Its not possible to see or really interact with the tiniest slivers. The Department of Water Resources, which manages the state's water supply, said in a statement that there are several possible reasons for the difference in inflow amounts between the two reservoirs. The construction of the Hetch Hetchy Railroad took place from 1915 to 1918. The name Hetch Hetchy is derived from a Sierra Miwok Partly because of low water, the rivers chinook salmon runs have plummeted from tens of thousands of fish annually a few decades ago to fewer than 1,000 in recent years. Flood control agencies (not DWR) have the most say in regard to releases. Nate, thanks for the insight. Generation at Holm powerhouse below Cherry Lake would be less affected. It does not meet the California definition of renewable energy. around the Bay Area rely on the Hetch Hetchy Regional Water Map shows stunning improvement in California drought It carried workers and materials for the dam, as well as tourists, postage and other amenities. 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). Major snowstorm might leave you stranded, New 101 express lanes opens in Bay Area. Ill pass it along to friends. Its supposed to be brown. James Q. Martin / Restore Hetch Hetchy Show More Show Less 4 of 7 Hetch Hetchy is only one of nine reservoirs in the San Francisco Public Utility Commission's water system. }, 150); This is also affected by most of these dams multi-purpose nature where they are near constantly releasing for power(like Shasta) or to make room for flood control capacity(like Folsom). For each of the top 8 reservoirs the storage has increased by a total of 217 kaf, however). Hetch Hetchy Reservoir - O'Shaugnessy Dam - National Park Service 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 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. She joined the Chronicle as a data reporter in 2021. Sierra Club unsuccessfully fought the reservoirs establishment Much of the recent inflow was to Hetch Hetchy, which can hold. Upcountry and the Bay Area. Additionally, the bounty helps the more than two dozen communities in Alameda, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties that get their water from the city. This other page: https . The height of the row indicates how much water the reservoir could hold. Compared to the historical snowpack for this time of year, the May 2021 survey shows that we are only 2 to 5 percent of normal. For detailed analysis of how San Franciscos water system will operate without Hetch Hetchy reservoir, see the Environmental Defense Funds studiesParadise RegainedandCherry Intertie Alternative. So while that is kind of good news, he said, things start to look more grim after January produced paltry rainfall and, so far, February has also been dry. Constitution used to support the arguments to remove the dam was The Hetch Hetchy reservoir, which supplies water for San Francisco and other parts of the Bay Area, was at 77% of its 360,000-acre-feet storage capacity in January compared to 73% in. The Hetch Hetchy Valley today with the dam seen in the lower right. Central Valleyfarms have installed enough drip irrigationstrips to reach the moon and back, an improvement that also enables more efficient application of fertilizer and pesticides. . This is a very clear graph and I cannot imagine the hours you have put in while setting it up and doing the maintenance. There doesnt seem to be any site that shows the impact of each storm. 95 percent of. Didnt realize how bad things were there. It wont be full until Spring snowmelt. Commission. Each row represents one reservoir, with bars showing how much of the reservoir is filled (blue) and unfilled (brown). It used to be full (and beyond). You can sort the mekko graph by size largest at the top to smallest at the bottom or by reservoir location, from north to south. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Just a wistful thought, it would be really cool to graph the water release statistics. The trail takes you to the base of Wapama Falls, passing two smaller waterfalls (during spring) on the way. Really appreciate the work you did to build this graph. I will take a look and see if there are other important reservoirs missing and may add them in the future. Restoring Hetch Hetchy Valley will allow all three power plants to remain operational but will reduce power generation at these by about 20% an average of about 350 million kWh per year. 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. 