We own and operate the Hetch Hetchy Regional Water System which serves 2.7 million customers. You dont see runoff right away, the snow is still up there, frozen, doing what we want it to do, he said. All rights use must be reasonable.. Another not monitored by the State? His recent work has examined the impacts of drought, threats to public lands and wildlife, and the nation's widening rural-urban divide. currently, there is a lot more water coming in than going out. This is the first state (of 6 I have lived in) that has had water police and restrictions. Im curious why the percentage of capacity has stayed almost flat for the past 6 weeks or so and below historical average. Occasionally the source water will shift to local reservoirs during routine maintenance to the conveyance system. diversion of water? Restore Hetch Hetchy claimed the phrase had I havent spent much time looking at it but that data is on the CDEC website. For most of the year it will still be possible to divert the flow of the Tuolumne River into the pipeline just downstream of the National Park boundary. For the class we based all our designs on the USACE spillway design manual. The SFPUC has also raised concerns over the fishery benefits of the States Plan. San Francisco's water-bank in Don Pedro Reservoir, downstream on the Tuolumne River, holds twice as much water as Hetch Hetchy. sends student to hospital, Heres how much rain and snow is on the way this weekend, Your Privacy Choices (Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads). Article X, Section 2 that requires diversions for all water Could you also do the same for the Colorado River reservoirs to see how they are fairing? They are draining it currently so that it can serve as that overflow if needed given how much rain is coming down and expected over the next week. Have you looked into that side of the water management equation? //this function is called from the javascript from within the iframe after the contents of iframe are loaded (and after an additional 150ms delay) What happened to the Hetch Hetchy level? Could the reason be that the water from Lake Alma or seems to be used for energy generation, and that there does not seem to be any agricultural or urban use? Only improvement I would suggest is an improvement of the display of the smaller reservoirs so the names are readable. I recently joined the team with Restore Hetch Hetchy as Engagement & Development Director. https://cdec.water.ca.gov/dynamicapp/QueryDaily?s=HTH looks like the CDEC website is the cause of the issue unless it actually dropped 90% in a day: I had a class in spillway design many years ago. And the current water storage amounts are well below the historical averages for this time of year. I was thinking that it would be interesting to compare inflows and outflows. Usually with warm ARs, you get a dramatic increase in inflow, which can fill even very large reservoirs relatively quickly, like Oroville in 2017. Meanwhile, the group Restore Hetch Hetchy is urging the SFPUC to abandon Hetch Hetchy Reservoir. The SFPUC hoards water in dry years when they dont need to, said Peter Drekmeier, policy director at the conservation group Tuolumne River Trust. I would think with the rain it would get to historical average and then more outflow would happen. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS United States. The Bay Area portion of the System includes water collection, treatment, and transmission facilities from the Alameda East Portal to the wholesale service area and terminal reservoirs in San Francisco. Voters rejected a 2012 Could you also show each reservoirs level as a function of time? This was helpful to project seasonal trends & storm impacts. hetch hetchy reservoir level percentage Rivers and Streams Streams draining into the Peninsula Watershed within the project area are relatively small, steep, and in a 2021-11-17. Impounded by O'Shaughnessy Dam, Hetch Hetchy Reservoir water passes through hydroelectric powerhouses before it enters the San Joaquin Pipelines, the Tesla Ultraviolet Treatment Facility, and the Coast Range Tunnel on its journey to the Bay Area. Lake Oroville. Exclusive: Stunning photos show Yosemite National Park under 15 feet of Warriors treating Andrew Wiggins with understandable patience, but his California snowpack hits highest level this century for March, could Map shows which parts of California exceeded entire years worth of rain, Map shows stunning improvement in California drought, Last chance to see: Bay Bridge lights turn off on Sunday. The snowpack acts as a natural reservoir and slowly releases water.. A separate vote would have been Remaining Capacity text in the legend should be brown? The SFPUC has consistently stated that voluntary agreements are the best path forward for the Bay-Delta, as the voluntary agreement strikes the right balance between environmental stewardship and water reliability. He frequently writes about water, wildfire, climate and the American West. San Franciscos water-bank in Don Pedro Reservoir, downstream on the Tuolumne River, holds twice as much water as Hetch