SummitPost.org

The Hetch Hetchy movement is alive and kicking a century after the efforts of Muir and others failed to stop the dam from being built.

http://www.mercurynews.com/science/ci_21033628/drain-hetch-hetchy-reservoir-san-francisco-voters-may

IMHO, the reservoir has preserved that valley and the surrounding terrain far better than anything else would have.

The other thing to consider that a lake the size of Hetch Hetchy isn't terribly out of place in the Sierra Nevada ecosystem.
Compare that, for example, with things like the San Luis Reservoir which much more drastically modifies the local environment.

Would it be feasible to drill through the base of the damn, installing large pipe to allow the river to flow freely and to drain Hetch Hetchy but to keep the integrity of the damn itself so as to keep a bridge/scenic overlook for the gorge?

fedak wrote:IMHO, the reservoir has preserved that valley and the surrounding terrain far better than anything else would have.

Ha ha. I suppose that they should have "preserved" Yosemite Valley (suggested by some prominent politician of the time- I'd highly recommend reading Cadillac Desert) & the Grand Canyon too????

Apparently some jeep roads will be in the works.

Is that Jeep even a 4x4? Awfully low to the ground.

Hey, what can I say; it's a San Francisco jeep. It should do fine in the early years of restoration.

It will never look like this again, but could eventually come close if left as roadless wilderness. Feinstein is okay with the view as is.

This would go over well:

I'd guess that without maintenance and improvement of California's extensive water system, flooding of areas shown on that map would be more common, but it is actually a simulation of an extreme weather scenario similar to the storms of 1861-62. http://www.wunderground.com/blog/weatherhistorian/article.html?entrynum=13

The story about taking a canoe from Bakersfield to the bay is interesting. That wouldn't be my first choice of adventures, but it sounds like an adventure nevertheless and would beat walking, especially under flood conditions. He must have had a strong desire to escape Bakersfield.

butitsadryheat wrote:doesn't everyone have a strong desire to escape Bakersfield?

It was 86F at 1am when I drove through last night. You folks must have asbestos underwear.