Historical average is near unattainable these days. It does not meet the California definition of renewable energy. However, I am interested in how much we are saving. For the first week of February, there was a slight increase for most reservoirs from January amounts. Only modest new supplies would be required in the driest years. 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. Heres an example of that data for Shasta, where you can see the daily inflows and outflows: GNSS2 - Level 2 Quality Survey Grade Global Navigation Satellite System. 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. The name Hetch Hetchy is derived from a Sierra Miwok Best of luck out there in California! The surplus has renewed concerns about San Francisco stockpiling water at the expense of rivers and the fish and wildlife that live there. Data have been checked by the reporting agency. Arg. If you look at the inflow data on the major reservoirs, its pretty flat. This local water is captured in reservoirs located in San Mateo and Alameda counties. Official websites use .gov Stay up-to-date with breaking news and upcoming events. 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. At the moment, I am not interested in the debate. . Reservoir behind OShaughnessy Dam does not require filtration. function reloadiframes(){ Maybe bad data. Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush. How come the totals disagree with the cal map graphic? 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. reloadiframes(); 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. But the growing water reserves dont please everyone. 95 percent of. Climbers Timmy O'Neill (left) and Lucho Rivera atop a wall overlooking Hetch Hetchy Reservoir. Important Legacy real-time page. She is a University of Washington graduate. 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 broad meaning that had been previously applied in an This is a very clear graph and I cannot imagine the hours you have put in while setting it up and doing the maintenance. Love the dashboard! Hetch Hetchy is only one of nine reservoirs in the San Francisco Public Utility Commission's water system. The advocacy group Restore Hetch Hetchy took its case for ) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. setTimeout(function (){ Email: kalexander@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kurtisalexander. While the rainfall has been bad for many people, I am happy to see Californias reservoirs are benefiting slightly, Amen! Water data back to 1930 are available online. Trinity Lake, with a capacity of 2,447,650 acre-feet, had the smallest increase, from 29% in December to 30% in January. earthquake. Park visitors walk across OShaughnessy Dam in Yosemite National Park on Sept. 1. Great URL. Waterfalls gushed at Hetch Hetchy after an atmospheric river event in October 2021. It would be really interesting to visualize whether were able to replenish ground water this year after all the precipitation. } Charts from the California Department of Water Resources show conditions at key state reservoirs on Oct. 22 (left) and on Nov. 2 (right). reservoir violates the California Constitution specifically the This hike follows the shoreline of the reservoir with moderate up and downhill hiking. Santa Clara, Alameda and San Mateo counties. Navigation and Navigable Waters 33.208.82 Hetch Hetchy, Cherry Valley, and Don Pedro Dams and Reservoirs. Francisco Public Utilities Commissions 26 wholesale customers United States. Hetch Hetchy is Monitoring location 11275500. Its water supply Hetch Hetchy Reservoir, in the Sierra Nevada is 80% full, the ground is saturated and near-record rainfall has occurred in recent days. It used to be full (and beyond). Meant this comment for the integrated snowpack and reservoir view. I love this this site too. Maintaining this variety of sources is an important component of our near and long-term water supply management strategy. globe.height = globe.contentWindow.document.body.scrollHeight+40+"px"; their water supply would cost hundreds of millions of dollars at The trail includes spectacular views of Tueeulala and Wapama Falls. Hetch Hetchy is only one of nine reservoirs in the San Francisco Public Utility Commissions water system. Rizzardo said there was a decent amount of flow into the reservoirs into January, even though weather-wise it was bone dry, a result of lower elevation snow at 4,000 to 6,000 feet making its way into the reservoirs. During the winter months, they let water out of the reservoirs in anticipation of large storms. 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. From the main road, it's about a 20- to 25-minute drive to the parking area. Required fields are marked *. The Bay Area's main reservoir is up 21 feet. 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). There is something strange about the data over the last two days (Jan.17 to Jan. 19): Monitoring location 11275500 is associated with a LAKE, RESERVOIR, IMPOUNDMENT in TUOLUMNE COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. 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. The information on Isabella has been fluctuating drastically (by a factor of 10!) P.S. Hetch Hetchy Reservoir in Yosemite National Park is seen in 2022. Our drinking water comes from a variety of protected sources carefully managed by the SFPUC. 