Hetch Hetchy Reservoir is no longer necessary to provide a reliable water supply to San Francisco and other Bay Area communities!

See our groundbreaking new report and letters to public officials:

In a nutshell:

  • The total demand for water in San Francisco’s Regional Water System has dropped 19%;
  • San Francisco can connect Cherry Lake to its existing conveyance system and meet full system demands with ample reserves;
  • No other water agencies need be involved.

Therefore, there is no further justification for retaining the reservoir. It is time to restore Hetch Hetchy Valley to Yosemite National Park, its wildlife and its visitors.

San Francisco’s Cherry Reservoir, at 4700’ elevation just north of Hetch Hetchy but outside of Yosemite, is not presently connected to its conveyance system. (Photo: U.S. National Park Service)

Total consumption of the San Francisco Regional Water System has decreased 19% – (from an average of 273 thousand acre-feet (TAF) per year during 2002-2012 to 220 thousand acre-feet per year during 2012-2022).

As a result, the San Francisco Regional Water System can deliver full supplies under its water rights using other reservoirs – even after a repeat of the worst droughts of the 20th century there would be more than two years worth of supply in storage. The San Francisco Regional Water System would still be one of the most reliable in California.

Only minor conveyance improvements are needed. San Francisco could divert the natural flow of the Tuolumne River as it leaves Hetch Hetchy Valley. When the natural flow of the Tuolumne is insufficient to meet demand, typically in late summer and fall, releases from Cherry Reservoir would be diverted through the new Cherry Intertie.

We have sent Restoring Hetch Hetchy: The Cherry Solution to officials in both San Francisco and Washington D.C. along with letters cosigned by former Secretary of the Interior Donald Hodel, former State Senator Lois Wolk and Robert Hanna – the great great grandson of John Muir. The letters ask for leadership and cooperation to initiate, to plan and to guide the restoration process, and to establish a funding mechanism through which public and private contributions can be collected and coordinated to help cover restoration costs.

Restoring Hetch Hetchy Valley represents an exceptional opportunity to reconcile infrastructure and conservation. It is a chance not only to restore a treasure in Yosemite National Park, but also to offer the world a powerful example of what thoughtful stewardship, innovation, and shared purpose can achieve. We can meet the needs of today while expanding the natural legacy of our national parks for generations to come.

Restore Hetch Hetchy hopes that Restoring Hetch Hetchy: The Cherry Solution will inspire elected officials to take action. We look forward to working cooperatively with all interested parties. We will keep you posted.

We are excited about Restoring Hetch Hetchy: The Cherry Solution and we hope you’ll read it. We are indebted to Michael Cameron, Donald Hodel, Jerry Meral and David Roe for their assistance. For those interested in the report’s technical details, see The Cherry Solution – Report Notes and Modeling Methodology.

Inquiries can be sent to restoration@hetchhetchy.org.