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 . An official website of the United States government. We provide water directly to customers in San Francisco and wholesale through 26 Water agencies in Alameda, Santa Clara, and San Mateo counties. San Francisco voters have demonstrated their opposition to Stay up-to-date with breaking news and upcoming events. } In 2021, the SFPUC and the Modesto and Turlock Irrigation Districts launched a proactive pilot program with the U.S. As of 5pm on 1/18, the data appears correct (~58k acre feet), but an hour ago it was reading off the chart (3X above what they are allowed to store right now). They also built a spillway that was too steep and did not install energy dissipators along the spillway. By a large measure, damming and flooding Hetch Hetchy is the most significant damage ever allowed in any of our national parks. A lock ( "It is unknown how much area of the Feather River and Shasta Lake drainages are impacted by hydrophobic soils.". The water is delivered by a gravity-based system and aqueduct to A small portion of the citys water comes from local reservoirs. environmental context. 1 covering up to $875 million and much of the rest coming from federal loans to water suppliers. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS San Franciscos water-bank in Don Pedro Reservoir, downstream on the Tuolumne River, holds twice as much water as Hetch Hetchy. California drought: Charts show where reservoir levels stand after a dry January, Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area. Thanks for providing it for public information. I second that request. Getting There. California reservoir levels: . The middle portion of the watershed from New Don Pedro Reservoir to above Hetch Hetchy Reservoir is characterized by deep canyons and forested terrain. 501(c)3 organization, federal tax ID #942419885. The maximum that the city has put away is 570,000 acre-feet of water. She has been with SFGATE for more than 10 years. word for a type of wild grass. 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. Thats enough to supply the citys service area for perhaps seven years. it will be cool if there is a way to track the change since Dec or some such date. Even with the latest precipitation, Folsoms values was unchanged. California reservoir water levels before and after winter storm You can find the charts below from the California Department of Water Resources website. Hetch Hetchy Reservoir and Water System This would allow us to see important, but noise-level reservoirs like hetch hetchy. Lake Shasta, the state's largest reservoir, rose 2.9 feet and added 31,020 acre-feet of water. The remaining 15 percent of water comes from runoff in the Alameda and Peninsula watersheds. Hetchy Reservoir can store as much as 117 billion gallons for the A question: the Historical Avg*, is it the value of year-today or natural year? the issue, including those under Franklin Delano Roosevelt, The north (side of the reservoir) usually has two waterfalls going at the best of times, but youll see up and down the canyon walls, if you look close, you count there are about 12 waterfalls running now, said Steve Ritchie, the SFPUCs assistant general manager of water enterprise, during a recent drought report to the agencys governing board. Winter weather conditions may cause road closures. This is a marimekko (or mekko) graph which may take some time to understand if you arent used to seeing them. Local reservoir inflows have negative daily flow rates set to zero. One gauge in the area has measured 6.12 inches since Oct. 1, which is 899% of normal. Click here for the SFPUC's 2020State of the Regional Water System Report. Amid a worsening drought, water supplies at one important reservoir are CHERRY LK NR HETCH HETCHY CA Important Legacy real-time page Monitoring location 11277200 is associated with a LAKE, RESERVOIR, IMPOUNDMENT in TUOLUMNE COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. Why is Lake Nacimiento and Lake San Antonio not listed? 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. I previously made a bar graph showing the overall level of water in the major California reservoirs. San Franciscos Hetch Hetchy water system is almost full for the first time in years. They placed a few dissipators just before the river. A dry January with little rainfall across much of Northern California actually didnt hurt the states water storage levels, according to data from the California Department of Water Resources. a minimum, according to the San Francisco Public Utilities So they should be saving much more and deal with the .000001 of risk later. Delivery rates are 7-day average values. The average for this time of year is approximately 4,659.57ft, plus or minus 39ft. 7 days 30 days Regional Watersheds | SFPUC If you are on a mobile device you can tap the reservoir to get that same info. Draining Hetch Hetchy without depriving Bay Area residents of It certainly looks dry at least until the last week in February, he said. The OShaughnessy Dam i s 300 feet tall only medium-sized by todays standards. Steve Ritchie, the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission's assistant general manager for water, said the additional water amounted to roughly 11% of the reservoir's total capacity. A dry January with little rainfall across much of Northern California actually didnt hurt the states water storage levels, according to data from the California Department of Water Resources. Congress had to approve the project because it was Related articles . Hetch Hetchy Reservoir in Yosemite was 69 percent full on Tuesday, 150 percent of normal for this time of year. 