Paradise Regained
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Paradise Regained SOLUTIONS FOR RESTORING YOSEMITE’S HETCH HETCHY VALLEY Paradise Regained SOLUTIONS FOR RESTORING YOSEMITE’S HETCH HETCHY VALLEY AUTHORS Spreck Rosekrans Nancy E. Ryan Ann H. Hayden Thomas J. Graff John M. Balbus Cover image: Composite created using digital panorama photography and 3D animation software. Photo and composite by Greg Richardson, Level Par. Our mission Environmental Defense is dedicated to protecting the environmental rights of all people, including the right to clean air, clean water, healthy food and flourishing ecosystems. Guided by science, we work to create practical solutions that win last- ing political, economic and social support because they are nonpartisan, cost- effective and fair. ©2004 Environmental Defense Printed on paper that is 80% recycled, 80% post-consumer, processed chlorine free (text); 100% recycled, 50% post-consumer, processed chlorine free (cover). The complete report is available online at www.environmentaldefense.org. Contents Foreword iv CHAPTER 9 Impact of restoration on Acknowledgments v hydropower production and revenues 68 About the authors vi CHAPTER 10 Executive summary vii Water and power replacement costs 86 CHAPTER 11 CHAPTER 1 Introduction 1 Legal status and institutional considerations 94 CHAPTER 2 CHAPTER 12 Hetch Hetchy: past, present 5 Conclusion and recommendations 106 and future Glossary of technical terms 110 CHAPTER 3 California water summary 13 Acronyms 112 CHAPTER 4 Notes 113 California power summary 22 APPENDIX A CHAPTER 5 Summary of technial analyses The Tuolumne River and 30 Hetch Hetchy Reservoir alternatives Bay Area water system (Schlumberger Water Services) CHAPTER 6 APPENDIX B Alternative water-system 42 Water quality evaluation for Hetch components Hetchy Reservoir alternatives (Eisenberg, Olivieri & Associates) CHAPTER 7 Equivalent water-supply reliability 49 APPENDIX C Memorandum: Hetch Hetchy water CHAPTER 8 and power issues Water-quality analysis 62 (Somach, Simmons & Dunn) iii Foreword Douglas P. Wheeler More than a decade ago, the renowned system. Whatever one’s opinion of the and Huey D. Johnson Harvard biologist, E.O. Wilson, spoke merits of the original decision or of of the need of repairing, where possible, federal and state water policies as they the environmental damage which is an evolved over the last century, however, unfortunate legacy of heedless devel- no plan for the restoration of the Hetch opment in sensitive areas. In his seminal Hetchy Valley, no matter how felicitous, book, The Diversity of Life, Wilson urges can be considered without addressing that we now “go beyond mere salvage to this dependency on the current system. begin the restoration of natural environ- Indeed, restoration advocates bear ments, in order to enlarge wild popula- the burden of proving that alternatives tions and stanch the hemorrhaging of can be made to work. In accepting this biological wealth.” challenge, Environmental Defense, with To a remarkable extent, 21st-century the help of three distinguished consult- Americans have taken Wilson’s updated ing firms, has produced an extraordi- definition of the public trust to heart, narily thorough and thought-provoking and are everywhere engaged in restora- assessment. As veterans of many an tion projects small and large. Some are environmental controversy, we know audacious indeed, striving to reweave that a lengthy dialog must precede any and restore entire habitats on a scale as decision as momentous as the proposal large as Florida’s Everglades, the Chesa- to restore Hetch Hetchy and that the peake Bay, and San Francisco’s Bay- legitimate concerns of all stakeholders Delta Estuary; others are as small as the must be addressed. We welcome the watersheds of local, but nonetheless publication of this report as an essential productive, creeks and tributaries. These element of that dialog, coming at a time projects result from the growing con- when the San Francisco Public Utilities viction that we have the capability, if not Commission must make costly long- the obligation, to make amends for past term decisions about upgrades to its mistakes, using newfound scientific Hetch Hetchy infrastructure. It is also knowledge and advanced technologies. time, as E.O. Wilson suggests, to begin We think of Wilson’s words as we “reweaving the wondrous diversity of life read this report on the development of that still survives around us.” feasible alternatives to the water supply and hydroelectricity, which are currently Douglas P.Wheeler and Huey D. Johnson provided by the O’Shaughnessy Dam on both served as Secretary for Resources, State the Tuolumne River in the Hetch Hetchy of California, in 1991–99 and 1978–82, Valley. Almost from the time of its con- respectively. Doug Wheeler presently chairs struction early in the last century, vision- the National Park System Advisory Board aries have argued for the restoration of and was formerly Executive Director of the Hetch Hetchy to its splendid natural Sierra Club and co-founder and President condition. Perhaps they can be excused of American Farmland Trust. Huey