Hetchy. At this facility, which is shared with other water agencies, the city can stash water for credits against future draws on the river. Wife of missing Bay Area radio host says Jeffrey Vandergrift will not Sen. Dianne Feinstein is hospitalized in San Francisco with shingles, California extends deadline to file 2022 income taxes to match IRS decision, Going to Tahoe this weekend? California boosts water deliveries to highest level in years, thanks to storms, California reservoir levels: Charts show water supply across the state, Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area. I dont think its currently above the historical average, not below 1 year ago. Yoohyun Jung is the Deputy Data Editor for The San Francisco Chronicle. Whats going on with the water level at Oroville? Call 209-372-0200 for the latest road and weather conditions, Hetch Hetchy Road Daily Hours: 8 am to 5 pm The water treatment facilities are Tesla Ultraviolet Treatment Facility, disinfecting the Hetch Hetchy supply; Sunol Valley Water Treatment Plant, treating the water from the Calaveras and San Antonio supply as well as the stored Hetch Hetchy supply; and Harry Tracy Water Treatment Plant, treating the water from the Crystal Springs and San Andreas supply. Lake Mendocino and Lake Berryessa water levels stayed the same. It used to be full (and beyond). I know this might be difficult to display but Im very curious on the actual amounts of water consumed on a monthly basis and if this is somehow processed in a certain between what is agricultural and what is non-commercial etc? Next feature request: wire in aquifer level data! The Hetch Hetchy Reservoir in Yosemite delivers water to 2.6 million Bay Area residents every day. Gavin Newsom asked all California residents to voluntarily reduce use by 15% compared with use in 2019. over the past few days. No it is correct. Id only be interested in the totals from Oroville and Shasta. administration attempted to allocate funds to study removing the Much of the recent inflow was to Hetch Hetchy, which can hold. This November, a group of environmental advocates will put forth a ballot measure that would require the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission to develop a plan to drain Hetch Hetchy. provides water to 2.7 million residents and businesses in the San System for more than 60 percent of their drinking water. Is that a good thing? The Hetch Hetchy Valley today with the dam seen in the lower right. Isabella is filling quite slowly in order to test out the new $500 million spillway. Part of the lake is on the California side, but it has zero California water impact beyond the immediate Tahoe residents. The reservoir is eight miles long and the largest single body of water in Yosemite. Kellie has held many leadership roles for the Asian American Journalists Association, including most recently a board member for the San Francisco chapter. Water data back to 1930 are available online. She was previously an engagement reporter. O'Shaughnessy Dam was built on the Tuolumne River in 1923 to create Hetch Hetchy Reservoir. } How Fast Are California Reservoirs Filling Up? has a graph which shows how the historical avg changes throughout the year (oscillating between ~15000 and ~21000). The gain came after weather gauges in the area recorded more than 5 inches from one storm. Major snowstorm might leave you stranded, New 101 express lanes opens in Bay Area. document.getElementById('globes').contentWindow.location.reload(); . Twenty of San San Francisco and the thousands of suburban . Our reservoirs were alarmingly low. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. She joined the Chronicle as a data reporter in 2021. Click here for the SFPUC's 2020State of the Regional Water System Report. The reservoir is now projected to cost $4.4 billion, with Prop. Nice! . Californias largest water agencies, in both the urban and agricultural sectors, have invested in ambitious groundwater banking programs inKern County. Its just small enough that the name doesnt appear as the bar is too thin. The dam and reservoir are the source for the Hetch Hetchy Aqueduct, which provides water for over . Charts from the California Department of Water Resources show conditions at key state reservoirs on Oct. 22 (left) and on Nov. 2 (right). BAWSCA Board of Directors Meeting, March 16, 2023, 6:30 PM. Similar findings are described in theUC Davis studyRe-Assembling Hetch HetchyandUS Bureau of Reclamation study. Hetch-Hetchy predicted to fill by end of the snowmelt period 2020-2021 Winter season continues to be dry 2019-2020 was dry, although key differences Feb. 2020 was unusually warm, which impacted snowfall levels and water demands; Feb 2021 was cooler, and hence snowfall level higher and water use lower An official website of the United States government. But tearing down O'Shaughnessy Dam in order to restore Hetch Hetchy Valley would be a disaster. Awesome work!! It was at 60 percent as of March 1 and rising, according to the Bureau of Reclamation. Lake Shasta, the state's largest reservoir, rose 2.9 feet and added 31,020 acre-feet of