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. The 1913 Raker Act authorized the unprecedented dam inside the park and also set the fee that the city pays to rent the entire valley in which the dam sits: $30,000 per year. best to drain the valley. Best of luck out there in California! rejected by an appellate court and the California Supreme Court Take CA Highway 120 from the park toward Groveland. There is something strange about the data over the last two days (Jan.17 to Jan. 19): So included in DWR #S. reservoir violates the California Constitution specifically the According to the SFPUC, the upper reaches of the Tuolumne River have received about 36 inches of rain since the start of the water year in October, almost as much as what the area averages in a year. But the growing water reserves dont please everyone. Hetch Hetchy water travels 160 miles via gravity from Yosemite to the San Francisco Bay Area. however, Ill update the code to include it soon. Also, do they provide inflows and outflows for locations? Thank you! Thinking more about it. Thanks for the prompt reply! This local water is captured in reservoirs located in San Mateo and Alameda counties. Restore Hetch Hetchys subsequent appeal to the ruling was John Muir and the Important Legacy real-time page. At the beginning of this water year, which started on October 1, 2022, the state's largest water reservoir, Lake Shasta, was a third full, at 33 percent. BAWSCA Board of Directors Meeting, March 16, 2023, 6:30 PM. Top ways to experience Hetch Hetchy Reservoir and nearby attractions Yosemite: Audio Driving Tour 1 Full-day Tours from $9.99 per group (up to 8) Private Yosemite Explorer Package | 3 Days of Adventure 3 Private and Luxury from $750.00 per adult (price varies by group size) Private Family Photo Day in Yosemite 78 Recommended Full-day Tours from However, I am interested in how much we are saving. by the Raker Act. Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush. While it may seem that Decembers production could get us through the rest of the season, Rizzardo explains that in hydrology, you need consistent water shed to keep soils happy. He fears that without more precipitation this season, well enter our third very dry year. Thanks. Yoohyun Jung is the Deputy Data Editor for The San Francisco Chronicle. looks like the CDEC website is the cause of the issue unless it actually dropped 90% in a day: Shasta, Oroville, Hetch Hetchy and many others were built by damming large rivers. mobilewarn(); System for more than 60 percent of their drinking water. Water data back to 1956 are available online. For the class we based all our designs on the USACE spillway design manual. This chart only shows reservoirs filled via natural flow/rainfall. Hetch Hetchy is one of nine reserviors in a water system that serves San Francisco and other Bay Area communities. The water system, which includes the landmark Hetch Hetchy Reservoir, is expected to fill this winter, for the first time since 2019, with nearly 1.5 million acre-feet of water. Your Privacy Choices (Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads). For example, the average storage level for Feb. 7 is usually 65% of capacity for Trinity Dam, but currently its at 31%. Prior to The Chronicle, she worked as a data journalist for Honolulu Civil Beat, a watchdog news organization covering the Hawaiian islands. In Yosemite National Park, the Hetch Hetchy reservoir relies. In 2016, a Tuolumne County Superior Court judge dismissed the Hetch Hetchy is only one of nine reservoirs in the San Francisco Public Utility Commissions water system. Great resource! February 21, 2023 - BAWSCA Statement on State Water Resources Control Board'sSchedule for Consideration of a Voluntary Agreement for the Tuolumne River. I recently joined the team with Restore Hetch Hetchy as Engagement & Development Director. Locked padlock It has no natural inflow or out flow. 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. Official websites use .gov "It's an increase of a few percent, . 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. Heres an example of that data for Shasta, where you can see the daily inflows and outflows: administration attempted to allocate funds to study removing the Only modest new supplies would be required in the driest years. For perspective, water demand across the SFPUC's service area of 2.7 million people was about 205,000 acre-feet last fiscal year. mandate within In another sign that Californias drought is easing, San Francisco captured more than a years worth of water in just one months time. It seems likely one of those two readings is wrong. David Rizzardo, hydrology section manager for the California Department of Water Resources, said there are a lot of factors that affect reservoir storage. drained by the Tuolumne Folsom is like an