The San Francisco call., 1908-05-10
WOULD NOT HURT
BEAUTY OF VALLEY
Artistic Lake Would Be Created
in Hetch Hetchy by Grant,
Declares Pinchot
United States Forester Gives
Reasons for Favoring San
FranciscO's Water Plan

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WASHINGTON. May 9.-The follow
ing letter has been written by For
ester Pinchot to Norman j. Hapgoed,
editor of Golfers Weekly, relative to
the proposed grant of Hetch Hetchy
reservoir site to San Francisco
Your request from Colliar's fer information
about the proposed granting of Hetch Hetchy
valley a reservoir site for the city OF San
Francisco reached me this morning through Mr.
Henry Beach Needham, who asked me for q
definite statement OF my position. Certain re-
ports about my attitude i'll the matter have
been given circulation, and as some of them
are far from accurate, ! am very glad of the
chance TO tell you exactly how 1 stand.
The present water supply OF the city of San
Francisco is both inadequate and unsatisfactory.
This fact has been known for number OF years
and has led to very extensive consideration
df the various possible sources OF supply. The
search for water for the city has been prose-
cuted from two diametrically opposite points OF
view. On the one side, the water companies Inter
ested in supplying the city with water for
business reasons have taken advantage OF
posed TO bring water from the Sierra
Nevada to San Francisco to look up
OF the available sources in order to sell then,
TO the city. Their proposals seem 10 have
been nnrea sonable in demanding far too high
wise open TO valid objections.
MADE CAREFUL STUDY
On the other hand, both the national govern
ment and the city of San Francisco have made
careful study Of the possible sources Of supply
for the city, -Four or hye years ago the ny
geographic branch Of the geological survey after
careful examination by engineers of character
and ability, reached. the conclusion that tile
Tuolumne river offered the best and most avail
was reached by Mr.. Grunsky formerly OF the
lsthmian canal commission and at that time
city engineer of San Francisco. Mr. Grunsky
was afterward special consulting engineer for
the reclamation service and stands as You
possibly know. very high in engineering mat
tiers.
There are three possible sources OF supply
on the Tuolumne. First, the main stream. to
be made available by damming Hetch Hetchy
valley; second Lake Eleanor; third Cherry
creek. The application OF San Francisco was
ut first for the Lake Eleanor reservoir site.
and it was the intention TO take part of the
waters of Cherry creek across into the lake
and store them there. Since the Application
was first made reservoir sites on Cherry creek
nave ~ oeen acquired by adverse interests. and
IL seems difficult or impossible to carry this
part OF the program out. unless, as so often
happens. the unforeseen should take place
TO tss s cR apd ~ nase ss been from the rs opposed
Hetchy valley as reservoir unless it can be
SHOWN Clearly that no other suitable source OF
s,nppiy Is practically available. At the same
time recognize very fully that the demands OF
a great population such as that about San Fran
cisco bay must be met and that II they cannot
HetCly.
Hetch Hetchy should be devoted to this nse
water can be put.
. what l believe should be done is this, First
tne city Of San Francisco should be given the
Lake Eleanor reservoir site and should be re-
quired to develop and use It to Its fullest ca.
pacity, Second. the Hetch Hetchy reserroir site
should be reserved for the city. but II shoud
not be used until after Lake Eleanor has been
aeseioped TO It's full capacity and has proved
lnsufhcient This can be done only by guaran-
teeing the ultimate use OF the Hetch Hetcty
20 tue city at the- present time, SO that new
appropriations of water may not be made ar
the stream below the proposed dams before III
CITY is ready to begin the use OF the waterA
The -, Turicck and Modesto irrigation. district.
nave nleu on water from the Tuolumne to the
amount of about $500 cubic feet per second
They iy should be secured in their rights to this
amount, although as | understand it. they are
actually r, using now only about 500 second feet
lnls provision. 1t IL understood will remove
The objection raised by these districts
Such plan as this In the end will probably
mean the use OF Hetch Hetchy reservoir site
Tor the water supply of San Francisco and
other cities about the bay, but not for manJ
necessary to take the chance. IL uetch Hetchy
Is 80 used IN the end the result Will be less
e aestrnctive to the beauty of the national psrt
In that event the floor of Hetch Hetcby
valley, which Is now, l understand used as
cattle ranch. will >be converted into lake
bordered by vertical granite walls or steep taius
banks OF broken granite. / have never seer
Hetch Hetchy myself. although am acquainted
government officers who are familiar With
Hetch iietchy and its geology that even II the
water Is drawn down fnr below the ordinary
shore line during the late summer no MUDDY
edges Will be exposed because there will be only
granite banks even at low water. They add
that in any event the lake will be practicall
full during the greater part of the tourist sea
son IN each year, that the waterfalls wnicf
throw themselves over the wonderful walls Of
the valley would neither be interfered with moi
drowned out and that 1t would be a sIrnple
matter to make trails or roads around the edges
of the valley above high water mark They
suggest also that II the dam were properly con
strueted Of irregular stone II would probably bs
relatively inconspieuous In the midst OF tins
rocky scenery.
WOULD ADD TO BEAUTY
That a lake In the floor of this wonderful
valley would of itself dishgure II Is Of course
Impossible. and do not understand that my
serious contention of that kind has been made
The creation of such lake would give Hetcf
Hetchy something OF the character OF Crater
lake, or, geographically speaking of Lake Tahoe
and these two Of the most beautiful lake.
IN America.
I'VE must assume that most trees must be cut
and most waters must be used. There are not
trees enough or water enough for all our needs
and we can I'll afford to withdraw what we have
from beneficial In the future 1t will be
clearly impossible and undesirable to do SO al
all except In few very important cases. Espe
cially should be careful to avoid preventing
such use as supplying a great population witt
pure water unless 1t should be absolutely ncces
sary to do so. and that ! do not believe is the
To sum up. the supply from the Ycsemit,
national park seems TO be the only prac
ticaliy available FOR the city of San Francisco
according to the best information / have beer
able to get. Secondly, If the government as Il
should insists the complete DEVELOPMENT O,
Lake Eleanor first and merely reserves uetcf
Hetchy for the use OF the city later on, any
possible change in the present condition of thai
wonderful valley win be put Oft for many years
perhaps postponed Indefinitely. Third even Il
1t becomes necessary to transform the foor Of
Hetch Hetchy into a lake instead OF Its present
condition as ranch, ! do not believe that seri
ous injury to the scenic value OF the Sierra:
will be done
yield to no man in my appreciation o
the great outdoors and OF all it can do and
should do for the children OF man. Nor do
underyalue the power of sentiment In carrying
forward gfeat reforms such as that of forestry
At the same time practical questions OF ths
comfort. health safety and convenience of grcat
bodies OF people must have the consideration /,
Which they are fairly entitled. In the prcsen
case 7 believe the permanent welfare OF SaI
Francisco and the cities about the bay is right,
to be- considered before such comparatiyell
slight risk to the pleasure OF the tourists VIII,
m,Iy in the years to come visit Hetch Uetchv
WANT COM MMISSION
TO GOVERN CHELSEA