extensive Sherwin glaciation widened, deepened and straightened river valleys along the western slope of the Sierra Nevada, including Hetch Hetchy, Yosemite Valley, and Kings Canyon farther to the south. During the last glacial period , the Tioga Glacier formed from extensive icefields in the upper Tuolumne River watershed; between 110,000 and 10,000 years ago Hetch Hetchy Valley

637-565: A ceremonial residence for the mayor. The mayor has the responsibility to enforce all city laws, administer and coordinate city departments and intergovernmental activities, set forth policies and agendas to the Board of Supervisors, and prepare and submit the city budget at the end of each fiscal year. The mayor has the powers to either approve or veto bills passed by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, participate in meetings of

728-612: A fraction of the original power production. The remaining deficit would likely have to be replaced by polluting fossil fuel generation. The removal of the dam would be extremely costly, at least $ 3–10 billion, and the transport of the demolished material away from the dam site along the narrow, winding Hetch Hetchy Road would be a logistical nightmare with possible environmental impacts. Most importantly, San Francisco would lose its source of high-quality mountain water, and would have to depend on lower-quality water from other reservoirs – which would require costly filtration and re-engineering of

819-622: A major earthquake and subsequent fire that devastated San Francisco, the inadequacy of the city's water system was made tragically clear. San Francisco applied to the United States Department of the Interior to gain water rights to Hetch Hetchy, and in 1908 President Theodore Roosevelt's Secretary of the Interior, James R. Garfield , granted San Francisco the rights to development of the Tuolumne River. This provoked

910-724: A man's blue shirt and turn it brown, and were voracious as mosquitoes would be." People have lived in Hetch Hetchy Valley for over 6,000 years. Native American cultures were prominent before the 1850s when the first settlers from the United States arrived in the Sierra Nevada. During summer, people of the Miwok and Paiute came to Hetch Hetchy from the Central Valley in the west and the Great Basin in

1001-511: A member with experience in ratepayer or consumer advocacy. Seat 3 shall be a member with experience in project finance. Seat 4 shall be a member with expertise in water systems, power systems, or public utility management, and Seat 5 shall be an at-large member. The Commission meets on the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month. Their responsibility is to provide operational oversight in such areas as rates and charges for services, approval of contracts, and organizational policy. The board appoints

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1092-495: A private power company, Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E). San Francisco was able to accomplish this in 1925 by claiming it had run out of funds to extend the Hetch Hetchy transmission line all the way to the city. The terminus of the incomplete line was "conveniently located next to a PG&E substation", which connected to PG&E's private line which in turn bridged the gap to San Francisco. The city justified this as

1183-402: A reservoir", with pristine water, lack of development or private property, a steep-sided and flat-floored profile that would maximize the amount of water stored, and a narrow outlet ideal for placement of a dam. They claimed the valley was not unique and would be even more beautiful with a lake. Muir predicted that this lake would create an unsightly "bathtub ring" around its perimeter, caused by

1274-403: A result of a citywide referendum . The new system, known as instant-runoff voting , allows voters to select and rank three candidates based on their preferences. If no one wins more than half of the first-choice votes, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated and second-choice votes (and third-choice votes, if necessary) are counted until a candidate captures the majority. This eliminates

1365-460: A result, the rivers feeding Hetch Hetchy Reservoir have extremely low loads of sediments and nutrients. The watershed is also strictly protected, so swimming and boating are prohibited at the reservoir (although fishing is permitted at the reservoir and in the rivers which feed it), a measure which is considered unusual for US lakes outside the region. In 2018, the Department of the Interior of

1456-405: A seven-year environmental struggle with the environmental group Sierra Club , led by John Muir . Muir observed: Dam Hetch Hetchy! As well dam for water-tanks the people's cathedrals and churches, for no holier temple has ever been consecrated by the heart of man. Proponents of the dam replied that out of multiple sites considered by San Francisco, Hetch Hetchy had the "perfect architecture for

1547-736: 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 . The city must pay a lease of $ 30,000 per year for the use of Hetch Hetchy, which sits on federal land. The aqueduct delivers an average of 265,000 acre⋅ft (327,000,000 m ) of water each year, or 31,900,000 cu ft (900,000 m ) per day, to residents of San Francisco and San Mateo , Santa Clara and Alameda Counties. As completed, O'Shaughnessy Dam