overflow tank. Love the dashboard! Great work. These graphs will always read low because they represent the percentage of the seasonal average at some point before the end of the season. A diverse mix of sources protects us from potential disruptions due to emergencies or natural disasters, provides resiliency during periods of drought, and helps us ensure a long-term, sustainable water supply as we address issues such as climate uncertainty, regulatory changes and population growth. and its snowmelt-fed water supply, water from Hetch Hetchy Lock As of Feb. 1, the systems total water storage was just over 1.3 million acre-feet, or about 92% of capacity. https://cdec.water.ca.gov/dynamicapp/QueryDaily?s=HTH Sometimes this is well done sometimes it is poorly done. pertained to water that was wasted, and there was no claim that I was thinking that it would be interesting to compare inflows and outflows. Im curious why the percentage of capacity has stayed almost flat for the past 6 weeks or so and below historical average. Find out more about the system at http://www.sfwater.org, BAWSCA Board Policy Committee Meeting, April 12, 2023 1:30pm. The amount stored is increasing, just not by a lot. The state's second-largest reservoir, Lake Oroville in Butte County, saw especially dramatic gains with a 30.4-foot rise in the water level and a 182,625-acre-foot increase in the total amount of water, data posted Tuesday from the California Department of Water Resources showed. At the height of the recent drought, they still had at least four years in storage. And for the years they were hoarding water, the salmon-based ecosystem suffered.. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the Francisco Bay Area. So its volume is counted as Orville inflow. . Its currently listed on this page as 29kaf full, but the usgs.gov page below says Hetch Hetchy is at 299.7kaf full. We own and operate the Hetch Hetchy Regional Water System which serves 2.7 million customers. Monitoring location 11277200 is associated with a LAKE, RESERVOIR, IMPOUNDMENT in TUOLUMNE COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. The main goal of this visualization is to provide a quick overview of the status of the main reservoirs in the state and how they compare to historical levels. Awesome work!! Cherry Lk Nr Hetch Hetchy Ca | California Reservoir Levels - SNOFLO Assistant General Manager for Water Steven Ritchie credits the way the system is managed along with lower. For the higher elevations, more of their water comes directly from snowmelt. To reach Hetch Hetchy, you have to exit Yosemite National Park and re-enter it. O'Shaughnessy Dam was built on the Tuolumne River in 1923 to create Hetch Hetchy Reservoir. I see many of the local canals flowing with lots of water. https://cdec.water.ca.gov/dynamicapp/QueryDaily?s=SHA If we reach 100% after the current rains and then it stops raining for the season, then our percentage will start going down. http://www.tuolumnerivermanagementplan.com. function resizeframe(){ You dont see runoff right away, the snow is still up there, frozen, doing what we want it to do, he said. Instructions: If a reservoir gets filled to 100% and more, the dam will break and many cities will get flooded, so the operators are careful. More about the Tuolumne River Voluntary Agreement can be found athttp://www.tuolumnerivermanagementplan.com. It was my first time using D3 and it took me a long time to get up to speed. I notice Briones Reservoir is not on the list. Especially for small ones it is hard to identify them and click on them. She is also an alumna of Reveal from the Center for Investigative Reporting Investigative Fellowship and The New York Times Student Journalism Institute. May 24, 2022 - BAWSCA Statement About the Adoption of a Systemwide Water Use Reduction of 11%. In addition, San Francisco receives approximately one-tenth of its power from hydroelectricity generated by the gravity-driven flow from the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir. 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. HETCH HETCHY RES A HETCH HETCHY CA - USGS Water Data for the Nation PDF Hetch Hetchy Regional Water System Water Supply and Delivery Status - SFPUC It is also the amount of water in a cube that is 352 feet per side (about the length of a football field). Together, the BAWSCA agencies account for two-thirds of water consumption from the system and pay for two-thirds of its upkeep. globe.height = globe.contentWindow.document.body.scrollHeight+40+"px"; Hetch Hetchy | Hetch Hetchy Dam & Reservoir History | Yosemite.com Add a button to convert the row heights to log scale. Remember, much of the state is still in a drought and so the prudence is warranted.. Kudos to the designers. construction in the 1920s, various groups have lobbied to restore Great URL. Shasta is very large and could hold about 3.5 cubic kilometers of water at full (but not flood) capacity. Impounded by OShaughnessy 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.