SAN FRANCISCO- Last Tuesday San Francisco voted No on Proposal F, a proposal that would ultimately lead to the draining and restoration of Yosemite National Park’s Hetch Hetchy Valley.
Approved in 1913 by Woodrow Wilson, the dam was built a year short of a decade ago. Its primary purpose was to supply drinking water. Supporters of Proposal F are in favor of doing more to recycle water and regenerate underground aquifers, using underground water for residents of San Francisco. According to the Prop F’s Facebook page, “Prop F in San Francisco aims to improve our City’s standing from LAST to FIRST in water sustainability while making possible Restoring Hetch Hetchy Valley “.
Based on reports, it would have cost nearly 8 million dollars to study the prospect of breaking down and rebuilding the dam and finding new alternatives to reconfigure the reservoir’s storage capacity. Similar reports stated it would have cost anywhere between 3 to 10 billion dollars to actually pursue the rebuilding.
Mike Marshall, director of the campaign supporting Proposal F, stated, “It is an important conversation for a city like San Francisco that stands on its environmental values, yet we have a water system that’s last in the state in so many ways”.