1638-456: A temporary measure, but no attempt to follow through with completing the municipal grid was ever made. Peter Byrne of SF Weekly has stated that "the plain language of the Raker Act itself and experts who are familiar with the act (and have no stake in city politics) all agree: The city of San Francisco is not in violation of the Raker Act." Harold L. Ickes , Secretary of the Interior in

1729-713: A width ranging from 1 ⁄ 8 to 1 ⁄ 2 mile (660 to 2,640 ft; 200 to 800 m). The valley floor consisted of roughly 1,200 acres (490 ha) of meadows fringed by pine forest, through which meandered the Tuolumne River and numerous tributary streams. Kolana Rock , at 5,772 ft (1,759 m), is a massive rock spire on the south side of the Hetch Hetchy Valley. Hetch Hetchy Dome , at 6,197 ft (1,889 m), lies directly north of it. The locations of these two formations roughly correspond with those of Cathedral Rocks and El Capitan seen from Tunnel View in Yosemite Valley. A broad, low rocky outcrop situated between Kolana Rock and Hetch Hetchy Dome divided

1820-782: Is 910 feet (280 m) long, spanning the valley at its narrow outlet. The dam contains 675,000 cu yd (516,000 m ) of concrete. The Hetch Hetchy Reservoir created by the dam has a capacity of 360,400 acre⋅ft (0.4445 km ), with a maximum area of 1,972 acres (798 ha) and a maximum depth of 306 feet (93 m). From Hetch Hetchy Reservoir, the water flows through the Canyon and Mountain Tunnels to Kirkwood and Moccasin Powerhouses , which have capacities of 124 and 110 megawatts , respectively. An additional hydroelectric system comprising Cherry Lake , Lake Eleanor and

1911-601: Is counted chronologically as both the second and fourth mayor. The longest term was that of James Rolph , who served over 18 years until his resignation to become the California governor . The length of his tenure as mayor was largely due to his popularity. During his term, San Francisco saw the expansion of its transit system , the construction of the Civic Center and the hosting of the World's Fair . The shortest term

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2002-571: Is elected every four years; until 2019 elections took place one year before United States presidential elections on election day in November . Candidates must live and be registered to vote in San Francisco at the time of the election. The mayor is usually sworn in on the January 8 following the election. The next election for a full mayoral term will be in 2024 . In 2022, San Francisco voters passed Proposition H, which changed mayoral elections to

2093-422: Is former District 5 supervisor and president of the Board of Supervisors London Breed , who won a special election following the death of Mayor Ed Lee on December 12, 2017. Breed served out the remainder of Lee's uncompleted term (until January 8, 2020), after which she is eligible to run for two full terms of her own including the 2019 San Francisco mayoral election which she won. The mayor of San Francisco

2184-696: Is headed by a board consisting of five Commissioners, who are nominated by the Mayor of San Francisco and confirmed by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors . Each of the five Commissioners is chosen according to criteria set forth in the San Francisco City Charter: Seat 1 on the Commission shall be a member with experience in environmental policy and an understanding of environmental justice issues. Seat 2 shall be

2275-493: Is located farther southeast, on Rancheria Creek. Formerly, a "small but noisy" waterfall and natural pool existed on the Tuolumne River marked the upper entrance to Hetch Hetchy Valley, informally known as Tuolumne Fall (not to be confused with a similarly named waterfall several miles upriver near Tuolumne Meadows ). The waterfall on the Tuolumne is now submerged under Hetch Hetchy Reservoir. The Hetch Hetchy Valley began as

2366-637: Is the only Asian American to serve as mayor. Three mayors have Jewish ancestry: Washington Bartlett (Sephardi), Adolph Sutro (Ashkenazi), and Dianne Feinstein (Ashkenazi). Thirteen mayors are native San Franciscans: Levi Richard Ellert , James D. Phelan , Eugene Schmitz , James Rolph, Elmer Robinson , John F. Shelley , Joseph Alioto , George Moscone, Dianne Feinstein, Frank Jordan , Gavin Newsom , Mark Farrell , and London Breed . Four mayors are foreign-born: Frank McCoppin and P.H. McCarthy ( United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland , both born in what