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. It looks like the red and blue lines are backwards on Folsom. Add a button to convert the row heights to log scale. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. I wonder why it doesnt work for you. I hear from the farmers that we waste 80% of the water by flushing it into the ocean. I also hear the environmentalists say, the streams and wildlife need water, so flush it into the ocean. Its an interesting dilemma. Kudos to the designers. Within San Francisco, we manage water distribution in the City. Lock Hetch Hetchy water travels 160 miles via gravity from Yosemite to the San Francisco Bay Area. BAWSCA agencies also are implementing water conservation and water recycling projects to help preserve this precious resource for their communities, and are working to identify alternate sources of water supply. Its fluctuating between ~107% and ~20% from one hour to the next (reading 107.6 atm). By a large measure, damming and flooding Hetch Hetchy is the most significant damage ever allowed in any of our national parks. I recently joined the team with Restore Hetch Hetchy as Engagement & Development Director. has a graph which shows how the historical avg changes throughout the year (oscillating between ~15000 and ~21000). His recent work has examined the impacts of drought, threats to public lands and wildlife, and the nation's widening rural-urban divide. The remaining 15 percent of water comes from runoff in the Alameda and Peninsula watersheds. word for a type of wild grass. The snowpack acts as a natural reservoir and slowly releases water.. This would allow us to see important, but noise-level reservoirs like hetch hetchy. 2151 River Plaza Drive, Suite 205 Hetch Hetchy Regional Water System, which serves San Francisco, Before returning to the Bay Area, she held roles as transportation reporter and trending news reporter at the IndyStar in Indianapolis. So its volume is counted as Orville inflow. do so. 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. Visualization was done in javascript and specifically the D3.js visualization library. Fish and Wildlife Service that provides an immediate $4 million investment for habitat improvements for fisheries in the Tuolumne River. Voters rejected a 2012 If you are reading this, its probably the winter rainy season in California again, and time to check on the status of the water in the California reservoirs. The question was, what constitutes unreasonable method of Sierra Club unsuccessfully fought the reservoirs establishment 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. use must be reasonable.. This is wonderful information. Turn right on to Hetch Hetchy Road - Evergreen Road and continue another 7.5 miles to the parking area for Hetchy Hetchy Reservoir next to the dam. Why isnt Lake Sonoma included? Shasta is very large and could hold about 3.5 cubic kilometers of water at full (but not flood) capacity. 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. It can take several days to see the full impact on reservoirs as water continues to run through watersheds and into streams in the days after a storm. . How do I contact support? I was thinking that it would be interesting to compare inflows and outflows. Hetch Hetchy has generated controversy since it was first Horoscope for Friday, 3/03/23 by Christopher Renstrom, No seriously, dont drive up to Tahoe this weekend, Wife of Jeffrey Vandergrift issues somber update, Snowboarder dies at Tahoe ski resort following historic blizzard, Scream publicity stunt floods Bay Area dispatch with 911 calls, The best fried chicken is at a San Francisco strip club, Rain reenters Bay Area forecast: Have an umbrella near you, The Warriors broke Russell Westbrook, just like old times, Mochi muffin bakery closes SF cafe after just 4 months, Arrest in killing of woman seen running through Tahoe campground, Oakland ransomware attackers leak 'confidential' data, California Department of Water Resources website, 14 things you need in your car before you drive to Tahoe. Upcountry and the Bay Area. reserved. The half-hour drive to Hetch Hetchy from CA Highway 120 begins outside the park boundaries. Lake Shasta, the state's largest reservoir, rose 2.9 feet and added 31,020 acre-feet of water. In 2007, the Bush For detailed analysis of how San Franciscos water system will operate without Hetch Hetchy reservoir, see the Environmental Defense Funds studiesParadise RegainedandCherry Intertie Alternative. best to drain the valley. Diamond Valley Lake is a man-made storage reservoir for storing imported water only. O'Shaughnessy Dam was built on the Tuolumne River in 1923 to create Hetch Hetchy Reservoir. Restore Hetch Hetchy. Article X, Section 2 that requires diversions for all water 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. It was the only tool that I could find that would allow me to make a vertical marimekko graph. If a reservoir gets filled to 100% and more, the dam will break and many cities will get flooded, so the operators are careful. I havent spent much time looking at it but that data is on the CDEC website. The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission is involved in on-going negotiations with the State on a voluntary agreement for implementation of the Bay-Delta Plan, which calls for large increases in water releases on the tributaries to the San Joaquin River, a major tributary to the Bay-Delta. 