the city wastes water, so it was a moot issue. HETCH HETCHY RES A HETCH HETCHY CA. They have restoredMono Lake,improved stream flows on the North Coast and in theCentral Valleyand diminished the threat to native fish in the Bay Delta. Your email address will not be published. Best of luck out there in California! I previously made a bar graph showing the overall level of water in the major California reservoirs. Each row represents one reservoir, with bars showing how much of the reservoir is filled (blue) and unfilled (brown). The amount stored is increasing, just not by a lot. Reservoir behind OShaughnessy Dam does not require filtration. I would think with the rain it would get to historical average and then more outflow would happen. Its great seeing all the reservoirs in California at or near historical averages. Another not monitored by the State? Hetch Hetchy is one of nine reserviors in a water system that serves San Francisco and other Bay Area communities. San Franciscos water system, which includes Hetchy Hetchy, is expected to fill this winter for the first time since 2019. Data and Tools 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). This website along with another shows that Eastmans level is still rising even though we have not had rain in more than a week. Lake Shasta, the state's largest reservoir, rose 2.9 feet and added 31,020 acre-feet of water. Here's what that means. Thats just another very strong indication visually that its a big water year.. A small portion of the citys water comes from local reservoirs. If you are on a computer, you can hover your cursor over a reservoir and the dashboard at the top will provide information about that individual reservoir. 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. GNSS2 - Level 2 Quality Survey Grade Global Navigation Satellite System. I love this this site too. SFPUC said as of this week, the Hetch Hetchy reservoir is at 92 percent capacity. 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. 2013, photo, the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir is hazy with smoke . 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, Here's where California reservoir levels stand after this week's rains, Going to Tahoe this weekend? http://www.tuolumnerivermanagementplan.com. Other California water agencies have done far more to reduce the impact of their system on Mono Lake, the Trinity and San Joaquin Rivers, and the Bay-Delta. California Reservoir Levels - Dashboard and visualization showing current water levels in California reservoirs . That puts it at 84 percent of where it would usually be usually at this time of year. For example, Hetch Hetchy Reservoir in Yosemite National Park provides 85 percent of San Francisco's total water needs. One gauge in the area has measured 6.12 inches since Oct. 1, which is 899% of normal. resizeframe(); One acre-foot is the equivalent of one acre of land covered in one foot of water. 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. Thanks for developing it, and for sharing it with the rest of us! Water is rapidly flowing into the state's reservoirs. While the rainfall has been bad for many people, I am happy to see Californias reservoirs are benefiting slightly, Amen! the map graph doesnt include berryessa. rejected by an appellate court and the California Supreme Court Kurtis Alexander is an enterprise reporter for The San Francisco Chronicle, with a focus on natural resources and the environment. Delivering approximately 260 million gallons of water per day, the regional system consists of over 280 miles of pipelines, over 60 miles of tunnels, 11 reservoirs, five pump stations and two water treatment plants. A lock ( The worst possible scenario is it just remains completely dry. McClintock bill proposes to improve public access at Hetch Hetchy. 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. by the Raker Act. Generation at Holm powerhouse below Cherry Lake would be less affected. Water data back to 1956 are available online. Curt, Good point re the colder weather dropping more snow instead of rain at higher elevations this year. Isabella is filling quite slowly in order to test out the new $500 million spillway. . What happened to the Hetch Hetchy level? In the year prior to Oroville reaching capacity the interactive chart showed the rate of inflow over time. Congress had to approve the project because it was But they'll cost you, Fight at high school basketball game in S.F. 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. use must be reasonable.. So my question is, How do we know if we are saving the water for later release (late summer) or are we releasing it to the ocean? I live close to Eastman Lake. Delivery rates are 7-day average values. . United States. best to drain the valley. 7 days 30 days Hetch Hetchy is only one of nine reservoirs in the San Francisco Public Utility Commission's water system. Then it has the appearance of something filling up, while still providing all the detail. This dashboard provides a bit more detail on the state of each of the reservoirs while also showing an aggregate total. Historical average is near unattainable these days. This dashboard is great! Have you looked into that side of the water management equation? Thank you for the time and effort in creating the graphs. I do not see Diamond Valley Lake Resevoir on this page. I live in the central valley. The SFPUC gets the bulk of its water from a network of reservoirs in the central Sierra Nevada that have long altered flows of the Tuolumne River and its tributaries. Your tools are awesome just hurts when you receive bad data at times! This other page: https . since it required flooding a Ive looked at reservoir sights for years. 