2457-605: The Arroyo de la Laguna and Alameda Creeks , the Sunol infiltration galleries , and a 30-inch pipeline from the artesian well field of Pleasanton . Municipal efforts to buy out the SVWC had been a source of constant controversy from as early as 1873, when the first attempt to purchase it was turned down by San Francisco voters because the price was too high. Other sources claim that as one born into wealth and classically educated, Bourn

2548-723: The California Gold Rush . Miners did not stay in the area for long, however, as richer deposits occurred further south along the Merced River and in the Big Oak Flat area. After the valley's native inhabitants were driven out by the newcomers, it was used by ranchers, many of whom were former miners, to graze livestock. Animals were principally driven along Joseph Screech's trail from Big Oak Flat to Hetch Hetchy. Its meadows provided abundant feed for "thousands of head of sheep and cattle that entered lean and lank in

2639-759: The Hayward fault . Pipelines 1 and 2 cross the San Francisco Bay to the south of the Dumbarton Bridge , while pipelines 3 and 4 run to the south of the bay. In the Bay Area, Hetch Hetchy water is stored in local facilities including Calaveras Reservoir , Crystal Springs Reservoir , and San Antonio Reservoir . Pipelines 3 and 4 end at the Pulgas Water Temple , a small park that contains classical architectural elements which celebrate

2730-413: 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 . Before damming, the high granite formations produced a valley with an average depth of 1,800 ft (550 m) and a maximum depth of over 3,000 ft (910 m); the length of the valley was 3 mi (4.8 km) with

2821-830: The Muni transit system. Hetch Hetchy Power also provides electricity to some commercial and residential developments, including affordable housing sites. The SFPUC also administers and operates CleanPowerSF , a Community Choice Aggregation program within the guidelines of California State law. Together, the SFPUC’s two power programs meet over 75% of the electricity demand in San Francisco. In 2023, CleanPowerSF and Hetch Hetchy Power collectively saved customers more than $ 170 million on electric bills compared to for-profit utility PG&E. The SFPUC manages an extensive wastewater system that collects, conveys, and provides secondary treatment to combined sewage flows (both stormwater and sewage) within

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2912-741: The Pinchot-Ballinger Controversy caused both Richard A. Ballinger and Gifford Pinchot to resign and be fired respectively. The openings in the Taft administration led to the eventual success of the Raker Act. Work on the Hetch Hetchy Project began in 1914. The 68 mi (109 km) Hetch Hetchy Railroad was constructed to link the Sierra Railway with Hetch Hetchy Valley, allowing for direct rail shipment of construction materials from San Francisco to

3003-482: The San Francisco city and county government . The officeholder has the duty to enforce city laws, and the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors , the legislative branch . The mayor serves a four-year term and is limited to two successive terms. Because of San Francisco 's status as a consolidated city-county , the mayor also serves as the head of government of

3094-610: The United States . The glacial Hetch Hetchy Valley lies in the northwestern part of Yosemite National Park and is drained by the Tuolumne River . For thousands of years before the arrival of settlers from the United States in the 1850s, the valley was inhabited by Native Americans who practiced subsistence hunting-gathering. During the late 19th century, the valley was renowned for its natural beauty – often compared to that of Yosemite Valley – but also targeted for

3185-403: The mayor of San Francisco at the time, said in a Los Angeles Times story in 1987: "All this is for an expanded campground? ... It's dumb, dumb, dumb." Hodel, now retired, remains a strong proponent of restoring Hetch Hetchy Valley and Senator Feinstein remained strongly against restoration. The George W. Bush administration proposed allocating $ 7 million to studying the removal of

3276-415: The 1880s, San Francisco was looking to Hetch Hetchy water as a fix for its outdated and unreliable water system. The city would repeatedly try to acquire water rights to Hetch Hetchy, including in 1901, 1903 and 1905, but was continually rebuffed because of conflicts with irrigation districts that had senior water rights on the Tuolumne River, and because of the valley's national park status. In 1906, after

