Where does San Francisco get it's Water?
Did you know that San Franciscans enjoy some of the best water in the world? It's true. Snow melt comes out of our taps! This photo-essay explores the Hetch Hetchy reservoir in Yosemite Valley. The reservoir provides high quality water to over 2.6 million people in the Bay Area. It also generates power. The reservoir was created by constructing the O'Shaughnessy Dam in Yosemitie's Toulumne River Valley. Although the land was originally protected by Federal Law, an exception was made when San Franciscans's wanted to secure a water supply after the 1906 earthquake. Building the dam was a massive undertaking. The Hetch Hetchy Reservoir was, and still is very controversial. Today, some environmentalists want to restore the valley, allowing plants and animals to return. Many others do not want to jeopardize such an important water supply and fear there is no reliable alternative. What do you think?