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. P.S. Meant this comment for the integrated snowpack and reservoir view. All Rights Reserved. Click here for the SFPUC's 2020State of the Regional Water System Report. 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. She is a University of Washington graduate. An official website of the United States government. Hetch Hetchy water travels 160 miles via gravity from Yosemite to the San Francisco Bay Area. 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 December, and on Feb. 7, it was up to 82%. Are they releasing water to relieve the pressure in anticipation of more water? Great graphs and very useful. The Hetch Hetchy Reservoir that supplies San Francisco, seen here in February, is among those that have refilled after two months of storms. 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? The soaking was welcome in a drought-plagued state with a diminishing water supply. The Bay Area's main reservoir is up 21 feet. 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 . Monitoring location 11277200 is associated with a LAKE, RESERVOIR, IMPOUNDMENT in TUOLUMNE COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. Much of the water passing through Holm would be diverted into the Mountain Tunnel and be used to generate power a second time at the Moccasin powerhouse. Official websites use .gov A truly excellent project. Winter weather conditions may cause road closures. The recent spate of storms lifted the statewide snowpack to 190% of average for the start of the month, and more snow is on the way. The construction of the Hetch Hetchy Railroad took place from 1915 to 1918. The windfall of water is welcome news for households and businesses in San Francisco, which use less water on average compared to the rest of the state but nonetheless have faced calls to cut back since 2021 because of water shortages. Hetch Hetchy Regional Water System The Hetch Hetchy watershed, an area located in Yosemite National Park, is the major source of water for all of San Francisco's water needs. For the first week of February, there was a slight increase for most reservoirs from January amounts. Excellent graphic! For perspective, water demand across the SFPUC's service area of 2.7 million people was about 205,000 acre-feet last fiscal year. 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. Water data back to 1956 are available online. Remaining Capacity text in the legend should be brown? We provide water directly to customers in San Francisco and wholesale through 26 Water agencies in Alameda, Santa Clara, and San Mateo counties. California reservoir levels: . 95 percent of. Is it because the laws have changed on how much each reservoir can hold or is it in anticipation of significantly more rain? Current conditions of LAKE OR RESERVOIR WATER SURFACE ELEVATION ABOVE NGVD 1929 and RESERVOIR STORAGE are available. globe = document.getElementById('mekko'); Article X, Section 2 that requires diversions for all water But tearing down O'Shaughnessy Dam in order to restore Hetch Hetchy Valley would be a disaster. Previously, Kellie covered dining news and trends, visual arts, events and nightlife for the Arizona Republic, and freelanced for the former Contra Costa Times. reserved. The snowpack acts as a natural reservoir and slowly releases water.. Related articles . Hetchy refers to a valley in the Sierra Nevada and a reservoir that Important Legacy real-time page. 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. Thanks for taking the time to do that. San Francisco voters have demonstrated their opposition to Before joining the Chronicle, Alexander worked as a freelance writer and as a staff reporter for several media organizations, including The Fresno Bee and Bay Area News Group, writing about government, politics and the environment. We own and operate the Hetch Hetchy Regional Water System which serves 2.7 million customers. the Bay Area. Yes, and why is Twitchell Dam also not listed? To reach Hetch Hetchy, you have to exit Yosemite National Park and re-enter it. Shasta, Oroville, Hetch Hetchy and many others were built by damming large rivers. The SFPUC hoards water in dry years when they dont need to, said Peter Drekmeier, policy director at the conservation group Tuolumne River Trust. This is a marimekko (or mekko) graph which may take some time to understand if you arent used to seeing them. The BAWSCA agencies are therefore key stakeholders in ensuring the system serves as a reliable source of high quality water. I dont know if weve seen anything like this in October before.". 