58 out of 60 large reservoirs in California allow both fishing and boating. Only Hetch Hetchy Reservoir in Yosemite National Park and Lake Matthews in Riverside County do not.
The vision of Restore Hetch Hetchy is to return to the people Yosemite Valley’s lost twin, Hetch Hetchy – a majestic glacier-carved valley with towering cliffs and waterfalls, an untamed place where river and wildlife run free, a new kind of national park.
We need to convince Congress to rescind or modify the Raker Act (provisions of the law, other than permission to dam Hetch Hetchy, should mostly be kept) or to convince San Francisco to relinquish the reservoir voluntarily. To build support, we are encouraging more people to visit Hetch Hetchy even with the dam in place.
As we have written, however (e.g. see Keeping Promises), access to Hetch Hetchy and recreational opportunities have been minimal after a century under the inordinate influence of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission. We are working with the National Park Service to make Hetch Hetchy more accessible and more attractive to park visitors. We have had some success but there is a lot more that needs to be done. The public should be allowed to camp at Hetch Hetchy, to fish in the reservoir, and to boat on the reservoir – for sightseeing or to explore Hetch Hetchy’s extraordinary perimeter.
Camping, boating and fishing are the norm at large reservoirs in California. It is especially unacceptable that these activities are not allowed in Yosemite National Park, especially given San Francisco’s assurances and Congress’ expectations when Raker Act was passed.
Hetch Hetchy stands out as a reservoir with very limited recreation opportunities compared to others in California. Below (and attached) is a summary of recreation at California’s 60 largest reservoirs – those storing more than 100,000 acre-feet of water.
Hetch Hetchy and Recreation
at Large Reservoirs in California
September 2024
There are 60 reservoirs in California which store more than 100,000 acre-feet of water. The vast majority of these large reservoirs provide five types of recreation – camping, fishing, boating, swimming and hiking trails.
Recreation at Hetch Hetchy Reservoir, however, is limited, in spite of the expectations of Congress when it passed the Raker Act allowing Hetch Hetchy Valley to be dammed and flooded. Hiking trails are available, including the spectacular path to Wapama Falls and beyond, but camping, fishing, boating and swimming are prohibited.
Hetch Hetchy Reservoir and Lake Matthews are the only large reservoirs in California which prohibit fishing and boating. Also, 54 of the 60 large reservoirs allow camping, an activity available at Hetch Hetchy only for backpackers.
San Francisco stores water in 9 reservoirs – 4 in the Sierra Nevada and 5 in the Bay Area. Supplies delivered directly from Hetch Hetchy Reservoir have a rare exemption and do not require filtration. Water released from San Francisco’s Bay Area reservoirs provide about 30% of total supply and is filtered at treatment plants in Sunol and Daly City. These Bay Area reservoirs, all under 100,000 acre-feet in capacity, allow no public access.
The National Park Service manages Hetch Hetchy Reservoir in accordance with the Raker Act and other statutes. The Raker Act prohibits swimming in the reservoir and includes other limited measures to protect water quality, but expressly precludes the National Park Service from considering San Francisco’s filtration exemption in its management of Hetch Hetchy Reservoir. Nevertheless, until 2024 the National Park Service specifically used San Francisco’s filtration exemption as rationale for prohibiting fishing and boating at Hetch Hetchy. In May 2024, the National Park Service changed this rationale, and is currently citing the NPS Organic Act and the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act as justification for retaining its prohibition on fishing and boating at Hetch Hetchy.
Restore Hetch Hetchy respectfully asks the National Park Service to permit fishing, boating and camping at Hetch Hetchy. These activities would allow all visitors to fully appreciate the Hetch Hetchy canyon as well as provide hikers, campers, fishermen and climbers practical access to the streams feeding Hetch Hetchy and the granite monoliths surrounding the reservoir. The public deserves more opportunities for recreation at Hetch Hetchy.
Large Reservoirs providing five types of recreation: Shasta, Oroville, Trinity, Don Pedro, San Luis, Lake Berryessa, Isabella, Lake Almanor, Folsom, Exchequer, Pine Flat, New Bullards Bar, Lake Tahoe, Lake Havasu, Clear Lake, Millerton, Nacimiento, Warm Springs, Camanche, Clear Lake, Indian Valley, Black Butte, San Antonio, New Hogan, Castaic, Casitas, Stampede, Whiskeytown, Cherry Valley, Union Valley, Terminus, Schafer, Hell Hole, Buena Vista, Spicer, Eastman Lake, Lake Crowley, Pyramid, Imperial, Mendocino, Salt Springs, Edison Lake, Camp Far West, Shaver, Courtright, Wishon, Perris, Mammoth Pool, Hidden, Bucks Lake & Englebright.
Large Reservoirs providing four types of recreation: Bradbury, Pardee, Los Vaqueros & Anderson.
Large Reservoirs providing three types of recreation: Diamond Valley, San Vicente & El Capitan.
Large Reservoirs providing one type of recreation: Hetch Hetchy
Large Reservoirs providing no recreation: Lake Matthews
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Note our new address – we have moved to the suite next door: Restore Hetch Hetchy, 3286 Adeline Street, Berkeley, CA 94703
And please join us and special guest Pulitzer Prize winner Tom Philp at our Annual Dinner in Lafayette on October 26!