3367-400: The 19th century, the first white visitors to the valley did not realize that Hetch Hetchy's extensive meadows were the product of millennia of management by Native Americans; instead they believed "the valley was purely a product of ancient geological forces (or divine intervention) ... this was fundamental to its allure as a destination and subject." The valley's name may be derived from

3458-502: The Bay Area, it passes through the Irvington tunnel near the city of Fremont , and the aqueduct splits into four pipelines at 37°32′53″N 121°55′55″W  /  37.548104°N 121.932041°W  / 37.548104; -121.932041 . These are called Bay Division Pipelines (BDPL) 1, 2, 3, and 4, with nominal pipeline diameters of 60, 66, 78, and 96 inches (1.5, 1.7, 2.0 and 2.4 m, respectively). All four pipelines cross

3549-450: The Board of Supervisors and its committees, appoint a replacement to fill vacancies in all city elected offices until elections, appoint a member of the Board to serve as acting mayor in the absence of the mayor, and to direct personnel in the case of emergency. When mayors die in office, resign, or are unable to carry out their duties, and did not designate an acting mayor, the president of the Board of Supervisors becomes acting mayor until

3640-741: The City & County of San Francisco before discharging it into the San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean. The Southeast Water Pollution Control Plant handles about 80% of the city's wastewater, while the Oceanside Water Pollution Control Plant handles the remaining 20%. A third facility, the North Point Wet-Weather Facility , only operates during wet weather to provide primary treatment to combined sewage prior to discharging to

3731-422: The Hetch Hetchy Valley. Bierstadt described the valley as "smaller than the more famous valley ... but it presents many of the same features in his scenery and is quite as beautiful." When Yosemite Valley became part of a state park in 1864, Hetch Hetchy received no such designation. As the grazing of livestock damaged native plants in the Hetch Hetchy Valley, mountaineer and naturalist John Muir pressed for

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3822-474: The Hetch Hetchy area, including the largest North American bat, the western mastiff . Before damming, the valley floor contained abundant stands of black oaks, live oak , Ponderosa pine , Douglas fir , and silver fir bordering the meadows, with alder , willow , poplar and dogwood in the riparian zone along the Tuolumne River. The valley's abundant plants provided nourishment for mule deer , black bears and bighorn sheep . Due to large cataracts on

3913-560: The Holm Powerhouse is also part of the Hetch Hetchy Project, adding another 169 megawatts of generating capacity. The entire system produces about 1.7 billion kilowatt hours per year, enough to meet 20% of San Francisco's electricity needs. After passing through the powerhouses, Hetch Hetchy water flows into the 167 mi (269 km) Hetch Hetchy Aqueduct which travels across the Central Valley. Just before reaching

4004-591: The San Francisco Bay. From the mid-19th Century, much of the Alameda County watershed was owned by the Spring Valley Water Company (SVWC), a private enterprise which held a monopoly on water service to San Francisco . In 1906, William Bowers Bourn II , a major stockholder in the SVWC, and owner of the giant Empire Mine , hired Willis Polk to design a "water temple" atop the spot where three subterranean water mains converge, from

4095-592: The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission. At the time of its formation, the commission was responsible for the Hetch Hetchy Project , San Francisco Municipal Railway , Water Department, and Airport . The Airport was later transferred out of the SFPUC to the newly formed Airport Commission in 1971. Similarly, in 1994 the Municipal Railway was moved out to the separate Public Transportation Commission. The SFPUC

4186-539: The Sierra Club and Restore Hetch Hetchy state that draining Hetch Hetchy would open the valley back up to recreation, a right that should be provided to the American people because the reservoir is within the legal boundaries of a national park. They acknowledge that a concerted effort would have to be made to control the introduction of wildlife and tourism back into the valley in order to prevent destabilization of

4277-564: The Trump administration began to consider a proposal to allow limited boating on the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir for the first time, supported by the advocacy group Restore Hetch Hetchy which argued that "San Francisco received [Hetch Hetchy's] benefits long ago, but the American people have not." The battle over Hetch Hetchy Valley continues today between those who wish to retain the dam and reservoir, and those who wish to drain