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. For detailed analysis of how San Franciscos water system will operate without Hetch Hetchy reservoir, see the Environmental Defense Funds studiesParadise RegainedandCherry Intertie Alternative. reloadiframes(); Diamond Valley Lake is a man-made storage reservoir for storing imported water only. Folsom Lake is letting the water flow out. She has been with SFGATE for more than 10 years. ) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. Forty-six percent . How Fast Are California Reservoirs Filling Up? She was born and raised in the Bay Area and got her start in news at the Daily Californian newspaper at UC Berkeley where she majored in English literature. Why is Lake Nacimiento and Lake San Antonio not listed? has a graph which shows how the historical avg changes throughout the year (oscillating between ~15000 and ~21000). 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. Thank you for a beautiful job. BAWSCA Board of Directors Meeting, March 16, 2023, 6:30 PM. The OShaughnessy Dam, which was completed in 1938 and is 430-feet tall, impounds water in Hetch Hetchy Reservoir for communities in the Bay Area. Weve been at zero now for several weeks, and we really want to see that turn around., Kellie Hwang and Yoohyun Jung are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. 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. Could you also show each reservoirs level as a function of time? Current conditions of LAKE OR RESERVOIR WATER SURFACE ELEVATION ABOVE NAVD 1988, LAKE OR RESERVOIR WATER SURFACE ELEVATION ABOVE NGVD 1929, and RESERVOIR STORAGE are available. I appreciate the information you are providing. With how we can now basically pinpoint future precipitation amounts at least a month in advance, no reason to not let these reservoirs fill up past historic averages for this date. How do I contact support? Its essential to understand that the dispute over San Franciscos use of Hetch Hetchy is not about the use of water only how it is stored. Nice! Lake Shasta and Mendocino are also well below average. supplies water to the San Francisco Bay Area. looks like the CDEC website is the cause of the issue unless it actually dropped 90% in a day: https://engaging-data.com/ca-reservoir-level/ their water supply would cost hundreds of millions of dollars at San Francisco and the thousands of suburban . Whats going on with the water level at Oroville? Folsom is like an overflow tank. Since June 2011, the Water Enterprise has operated the Citys Emergency Firefighting Water System (EFWS, formerly known as the Auxiliary Water Supply System (AWSS)), an independent, high-pressure water supply system for fire suppression. 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. Restore Hetch Hetchy supports a power replacement plan that is truly renewable, and will not increase emissions of any pollutants or carbon that causes global warming. Congressman Tom McClintock has re-introduced theYosemite National Park Equal Access and Fairness Act, a bill that would allow non-motorized Sign up to receive blog posts and other news by email. The reservoir is now projected to cost $4.4 billion, with Prop. A different story is unfolding at Hetch Hetchy reservoir in Yosemite National Park, where water is being released to conserve and restore wildlife. Why isnt Lake Sonoma included? LK ELEANOR NR HETCH HETCHY CA. Great visualization Chris! Wapama Falls (moderate) 5 mi (8 km) round-trip; 2 hours. Climbers Timmy O'Neill (left) and Lucho Rivera atop a wall overlooking Hetch Hetchy Reservoir. November 10, 2022 - BAWSCA Statement on State Water-Policy Officials, SFPUC, and Districts Sign MOU for Tuolumne River to Help Recover Salmon While Protecting Water Reliability. Some want the city to leave more water in stream channels for threatened salmon while others continue a longshot bid to shut down Hetch Hetchy Reservoir in Yosemite altogether and return the area to its natural state. The extensive amount of storage, which is designed to benefit the Bay Area as droughts become more severe with climate change, has become a sticking point in a longstanding environmental battle over how much water the city should be taking from rivers. San Francisco's water-bank in Don Pedro Reservoir, downstream on the Tuolumne River, holds twice as much water as Hetch Hetchy. Email: kellie.hwang@sfchronicle.com, Yoohyun.Jung@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @KellieHwang, @yoohyun_jung. Commission. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. The new 68-mile (109 km) railroad wound its way up the narrow canyon of the Tuolumne River past sharp curves and up steep 4% grades. word for a type of wild grass. 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In addition, San Francisco receives approximately one-tenth of its power from hydroelectricity generated by the gravity-driven flow from the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir. It could be the 180% of historical average of snowpack, which will be melting in a couple months. 