Official websites use .gov The gain came after weather gauges in the area recorded more than 5 inches from one storm. This is the first state (of 6 I have lived in) that has had water police and restrictions. This almost happened with the Orville Dam in 2017. Water data back to 1930 are available online. Heres where California reservoir levels stand after this weeks rains. These sources are diverse in both the origin of the supply snowmelt, rainfall and recharge of groundwater and their location within our system. The middle portion of the watershed from New Don Pedro Reservoir to above Hetch Hetchy Reservoir is characterized by deep canyons and forested terrain. 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. 95 percent of. Lake Almanor isnt controlled by DWR for flood/supply. looks like the CDEC website is the cause of the issue unless it actually dropped 90% in a day: Another not monitored by the State? That puts it at 84 percent of where it would usually be usually at this time of year. Owned by the city of San Francisco, Hetch Hetchy Reservoir scenic mountain valley in a national park. Maybe bad data. diversion of water? Restore Hetch Hetchy claimed the phrase had I previously made a bar graph showing the overall level of water in the major California reservoirs. mandate within construction in the 1920s, various groups have lobbied to restore 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. Good info to know. YTD values are from January 1 . This was helpful to project seasonal trends & storm impacts. Yes, and why is Twitchell Dam also not listed? a broad meaning that had been previously applied in an If we reach 100% after the current rains and then it stops raining for the season, then our percentage will start going down. Lake Oroville. SFPUC said as of this week, the Hetch Hetchy reservoir is at 92 percent capacity. 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. Absolutely zero reason to be releasing this much water from these reservoirs. by the Raker Act. 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. Over the summer, Gov. The information on Isabella has been fluctuating drastically (by a factor of 10!) 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. 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. The construction of the Hetch Hetchy Railroad took place from 1915 to 1918. According to the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, Hetch Hetchy Reservoir can store as much as 117 billion gallons for the Hetch Hetchy Regional Water System, which serves San Francisco, Santa Clara, Alameda and San Mateo counties. 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. Los Angeles,Orange CountyandSan Josehave developed ambitious water recycling programs and have vastly improved local groundwater management. 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. What happened to the Hetch Hetchy level? Different presidential administrations also have tried to address Why isnt Lake Sonoma included? 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. 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. Its fluctuating between ~107% and ~20% from one hour to the next (reading 107.6 atm). Its just small enough that the name doesnt appear as the bar is too thin. By a large measure, damming and flooding Hetch Hetchy is the most significant damage ever allowed in any of our national parks. Read more about the data team and their work. How can I apply to SFPUC? 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). Kellie Hwang is the newsletter editor for The San Francisco Chronicle. There doesnt seem to be any site that shows the impact of each storm. 7 days 30 days How do I contact support? 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. Stay up-to-date with breaking news and upcoming events. Hetch Hetchy is one of nine reserviors in a water system that serves San Francisco and other Bay Area communities. This is of particular interest as the self-imposed restrictions deadline is approaching and the federal government may have to step in and mandate restrictions across the 7 states, including California. 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. It could be the 180% of historical average of snowpack, which will be melting in a couple months. Begin at O'Shaughnessy Dam. According to the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, Hetch required on whether to demolish OShaughnessy Dam. I am new to the state. We provide water directly to customers in San Francisco and wholesale through 26 Water agencies in Alameda, Santa Clara, and San Mateo counties. It would be really interesting to visualize whether were able to replenish ground water this year after all the precipitation. I wonder why it doesnt work for you. Arg. I have to agree with many people here what a great job making such a clear graph of whats happening. Last week, I paid a visit to Hetch Hetchy. The amount stored is increasing, just not by a lot. Similar to the water supply issues discussed above, the amount of power replacement is small in a statewide context less than of 1% of the renewable power supply being developed this decade alone. Is it because the laws have changed on how much each reservoir can hold or is it in anticipation of significantly more rain? Thanks for putting this together. How do I pay my bill? Love easy to read and understand information. They placed a few dissipators just before the river. Lock Folsom is like an overflow tank. At times, nearly 90% of the flow of the Tuolumne River is piped off by the SFPUC and other water agencies in the region. Privacy Policy | 2011-2021 San Francisco Public Utilities Commission. All rights Thats a very poor design. 