4368-567: The Tuolumne River by raising the New Don Pedro Dam 30 ft (9.1 m). Water could be diverted into the Kirkwood and Moccasin Powerhouses using lower-impact diversion dams , providing power generation on a seasonal basis, and the increased height, and thus hydraulic head , at Don Pedro would also increase power generation there. Furthermore, the removal of O'Shaughnessy Dam would not require costly sediment control measures, as would be typical on most dam removal projects, because of

4459-434: The Tuolumne River upstream, Hetch Hetchy Valley may have been in the uppermost range for native rainbow trout in the river. Due to its abundant wetlands and stream pools, Hetch Hetchy was notorious among early travelers for becoming infested with mosquitoes in the summertime. Said San Francisco resident William Denman in 1918, "The first time I went into the Hetch Hetchy the mosquitoes were intolerable. They would light upon

4550-500: The aqueduct system – to meet its needs. The economic wisdom of removing the dam has been frequently questioned. Some observers, such as Carl Pope (director of the Sierra Club ), stated that Hodel had political motives in proposing the study. The imputed motive was to divide the environmental movement: to see residents of the strongly Democratic city of San Francisco coming out against an environmental issue. Dianne Feinstein ,

4641-654: The arrival of the first Hetch Hetchy water in the city. The Early Intake (Lower Cherry) Powerhouse began commercial operation five years before the O'Shaughnessy Dam was completed. The first Moccasin Powerhouse in Moccasin, California began commercial operation in 1925 followed by the Holm Powerhouse in 1960 (the same month the Early Intake Powerhouse was taken out of service). In 1967 the Robert C. Kirkwood Powerhouse started commercial operation followed by

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4732-405: The ballot, and multiple candidates from a single party can run in the election. Mayoral elections were originally run under a two-round system . If no candidate received a simple majority of votes in the general election, the two candidates who received the most votes competed in a second runoff election held several weeks later. In 2002, the election system for city officials was overhauled as

4823-535: The catchment area of the Merced River above Yosemite, allowing a greater volume of ice to form. Hetch Hetchy is home to a diverse array of plants and animals. Gray pine , incense-cedar , and California black oak grow in abundance. Many examples of red-barked manzanita can be seen along the Hetch Hetchy Road. Spring and early summer bring wildflowers including lupine , wallflower , monkey flower , and buttercup . Seventeen species of bats inhabit

4914-399: The city to conduct an $ 8 million study on how the flooded valley could be drained and restored to its former state. The proposed study would also have been required to identify potential replacements for the water storage capacity and hydroelectric power production. Mayor of San Francisco The mayor of the City and County of San Francisco is the head of the executive branch of

5005-536: The county; both entities have been governed together by a combined set of governing bodies since 1856. There have been 45 individuals who have served as mayor in San Francisco since 1850, when California became a state following the American Conquest of California . Prior to the conquest, Californios served as Mayor of San Francisco during the Spanish and Mexican eras since 1779. The current mayor

5096-447: The dam in the 2007 National Park Service budget. Dianne Feinstein opposed this allocation, saying, "I will do all I can to make sure it isn't included in the final bill. We're not going to remove this dam, and the funding is unnecessary." Opponents of dam removal have pointed out that the flooding of the Hetch Hetchy Valley has also deterred the crowds that overrun other areas of Yosemite National Park. Indeed, Hetch Hetchy today remains

5187-469: The dam site. Construction of O'Shaughnessy Dam began in 1919 and was finished in 1923, with the reservoir first filling in May of that year. The dam was then 227 feet (69 m) high; its present height of 312 feet (95 m) was achieved only later, in 1938. On October 28, 1934 – twenty years after the beginning of construction on the Hetch Hetchy project – a crowd of 20,000 San Franciscans gathered to celebrate

5278-480: The development of water supply for irrigation and municipal interests. The controversy over damming Hetch Hetchy became mired in the political issues of the day. The law authorizing the dam passed Congress on December 7, 1913. In 1923, the O'Shaughnessy Dam was completed on the Tuolumne River, flooding the entire valley under the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir . The dam and reservoir are the centerpiece of

