It was great to see media coverage for our Cherry Solution report.
- The Fresno NBC and CBS affiliates posted Yosemite’s Hetch Hetchy could be drained without an impact to SF, report finds online.
- The Mariposa Gazette published Group asks SF Mayor to give up Hetch Hetchy – subscription required.
Both articles are short but on point – noting the unprecedented history of allowing a dam in a national park, and that sharply increased demand across its Regional Water System makes it far easier for San Francisco to do the right thing – to relinquish the reservoir so the valley can be restored.
There is widespread support for restoration (see below, for example), albeit to date reluctance to address the issue in Congress and resistance among officials in San Francisco. This needs to change. Hetch Hetchy can be restored and San Francisco can get all the water it needs from the Tuolumne River. It’s a win-win. We are hopeful that time may be right for the San Francisco Mayor and Congress to take advantage of the opportunity at hand.
In 2019, Probolsky Research, an independent firm, asked the following question of 903 respondents:
California’s Yosemite National Park once included two glacier-carved valleys – Yosemite Valley along the Merced River and Hetch Hetchy Valley along the Tuolumne River. In 1913, Congress allowed San Francisco to dam Hetch Hetchy Valley and turn it into a reservoir for the City.
Should Yosemite National Park’s Hetch Hetchy Valley be restored, if it can be accomplished without impacting San Francisco’s water supply?
61.5% of likely voters responded yes.
See summary for a demographic breakdown.
Go to Hetch Hetchy – it is easy to imagine the glory of restoring the valley. Photo: Matt Stoecker