Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1909-10-31
BY. e. t. PARSONS

BY. f. I. PARSONS
"The original proponent of the TAX
ing of the Hetch Hetchy valley and the
Tuolumne water shed-over half of the
Yosemite National park-for water
system for San Francisco and other
apologies for this unnecessary intru-
sion of local interests into national
property, have voiced and published
from time to time various misstate-
ments to support their contentious
The writer agrees with those san
Franciscans who believe that a supply
of water from the Sierra Nevada is de-
sirable, but who, in view of the many
other possible Sierra sources, cannot
concede that 1t is necessary or right TO
destroy the greatest features of our
unrivaled national park, and replies TO
those who shut their eyes to other pos
sible sources as follows:
Let us emphasize two foremost
propositions in the minds of those who
believe that the Yosemite National
park should be preserved:
"rhe Yosemite National park was
created to preserve the Hetch Hetchy
valley, the grand canyon of the Tuo-
lumne, and the Tuolumne meadows
from destructive invasion and as a
public park for resort and recreation. If
this had not been done the Hetch
have passed into private ownership
and would be no more available for the
use of San Francisco than any of the
dozen other sources that will furnish
an adequate supply for San Francisco.
The privote rights that would have
existed would have cost her untold mil
lions.
''This is best expressed in the Ian
guage of r. u. Johnson of the Century
MI AZ of that
we hold human life more sacred than
scenery, than even great natural Won
derlands, vastly as they contribute to
save life and promote happiness; and
if that were the point at issue, If San
Francisco could not otherwise obtain
an abundant water supply we should
be willing to dedicate to that purpose
not only Hetch Hetchy but even the
Incompatible Yosemite ITSELF
other Available Sources
"The first question that arises in the
mind of every practical man is wheth-
er there are any other sources avail
able and, if so, what would be their
comparative cost. That there are 9TH
Ell sources in the Sierra not even the
city's advocates will deny, for they
testified before the senate committee
that there are no less than half a
dOHCn MtlC4 SuPPlito AlOtiA tAiC olOA as
That there is not sufficient information
now available upon which to base an
opinion as to the comparative merits
of the various Sierra sources is the
Judgment of one of the city's eminent
experts, Professor Marx. There are,
however, several systems that in the
matter of cost and amount and purity
of water will compare favorably with
the Hetch Hetchy project.
The StanisIaus Source
zone of these, the Stanislaus, is
brushed lightly aside by one of the
city's advocates, who quotes from GER
tain testimony in the senate record to
prove his point. The testimony quoted
purports to establish the fact that
there is no reservoir site below the
tail-race of the Stanislaus Power COM
pany sufficient to reservoir the water
of the Stanislaus river for the city of
San Francisco Any person qualified
to discuss the subject of water supply
must know that a reservoir at the
point mentioned is utterly unnecessary.
All that would be required is mere
diversion dam, which can be con-
structed in score of places below the
tail-race.
AS Much Interested as San francisco
1.-THE Stanislaus Power company is
as vitality interested in storing suffi-
cient water in reservoirs above the
tail-race and in equalizing the flow of
the river as would San Francisco. A
continuous maximum flow of water
is essential to the successful opera
ton of the power plant. The power
company has already constructed dams
and in the future will construct
others SO asIto store quantity OF
water in excess of that which can be
stored in Hetch Hetchy valley. How
simple then, to divert this continuous
flow of water that has already been
reservoired, pipe 1t into the San Fran
for a municipal supply. The power
rights above the tail-race are held in
private ownership, it is true, but the
generation of electric power does not
consume the water in some mysterious
way as the assertions of certain of the
Hetch Hetchy advocates would lead us
to believe. Until the water itself is
actually put to some beneficial use it
cannot be subjected to private owner
ship and others prevented from
using it.
The Preferred Rights Problem
"The rights along the Stanislaus
river below the power company's tail
race are few and of minor import
ance. The rights on the Stanislaus do
not begin to compare in Importance
with the private rights that already
have attached on the Tuolumne river
below Hetch Hetchy One billion, five
hundred million gallons per day of
natural flow has been guaranteed the
Turlock and Modesto irrigation dis
tricts by the city of San Francisco,
not to mention the right to augment
this natural flow by storage, which
right of storage is only limited by
available reservoir sites. Since the
recent decision of Miller & Lux We,
MADEIRA Water company, the city will
have to condemn all the riparian
rights on the Tuolumne which, the SUI
preme court has held, attach to flood
waters as well as to minimum flow.
These are much more important on
the Tuolunne than on the Stanislaus,
where there is a greater rainfall and
a less area of irrigable lands. The
Stanislaus company once offered to
build a complete transmission system
and deliver to the city of San Fran
cisco for actual cost, plus 10 pen cent,
a maximum supply of water equal to
any possible requirements, and to
guarantee all titles under satisfactory
bond
Cost About the Same
eve can reasonably assume that the
cost of the Stanislaus project would be
- Il. k,A tsnNFu