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. Current conditions of LAKE OR RESERVOIR WATER SURFACE ELEVATION ABOVE NGVD 1929 and RESERVOIR STORAGE are available. Major snowstorm might leave you stranded, New 101 express lanes opens in Bay Area. Monitoring location 11275500 is associated with a LAKE, RESERVOIR, IMPOUNDMENT in TUOLUMNE COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. I believe the spillway was designed by the State. 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. 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). 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 . 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. 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. Thank you for the time and effort in creating the graphs. River. The problem is that we have no idea of knowing ahead of time what kind of storms well have and how long theyll last, but the reservoir operators have to be super careful and extra cautious, so they periodically let the water flow out. With modest additional investments San Francisco will be able to maintain an uninterrupted supply of high quality Tuolumne River water. HETCH HETCHY RES A HETCH HETCHY CA. 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. Monitoring location 11277200 is associated with a LAKE, RESERVOIR, IMPOUNDMENT in TUOLUMNE COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. The snowpack there, which will eventually melt and flow into reservoirs, is already bigger than the average peak snowpack, which typically comes around April 1. A different story is unfolding at Hetch Hetchy reservoir in Yosemite National Park, where water is being released to conserve and restore wildlife. a minimum, according to the San Francisco Public Utilities An official website of the United States government. 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. This file photo shows Shasta Lake. If we reach 100% after the current rains and then it stops raining for the season, then our percentage will start going down. 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. Instructions: 2013, photo, the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir is hazy with smoke . Curious why Shasta lake seems to be making big gains in water coming in and Trinity not so much? Similar findings are described in theUC Davis studyRe-Assembling Hetch HetchyandUS Bureau of Reclamation study. And the current water storage amounts are well below the historical averages for this time of year. BAWSCA Board of Directors Meeting, March 16, 2023, 6:30 PM. Charts from the California Department of Water Resources show conditions at key state reservoirs on Oct. 22 (left) and on Nov. 2 (right). environmental context. Department of Water Resources is just another in a long line of completely mismanaged California entities. 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. 9 of 12 10 of 12 Hetch Hetchy Reservoir with Wapama Falls near Groveland, Calif. on Wednesday March 12, 2014, is currently at fifty percent of capacity. San Francisco and the thousands of suburban . This November, a group of environmental advocates will put forth a ballot measure that would require the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission to develop a plan to drain Hetch Hetchy. 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. 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. Great resource! City officials have touted their efforts to help salmon, for example by timing water releases to assist with migration and restoring breeding grounds. Email: kellie.hwang@sfchronicle.com, Yoohyun.Jung@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @KellieHwang, @yoohyun_jung. No it is correct. 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. Ive looked at reservoir sights for years. An official website of the United States government. But Sites would be what's called an off-channel . Only improvement I would suggest is an improvement of the display of the smaller reservoirs so the names are readable. Eighty-five percent of the water comes from Sierra Nevada snowmelt stored in the Hetch Hetchy reservoir situated on the Tuolumne River in Yosemite National Park. It didnt end the drought, but it was definitely really good," said Ritchie. Maintaining this variety of sources is an important component of our near and long-term water supply management strategy. She is a University of Washington graduate. Much of the recent inflow was to Hetch Hetchy, which can hold about 360,000 acre-feet of water and was 83% full at the start of the month. Whats going on with the water level at Oroville? It allowed the water over the spillway to move too fast creating a vacuum between the water and the concrete that pulled the concrete sections out of the spillway. DWR is one of many local, State and Federal entities that dictate water releases. I second that request. Email: kalexander@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kurtisalexander. The reservoir is eight miles long and the largest single body of water in Yosemite. supplies water to the San Francisco Bay Area. Thank you! Hetch Hetchy is the only reservoir above its average storage of 63%, and is 82% full. Hours: Year-round, but only accessible by car when the Hetch Hetchy Road is open. "This was rare for October. Your email address will not be published. Just in case a large storm hits, that way they dont reach 100% capacity. San Franciscos water-bank in Don Pedro Reservoir, downstream on the Tuolumne River, holds twice as much water as Hetch Hetchy. Reservoir behind OShaughnessy Dam does not require filtration. 