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). For perspective, water demand across the SFPUC's service area of 2.7 million people was about 205,000 acre-feet last fiscal year. Absolutely zero reason to be releasing this much water from these reservoirs. Current as of October 03, 2022 | Updated by . Python is used to extract the data from this page hourly and wrangle the data in to a clean format. 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. These sources are diverse in both the origin of the supply snowmelt, rainfall and recharge of groundwater and their location within our system. This is the best one out there. Quite an eye opener. And while one storm didn't come close to ending the drought, some reservoirs in Northern California, especially those that fell right in the path of the storm, saw significant gains. According to the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, Hetch Is that from melting snow and rain water coming from the mountains and filling it up? This is a marimekko (or mekko) graph which may take some time to understand if you arent used to seeing them. I have to agree with many people here what a great job making such a clear graph of whats happening. You can also share a custom URL by clicking the Save URL button which will put the custom URL into the URL bar of your browser which you can then copy and share. Flood control agencies (not DWR) have the most say in regard to releases. 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? however, Ill update the code to include it soon. The data on water storage comes from the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) Data Exchange Center. In addition, San Francisco receives approximately one-tenth of its power from hydroelectricity generated by the gravity-driven flow from the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir. https://waterdata.usgs.gov/monitoring-location/11275500/#parameterCode=00054&period=P7D. A lock ( Updated to include drought zones while tracking water shortage status of your area, plus reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. Prior to The Chronicle, she worked as a data journalist for Honolulu Civil Beat, a watchdog news organization covering the Hawaiian islands. I think the problem is with the CDEC database (as the LakesOnline website also has had incorrectly high information). David Rizzardo, hydrology section manager for the California Department of Water Resources, said there are a lot of factors that affect reservoir storage. LK ELEANOR NR HETCH HETCHY CA. 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. One of the most impressive was Hetch Hetchy, which provides drinking water to 2.6 million people in San Francisco and other Bay Area communities. I find myself coming back to this every few days to check on our water . Are they releasing water to relieve the pressure in anticipation of more water? Californias snowpack slips below average after dismally dry January, renewing concerns about drought, Busting water limits wont cost you in Marin County: Penalties canceled as rain fills reservoirs, California snowpack hits highest level this century for March. She joined the Chronicle as a data reporter in 2021. Locked padlock Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Delivery rates are 7-day average values. Owned by the city of San Francisco, Hetch Hetchy Reservoir California snowpack hits highest level this century for March. So they should be saving much more and deal with the .000001 of risk later. Even with all the rain and floods, still a long way to fill them to capacity. Current conditions of LAKE OR RESERVOIR WATER SURFACE ELEVATION ABOVE NGVD 1929 and RESERVOIR STORAGE are available. SFPUC said as of this week, the Hetch Hetchy reservoir is at 92 percent capacity. Have you looked into that side of the water management equation? . Similar findings are described in theUC Davis studyRe-Assembling Hetch HetchyandUS Bureau of Reclamation study. 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. 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. 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. The SFPUC has voiced concerns with the Plan, as it would dramatically reduce the agencys water supply, leaving it subject to significant rationing in droughts and more extreme weather conditions brought on by climate change. If you click on the list button in the top right of the dashboard, it will show a list of the reservoirs (in order of size from largest to smallest) and you can check which ones you would like to display. 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. Greetings from Mount Laurel New Jersey. Monitoring location 11277200 is associated with a LAKE, RESERVOIR, IMPOUNDMENT in TUOLUMNE COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. Water data back to 1956 are available online. Jeff, the average changes daily as well. There are no alerts at this time. the Hetch Hetchy Valley to its natural state. 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. 