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. In 2007, the Bush The maximum that the city has put away is 570,000 acre-feet of water. provides water to 2.7 million residents and businesses in the San The upcountry portion of the System begins with Hetch Hetchy Reservoir in Yosemite National Park. This hike follows the shoreline of the reservoir with moderate up and downhill hiking. As it is, at first glance, it looks like shasta is at the top because its 28000 instead of 4552. very nice product overall. Voters rejected a 2012 The judge also noted the provision of the state YTD values are from January 1 . According to the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, Hetch This local water is captured in reservoirs located in San Mateo and Alameda counties. In another sign that Californias drought is easing, San Francisco captured more than a years worth of water in just one months time. The overall storage is said to have dropped by 57.4 to 56.4 (or 302 kaf). Current as of October 03, 2022 | Updated by . Thats up more than 400,000 acre-feet since early December, before the unrelenting series of atmospheric river storms blew through California between Christmas and mid-January. More about the Tuolumne River Voluntary Agreement can be found athttp://www.tuolumnerivermanagementplan.com. A separate vote would have been Lake Oroville. The average for this time of year is approximately 4,659.57ft, plus or minus 39ft. SFGATE took a look at reservoir levels three days after the Oct. 24 storm and below we take another look, examining water level rises and storage increases at a broader range of reservoirs roughly a week after the atmospheric river event. 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. https://cdec.water.ca.gov/dynamicapp/QueryDaily?s=SHA She joined the Chronicle as a data reporter in 2021. mobilewarn(); Reservoir levels rising. System for more than 60 percent of their drinking water. A wet December produced ample snowfall, which is still sitting at high elevations. Kellie has held many leadership roles for the Asian American Journalists Association, including most recently a board member for the San Francisco chapter. **new combined California reservoir and snowpack visualizer**, made a bar graph showing the overall level of water in the major California reservoirs, the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) Data Exchange Center. Restore Hetch Hetchy intends to undo this Great American mistake, and return the valley to Yosemite National Park and all people. Different presidential administrations also have tried to address And more work is underway. Is that a good thing? Just trying to learn here Thanks so much! Construction of the regional water system proceeded over the following 20 years, with water first delivered in 1934. Even with the latest precipitation, Folsoms values was unchanged. How come the totals disagree with the cal map graphic? Love this. 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. Monitoring location 11275500 is associated with a LAKE, RESERVOIR, IMPOUNDMENT in TUOLUMNE COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. Constitution used to support the arguments to remove the dam was Lake ShastaLevel before the storm on Oct. 22: 882.57 feetLevel after the storm on Nov. 1: 885.47 feetTotal rise: 2.9 feet, Storage before the storm: 970,859 acre-feetStorage after the storm: 1,001,879 acre-feetTotal storage increase: 31,020 acre-feet, Lake OrovilleLevel before the storm: 630.80 feetLevel after the storm: 661.20 feetTotal rise: 30.4 feet, Storage before the storm: 799,638 acre-feetStorage after the storm: 982,263 acre-feetTotal storage increase: 182,625 acre-feet, Hetch HetchyLevel before the storm: 3,729.68 feetLevel after the storm: 3,750.99 feetTotal rise: 21.31 feet, Storage before the storm: 221,500 acre-feetStorage after the storm: 257,800 acre-feetTotal storage increase: 36,300 acre-feet, Trinity LakeLevel before the storm: 2,209.55 feetLevel after the storm: 2,213.22 feetTotal rise: 3.67 feet, Storage before the storm: 648,675 acre-feetStorage after the storm: 672,930 acre-feetTotal storage increase: 24,255 acre-feet, Folsom LakeLevel before the storm: 370.28 feetLevel after the storm: 390.33 feetTotal rise: 20.05 feet, Storage before the storm: 214,225 acre-feetStorage after the storm: 318,577 acre-feetTotal storage increase: 104,352 acre-feet, New Melones LakeLevel before the storm: 916.28 feetLevel after the storm: 917.09 feetTotal rise: 0.81 feet, Storage before the storm: 822,619 acre-feetStorage after the storm: 827,786 acre-feetTotal storage increase: 5,167 acre-feet, Don PedroLevel before the storm: 723.96 feetLevel after the storm: 727.41 feetTotal rise: 3.45 feet, Storage before the storm: 970,226 acre-feetStorage after the storm: 995,836 acre-feetTotal storage increase: 25,610 acre-feet, McClureLevel before the storm: 663.70 feetLevel after the storm: 672.27 feetTotal rise: 8.4 feet, Storage before the storm: 180,900 acre-feetStorage after the storm: 198,467 acre-feetTotal storage increase: 17,210 acre-feet. His recent work has examined the impacts of drought, threats to public lands and wildlife, and the nation's widening rural-urban divide. I find myself coming back to this every few days to check on our water . The half-hour drive to Hetch Hetchy from CA Highway 120 begins outside the park boundaries. Hetch Hetchy is Monitoring location 11275500. You can find the charts below from the California Department of Water Resources website. Even with all the rain and floods, still a long way to fill them to capacity. Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush. If you are on a mobile device you can tap the reservoir to get that same info.