Dam! Water, Power, Politics and Preservation in Hetch Hetchy and Yosemite National Park

January 29, 2009 at 2:12 p.m.
Dam! Water, Power, Politics and Preservation in Hetch Hetchy and Yosemite National Park
Dam! Water, Power, Politics and Preservation in Hetch Hetchy and Yosemite National Park
By Jill Williams

The San Francisco Bay area needed to find a water supply that would provide for the increasing demands as the city grew in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Many proposals were made, many close to home, but through some circumspect politics it was decided that a dam would be created in the Hetch Hetchy Valley of Yosemite National Park, and the cost to the environment would be less important than a water source for San Francisco. Despite emerging conservationist ideals and groups such as the Sierra Club, the people of America were not yet fully behind preservation of resources. There were those, of course, who fought to preserve natural resources, such as Audubon and Muir, but with differing ideals. Congress had established national parks, but had failed to limit to what extend people could use the resources contained therein.

In the 1860's, Spring Valley Water Company was the dominant water supplier to the Bay area, and stayed that way for more than 60 years. They bought up all the water rights around, forcing any competitor to face the task of piping in water from distant supplies across the bay. Spring Valley had provided free water for municipal sources, but eventually they put a meter on the municipal spigot. The city refused to pay the bills. At one time, the city owed $400,000 just for water use in Golden Gate Park.

When the people in San Francisco were in need of more water, the city leaders decided to find a source that would provide for the most people and eliminate the rising debt the city was accumulating for having water piped in from Spring Valley. Conservationists worked to persuade President Roosevelt to preserve Yosemite and Yellowstone for the future. However, progress and power are two things which move people to do things that are better for man, despite their costs. One of these is the dam in Hetch Hetchy.

This book is a very detailed account of the blooming of conservation in Americans, the emerging water crisis in San Francisco, and the shady politics that allowed a Dam to be built in a National park, when more cost effective water sources were much closer and less environmentally taxing. In addition, the author also gives us an idea of life at the time, and we get to explore the debate between progress and preservation. If you are interested in this issue, you may very well enjoy the depth of his research. If you are not, this isn't the book for you.

Jill does laundry for a 7 year old who thinks he's too old for toys, a 5 year old gymnast, a 5 year old niece who has joined the family, and a 3 year old computer whiz. She also occasionally irons her husband's suits. In between loads, Jill loves to read.