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. Generation at Holm powerhouse below Cherry Lake would be less affected. BAWSCA Board of Directors Meeting, March 16, 2023, 6:30 PM. lawsuit, saying Restore Hetch Hetchys arguments were preempted Wapama Falls (moderate) 5 mi (8 km) round-trip; 2 hours. How Fast Are California Reservoirs Filling Up? Your email address will not be published. The Water Education Foundation is a nonprofit, tax-exempt, 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. I notice Briones Reservoir is not on the list. What happened to the Hetch Hetchy level? Thats a great suggestion and one that would be particularly helpful! Great graphs and very useful. 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. It was at 60 percent as of March 1 and rising, according to the Bureau of Reclamation. But tearing down O'Shaughnessy Dam in order to restore Hetch Hetchy Valley would be a disaster. 7 days 30 days Good info to know. A separate vote would have been The only improvement I would ask you to consider is to allow the Y-axis to be Linear or Log, the latter allowing us to see all the small reservoirs quite easily. 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. Great resource! Due to its high-altitude location at 3,900 feet above sea level But it has flooded nine miles of a glacier-carved valley and blocks access to the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne and other nearby areas. The height of the row indicates how much water the reservoir could hold. Reservoir Report 4,670 ft -0.02% today 100% of normal Normal Water lake or reservoir water surface elevation above ngvd 1929, ft at Cherry Lk Nr Hetch Hetchy Ca is currently 4,670 ft, approximately 100% of normal. 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. Remember, much of the state is still in a drought and so the prudence is warranted.. Is that a good thing? ", The difference in soil type in the two watersheds was likely another factor. An official website of the United States government. Previously, Kellie covered dining news and trends, visual arts, events and nightlife for the Arizona Republic, and freelanced for the former Contra Costa Times. A different story is unfolding at Hetch Hetchy reservoir in Yosemite National Park, where water is being released to conserve and restore wildlife. Hoping they start building more reservoirs soon. Its supposed to be brown. The regional water system provides water to 2.4 million people in San Francisco, Santa Clara, Alameda and San Mateo counties. Maybe just acre/ft with ^ or down arrow. They placed a few dissipators just before the river. This almost happened with the Orville Dam in 2017. It certainly looks dry at least until the last week in February, he said. This system encompasses more than 1,250 miles of distribution pipelines, as well as 12 in-City reservoirs and eight water tanks with a total storage capacity of approximately 413 million gallons. Is it because the laws have changed on how much each reservoir can hold or is it in anticipation of significantly more rain? 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. around the Bay Area rely on the Hetch Hetchy Regional Water Theyve also seen drought surcharges on their water bills. If you look at this chart for Hetch Hetchy, you can see that the biggest and steadiest rise is between March and July, https://waterdata.usgs.gov/monitoring-location/11275500/#parameterCode=00054&period=P365D&compare=true. Privacy Policy | 2011-2021 San Francisco Public Utilities Commission. Thinking more about it. Thanks for taking the time to do that. Its promising, but too early to let our guard down, said Joseph Sweiss, spokesman for the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, the citys water purveyor, in an email to The Chronicle. **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. 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). Super frustrating. That cant be right. mandate within How do I pay my bill? 501(c)3 organization, federal tax ID #942419885. Constitution used to support the arguments to remove the dam was Great stuff. How can I match up other monitoring locations similar to the ones on this Interactive Dashboard? I also added the ability to select specific reservoirs to display on the graph and share a custom URL which will point those selected reservoirs (click on list button on top right of dashboard). He frequently writes about water, wildfire, climate and the American West. Yoohyun Jung is the Deputy Data Editor for The San Francisco Chronicle. globe = document.getElementById('mekko'); 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 construction of the Hetch Hetchy Railroad took place from 1915 to 1918. That includes the Tuolumne River, which provides water via Hetch Hetchy Reservoir to Bay Area customers. The trail takes you to the base of Wapama Falls, passing two smaller waterfalls (during spring) on the way. Thank you so much for the hard work! City officials have touted their efforts to help salmon, for example by timing water releases to assist with migration and restoring breeding grounds. Great work. But they'll cost you, Fight at high school basketball game in S.F. For example, Hetch Hetchy Reservoir in Yosemite National Park provides 85 percent of San Francisco's total water needs.