5369-405: The dominant tribe. About 1853, his brother, Joseph Screech (credited in some accounts for the original discovery of the valley) blazed the first trail from Big Oak Flat , a mining camp near present-day Lake Don Pedro , for 38 mi (61 km) northeast to Hetch Hetchy Valley. During this time, the upper Tuolumne River, including Hetch Hetchy Valley, was visited by prospectors attracted by

5460-431: The east. The valley provided an escape from the summer heat of the lowlands. They hunted, and gathered seeds and edible plants to furnish themselves winter food, trade items, and materials for art and ceremonial objects. Today, descendants of these people still use milkweed , deergrass , bracken fern , willow , and other plants for a variety of uses including baskets, medicines, and string. Meadow plants unavailable in

5551-481: The ecosystem, and that it might be decades or even centuries before the valley could be returned to natural conditions. In 1987, the idea of razing the O'Shaughnessy Dam gained an adherent in Don Hodel , Secretary of the Department of the Interior under President Ronald Reagan . Hodel called for a study of the effect of tearing down the dam. The National Park Service concluded that two years after draining

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5642-419: The former meadow in two distinct sections. The valley is fed by the Tuolumne River , Falls Creek , Tiltill Creek , Rancheria Creek , and numerous smaller streams which collectively drain a watershed of 459 sq mi (1,190 km ). In its natural state, the valley floor was marshy and often flooded in the spring when snow melt in the high Sierra cascaded down the Tuolumne River and backed up behind

5733-421: The full Board selects a person to fill the vacancy and finish the previous mayoral term. (In the case that both the president of the Board of Supervisors and the mayor are incapacitated, the order of succession is followed. ) This has happened seven times: James Otis died in office and was succeeded by George Hewston , Eugene Schmitz was removed and succeeded by Charles Boxton , Charles Boxton resigned and

5824-500: The high quality of the Tuolumne River water – in the first 90 years since its construction, only around 2 in (5.1 cm) of sediment had been deposited in Hetch Hetchy Reservoir, much less than most other dams. A 2019 study commissioned by Restore Hetch Hetchy argued that draining the reservoir and equipping the valley with a tourism infrastructure comparable to that of Yosemite Valley (which receives around 100 times as many visitors annually as Hetch Hetchy's 44,000) could result in

5915-489: The late 1930s, said there was a violation of the Raker Act, but he and the city reached an agreement in 1945. In 2015, Restore Hetch Hetchy filed a complaint arguing that the construction of the dam had violated a provision in the constitution of California about water use, but the lawsuit was rejected by an appeals court and later the California State Supreme Court. Preservation groups including

6006-455: The least visited developed area of the park. Karin Klein has described Yosemite Valley as "so crammed ... that it looks more like a ripstop ghetto than the site of a nature experience." However, she does support breaching the dam once it has reached the end of its lifespan, and not replacing it. In November 2012, San Francisco voters soundly rejected Proposition F, which would have required

6097-401: The lowlands were particularly valuable resources to these tribes. For thousands of years, Native Americans subjected the valley to controlled bushfires, which prevented forest from taking over the valley meadows. Periodic clearing of the valley provided ample space for the growth of the grasses and shrubs they relied on, as well as additional room for large game animals such as deer to browse. In

6188-549: The mayor, including the chief investment officer and the managing director of the San Francisco Employees' Retirement System, who oversee the city's pension plan. Unlike a few other American cities, the San Francisco mayor does not have an official residence ; in the 1990s, Mayor Willie Brown unsuccessfully pushed to acquire the Yerba Buena Island mansion formerly used by U.S. Navy admirals as

6279-541: The modern name Hetch Hetchy to Screech's initial arrival in the valley, during which he observed the Native Americans "cooking a variety of grass covered with edible seeds", which they called "hatch hatchy" or "hatchhatchie". Screech reported that the valley was bitterly disputed between the "Pah Utah Indians" (Paiute) and "Big Creek Indians" (Miwok), and witnessed several fights in which the Paiute appeared to be

6370-486: The narrow gorge which is now spanned by O'Shaughnessy Dam. The entire valley is now flooded under an average 300 ft (91 m) of water behind the dam, although it occasionally reemerges in droughts, as it did in 1955, 1977, and 1991. Upstream from the valley lies the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne , while the smaller Poopenaut Valley is directly downstream from O'Shaughnessy Dam. The Hetch Hetchy Road drops into