water. If we reach 100% after the current rains and then it stops raining for the season, then our percentage will start going down. Even with all the rain and floods, still a long way to fill them to capacity. While the rainfall has been bad for many people, I am happy to see Californias reservoirs are benefiting slightly, Amen! Your email address will not be published. The question was, what constitutes unreasonable method of For the first week of February, there was a slight increase for most reservoirs from January amounts. It was my first time using D3 and it took me a long time to get up to speed. Check out my **new combined California reservoir and snowpack visualizer** to compare to historical values, as well asthe California precipitation tracker and California snowpack visualizer. 95 percent of. City officials have touted their efforts to help salmon, for example by timing water releases to assist with migration and restoring breeding grounds. The Bay Area transmission system also includes Irvington Tunnel 1 and Tunnel 2, the Bay Tunnel, and the Crystal Springs Bypass Tunnel. Near the town of La Grange, the river exits the Sierra Nevada foothills and flows through a gently sloping alluvial valley that is incised into Pleistocene alluvial fans. That said, most of its outflow makes its way down Feather River (via Rock Creek Reservoir) and ultimately into Orville. Restore Hetch Hetchys subsequent appeal to the ruling was Thanks for taking the time to do that. reservoir violates the California Constitution specifically the March 12 - The Perks of California Native Wildflowers, March 28 - Rainwater Harvesting and Rain Gardens, April 01 - Lawn Conversion to Native and Drought-Tolerant Plants. Different presidential administrations also have tried to address The half-hour drive to Hetch Hetchy from CA Highway 120 begins outside the park boundaries. Ive added it to my bookmarks for quick reference. Thats a very poor design. So on Jan 10 were at 82% of the average for Jan 10. The upcountry portion of the System begins with Hetch Hetchy Reservoir in Yosemite National Park. What happened to the Hetch Hetchy level? Very nice work. and maybe another vertical axis to the right of that with reservoir capacity. around the Bay Area rely on the Hetch Hetchy Regional Water Email: kalexander@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kurtisalexander. Thanks for the prompt reply! Only modest new supplies would be required in the driest years. Wapama Falls (moderate) 5 mi (8 km) round-trip; 2 hours. I live in the central valley. Hetch Hetchy Regional Water System, which serves San Francisco, Hetch Hetchy Reservoir in Yosemite National Park is seen in 2022. California snowpack hits highest level this century for March. The cities of Burlingame, Hayward, Menlo Park, Palo Alto, Redwood City and San Mateo, along with the Alameda County Water District, were among Bay Area communities whose support was influential in persuading Congress to pass the controversial Act, and President Woodrow Wilson to sign it. drained by the Tuolumne Commission. Hi, I started by using this page (https://cdec.water.ca.gov/reportapp/javareports?name=RES) to determine which reservoirs to include and for some reason Almanor isnt on the list. Within San Francisco, we manage water distribution in the City. You can also use it to monitor only the reservoirs you are most interested in. 9 of 12 10 of 12 Hetch Hetchy Reservoir with Wapama Falls near Groveland, Calif. on Wednesday March 12, 2014, is currently at fifty percent of capacity. Id love to see how much water is being / has been released from these reservoirs. Remember, much of the state is still in a drought and so the prudence is warranted.. Not only does it supply 85 percent of the water for 2.6 million people in San Francisco, controlled releases via the O'Shaughnessy Dam are helping preserve downstream specieseven in dry . This would allow us to see important, but noise-level reservoirs like hetch hetchy. Tracy Barbutes, Freelance / Special to The Chronicle, Heres where California reservoir levels stand after this weeks rains. A lock ( More about the Tuolumne River Voluntary Agreement can be found athttp://www.tuolumnerivermanagementplan.com. Several cities and water agencies that are now part of BAWSCA urged Congress to pass the Raker Act in 1913, the law that allowed federal lands in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, including Hetch Hetchy Valley in Yosemite National Park, to be used to build the water system. The proportion of blue to brown will show how full it is, while the red line shows the historical level that reservoir is typically at for this date of the water year. The average for this time of year is approximately 4,659.57ft, plus or minus 39ft. Winter weather conditions may cause road closures. do so. Before returning to the Bay Area, she held roles as transportation reporter and trending news reporter at the IndyStar in Indianapolis. Hetch Hetchy is one of nine reserviors in a water system that serves San Francisco and other Bay Area communities.
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