for having given short shrift to the Johnson was formerly the Western Regional social and economic consequences of so Director of The Nature Conservancy and bold a vision: millions of northern Cali- founder and President of the Trust for fornians have come to depend on the Public Land. He presently leads the water and power of the Hetch Hetchy Resource Renewal Institute. iv Acknowledgments Environmental Defense thanks the TREWSSIM model developed for the many individuals who have made study. In addition, we thank Dr. Richard financial contributions large and small Ferguson of the Center for Energy to the completion of this report. We also Efficiency and Renewable Technologies thank all individuals who have made and Dr. James Bushnell of the U.C. contributions to the report’s final text. Energy Institute for reviewing the study’s We particularly acknowledge the hydropower-replacement analysis. And significant contributions made by three we thank Dr. George Tchobanoglous and independent technical consultants— Dr. Bob Cooper for their review of EOA’s Schlumberger Water Services; Eisenberg, contributions on water quality. All state- Olivieri & Associates (EOA); and ments of fact and opinion found in the Somach, Simmons & Dunn. They text of this report, however, are ours alone report their detailed findings in and we bear full responsibility for them. Appendices A, B, and C, respectively. We are very thankful as well to All interpretations of their findings in Janice Caswell for her art direction, this report are our own. Bonnie Greenfield for her design and We owe special thanks to the San production efforts, and Steven J. Marcus Francisco Public Utilities Commission, for his editing of the manuscript. We the Bay Area Water Supply and Con- also thank the many others—particu- servation Agency, the Turlock Irrigation larly Marcia Aronoff, Melinda Taylor, District, and the Modesto Irrigation Pam Vivian, David Yardas, Johanna District, all of whom helped us prepare Thomas, Jennifer Witherspoon, a more complete and accurate study. Meredith Niess, Kate Larsen, Brandon While the SFPUC, MID, and TID Hunter, Elaine Capers, Terrel Hutton, provided helpful comments, their Allison Cobb, Tim Connor, Joel assistance in no way endorses the study’s Plagenz, and Peter Klebnikov—who findings and recommendations. were instrumental in the report’s proof- Many state- and federal-agency staff reading, editing, photo research, data provided data, information and photo- collection, and other elements of pro- graphs for use in this report, for which duction. We owe special thanks to we are very grateful. We also thank the Yolanda Cazessus for her exceptional Bancroft Library for providing access to commitment and patience throughout the O’Shaughnessy Collection, which the report preparation. Finally, we thank contained many of the photographs those who helped more broadly on this used in this report. project, including Fred Krupp, Tom We very much appreciate the helpful Belford, Steve Cochran, Colin Rowan, comments received from Dr. Jay Lund Victoria Markell, Joy Carrigan, and and Sarah Null of U.C. Davis, on the Lisa Domitrovich. v About the authors John Balbus is a physician and director Sacramento and San Joaquin Delta of the health program at Environmental estuary ecosystem and its Central Valley Defense. He has published on a range of and Sierra Nevada watershed. She is a topics including health consequences of committee member of the State Water global climate change, susceptibility to Plan update and the California Urban waterborne contaminants, microbial risk Water Conservation Council. She has a assessment and lead neurotoxicity. Balbus master’s degree in environmental science received his undergraduate degree in and management from the University of biochemistry from Harvard University, California, Santa Barbara. his M.D. from the University of Penn- Spreck Rosekrans specializes in hydro- sylvania, and a master’s in public health logic modeling and operations analysis degree from Johns Hopkins University. to improve the timing and volume of Tom Graff co-founded the California flows to ecosystems in California and the office of Environmental Defense in 1971. West. His work has improved fishery For over three decades, he has worked to and wetland habitat along the Colorado protect and restore California rivers, wet- River in the Grand Canyon, on the lands, lakes and estuaries. Graff played Trinity River in northern California and a central role in the passage in the U.S. in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Bay-Delta Congress of the Central Valley Project watershed. Rosekrans works closely with Improvement Act of 1992, in the sign- water agencies, Indian Tribes and con- ing of the San Francisco Bay-Delta servationists throughout California, and Accord of 1994 and in the formation was Convener of the multi-stakeholder of the federal Bay-Delta Act of 1996. A California Water and Environmental past member of the Bay-Delta Advisory Modeling Forum in 1999. He has a Council, the University of California’s B.A. in Mathematics from the Uni- Agriculture and Natural Resources versity of California, San Diego.