6461-417: The need to hold a separate runoff election and saves money. This was first implemented in the 2004 Board of Supervisors election after two years of preparation. In 2007, the new system was implemented in the mayoral election for the first time. As of 2017, the mayor is paid an annual salary of $ 342,974, the highest mayoral salary in the United States . Nine city public employees earned higher salaries than

6552-611: The new park continued their use of Hetch Hetchy Valley – a "sheep-grazing free-for-all [that] threatened to denude the High Sierra meadows" – before disputes over state and private properties in respect to national park boundaries were finally settled in the early 1900s. Interest in using the valley as a water source or reservoir dates back as far as the 1850s, when the Tuolumne Valley Water Company proposed developing water storage there for irrigation. By

6643-418: The north and southwest. When the glacier retreated for the final time, sediment-laden meltwater deposited thick layers of silt , forming the flat alluvial floodplain of the valley floor. Compared with Yosemite Valley, the walls of Hetch Hetchy are smoother and rounder because it was glaciated to a greater extent. This is because the Tuolumne catchment basin above Hetch Hetchy is almost three times as large as

6734-498: The protection of both valleys under a single national park. Muir, who himself had briefly worked as a shepherd in Hetch Hetchy, was known for calling sheep "hoofed locusts" because of their environmental impact. Muir's friend Robert Underwood Johnson of the politically influential Century Magazine and several other prominent figures were inspired by Muir's work and helped to get Yosemite National Park established by October 1, 1890. However, ranchers who had previously owned land in

6825-667: The remaining two-thirds are sent to customers in Alameda , San Mateo , and Santa Clara counties. The SFPUC has been an clean power provider for more than 100 years, when it began generating hydro power for the construction of the O'Shaughnessy Dam . The SFPUC Power Enterprise includes two power programs: Hetch Hetchy Power and CleanPowerSF. Hetch Hetchy Power generates and delivers 100% greenhouse gas-free energy to more than 6,300 customer accounts, including municipal buildings and facilities, such as San Francisco General Hospital, San Francisco International Airport , schools, libraries and

6916-408: The reservoir and return Hetch Hetchy Valley to its former state. Those in favor of dam removal have pointed out that many actions by San Francisco since 1913 have been in violation of the Raker Act, which explicitly stated that power and water from Hetch Hetchy could not be sold to private interests. Hydroelectric power generated from the Hetch Hetchy project is largely sold to Bay Area customers through

7007-472: The reservoir" is feasible. The dam would not have to be completely removed; rather, it would only be necessary to cut a hole through the base in order to drain the water and restore natural flows of the Tuolumne River. Most of the dam would remain in place, both to avoid the enormous costs of demolition and removal, and to serve as a monument for the workers who built it. The water storage provided at Hetch Hetchy could be transferred into Lake Don Pedro lower on

7098-488: The river could only be used for public interests. Ultimately, San Francisco sold hydropower from the dam to the Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), which led to decades of legal wrangling and controversy over terms in the Raker Act. The controversy over Hetch Hetchy was in the context of other political scandals and controversies, especially prevalent in the Taft administration. The Great Alaskan Land Fraud and

7189-429: The same cycle as presidential elections. This gives London Breed an additional year to her first full term. This change was proposed because of the low turnout in off-year elections. For example, 2019 saw a turnout of only 42%, while 2020 saw 86% turnout. Under the California constitution, all city elections in the state are conducted on a non-partisan basis. As a result, candidates' party affiliations are not listed on

7280-423: The south had permanent Miwok settlements, Hetch Hetchy was only seasonally inhabited. This was likely because of Hetch Hetchy's narrow outlet, which in years of heavy snowmelt created a bottleneck in the Tuolumne River and the subsequent flooding of the valley floor. In the early 1850s, a mountain man by the name of Nathan Screech became the first non-Native American to enter the valley. Local legend attributes

7371-528: The spring, but left rolling fat and hardly able to negotiate the precipitous and difficult defiles out of the mountains in the fall." In 1867, Charles F. Hoffman of the California Geological Survey conducted the first survey of the valley. Hoffman observed a meadow "well timbered and affording good grazing", and noted the valley had a milder climate than Yosemite Valley, hence the abundance of ponderosa pine and gray pine. The valley

7462-545: The valley at the dam, but all points east of there are roadless, and accessible only to hikers and equestrians. The O'Shaughnessy Dam is near Yosemite's western boundary, but the long, narrow, fingerlike reservoir stretches eastward for about 8 miles (13 km). Wapama Falls , at 1,080 ft (330 m), and Tueeulala Falls , at 840 ft (260 m) – both among the tallest waterfalls in North America – are both located in Hetch Hetchy Valley. Rancheria Falls

7553-523: The valley, grasses would cover most of its floor and within 10 years, clumps of cone-bearing trees and some oaks would take root. Within 50 years, vegetative cover would be complete except for exposed rocky areas. In this unmanaged scenario, where nature is left to take hold in the valley, eventually a forest would grow, rather than the meadow being restored. However, the same NPS study also finds that with intensive management, an outcome in which "the entire valley would appear much as it did before construction of

7644-420: The water delivery. Water from Hetch Hetchy is some of the cleanest municipal water in the United States; San Francisco is one of six U.S. cities not required by law to filter its tap water, although the water is disinfected by ozonation and, since 2011, exposure to UV . The water quality is high because of the unique geology of the upper Tuolumne River drainage basin, which consists mostly of bare granite; as

7735-548: The water's destruction of lichen growth on the canyon walls, which would inevitably be visible at low lake levels. Since the valley was within Yosemite National Park , an act of Congress was needed to authorize the project. The U.S. Congress passed and President Woodrow Wilson signed the Raker Act in 1913, which permitted the flooding of the valley under the conditions that power and water derived from

7826-488: Was convicted in July 2023 of felony bribery and bank fraud and sentenced to four years in prison. With the goal of improving sustainability and the city of San Francisco's goal to become a "zero emission city" by 2030, the SFPUC is implementing a number of projects in all of its core businesses: water, power and sewer. Hetch Hetchy Reservoir Hetch Hetchy is a valley, reservoir, and water system in California in

7917-530: Was partially motivated by a sense of civic responsibility. Prior to completion of the Hetch Hetchy Aqueduct in 1934, half of San Francisco's water supply, approximately 6 million gallons per day passed through the Sunol temple . The SVWC, including the temple, was purchased by the city of San Francisco in 1930 for US$ 40 million. In 1932, a new city charter was adopted which established

8008-488: Was sculpted into its present shape by repeated advance and retreat of the ice, which also removed extensive talus deposits that may have accumulated in the valley since the Sherwin period. At maximum extent, Tioga Glacier may have been 60 mi (97 km) long and up to 4,000 ft (1,200 m) thick, filling Hetch Hetchy Valley to the brim and spilling over the sides, carving out the present rugged plateau country to

8099-494: Was slowly becoming known for its natural beauty, but it was never a popular tourist destination because of extremely poor access and the location of the famous Yosemite Valley just 20 miles (32 km) to the south. Those who did visit it were enchanted by its scenery, but encountered difficulties with the primitive conditions and, in summertime, swarms of mosquitoes. Albert Bierstadt , Charles Dorman Robinson and William Keith were known for their landscapes that drew tourists to

8190-554: Was succeeded by Edward Robeson Taylor , James Rolph resigned and was succeeded by Angelo Rossi , George Moscone was assassinated and was succeeded by Dianne Feinstein , Gavin Newsom resigned and was succeeded by Ed Lee , and Lee died in office and was succeeded by London Breed before the San Francisco Board of Supervisors selected Mark Farrell as interim mayor. To date, 44 individuals have served as San Francisco mayor. There have been 45 mayoralties due to Charles James Brenham 's serving two non-consecutive terms: he

8281-423: Was that of Charles Boxton , who served only eight days before resigning from office. Three mayors have died in office: Otis died from illness, Moscone was assassinated in 1978, and Lee died from cardiac arrest. Dianne Feinstein and London Breed are the only women who have served as mayor, both of them by succession and by election; Willie Brown and London Breed are the only African Americans to serve to date; Ed Lee

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