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. 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. however, Ill update the code to include it soon. Our flagship blog features analysis of news from our staff and announcements of upcoming events. Draining Hetch Hetchy without depriving Bay Area residents of For some strange unknown reason, they are not allowing the lake to fill up. Hetchy Reservoir can store as much as 117 billion gallons for the setTimeout(function (){ In the year prior to Oroville reaching capacity the interactive chart showed the rate of inflow over time. 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. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Lots of possibilities, just curious. Thats just another very strong indication visually that its a big water year.. 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. . Remaining Capacity text in the legend should be brown? Thats enough to supply the citys service area for perhaps seven years. Could the reason be that the water from Lake Alma or seems to be used for energy generation, and that there does not seem to be any agricultural or urban use? not passed until 1928 five years after the dam was built. San Franciscos water system, which includes Hetchy Hetchy, is expected to fill this winter for the first time since 2019. Water data back to 1956 are available online. BAWSCA agencies advocated for the capital improvement program that was adopted by the SFPUC in 2002, and are actively monitoring its implementation. 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. Thanks. Before returning to the Bay Area, she held roles as transportation reporter and trending news reporter at the IndyStar in Indianapolis. 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). After record snowfall in December was followed by a dry January, there are renewed concerns of drought. Here's what that means. It was at 60 percent as of March 1 and rising, according to the Bureau of Reclamation. The source water from SFPUC is typically from the Hetch Hetchy reservoir located in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. 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. }, 150); Call 209-372-0200 for the latest road and weather conditions, Hetch Hetchy Road Daily Hours: 8 am to 5 pm 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? Wapama Falls (moderate) 5 mi (8 km) round-trip; 2 hours. Why is Lake Nacimiento and Lake San Antonio not listed? James Q. Martin / Restore Hetch Hetchy Show More Show Less 4 of 7 At the moment, I am not interested in the debate. 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. generates electricity for the city). I will take a look and see if there are other important reservoirs missing and may add them in the future. In response to the Bay-Delta Plan, the SFPUC and the Modesto and Turlock Irrigation Districts have proposed the Tuolumne River Voluntary Agreement, a combination of flow and non-flow measures sufficient to improve all life-stages of native fish populations in the lower Tuolumne River. They also built a spillway that was too steep and did not install energy dissipators along the spillway. Related articles . For example, the average storage level for Feb. 7 is usually 65% of capacity for Trinity Dam, but currently its at 31%. "It is unknown how much area of the Feather River and Shasta Lake drainages are impacted by hydrophobic soils.". Heres an example of that data for Shasta, where you can see the daily inflows and outflows: it will be cool if there is a way to track the change since Dec or some such date. 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. Northern California's reservoir levels continued to rise in the week after an atmospheric river slammed the state with torrential rain and high winds. 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. 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. 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. 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. Thanks for the link. All rights reserved. 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. Our drinking water comes from a variety of protected sources carefully managed by the SFPUC. The cities, water districts and private utilities represented by the Bay Area Water Supply and Conservation Agency (BAWSCA) rely upon the Hetch Hetchy system for water to protect the health, safety and economic well being of 1.8 million citizens, businesses and community organizations. The SFPUC has also raised concerns over the fishery benefits of the States Plan. California snowpack hits highest level this century for March. And early forecasts show the rest of the wet season is not likely to produce enough precipitation. The SFPUC has consistently stated that voluntary agreements are the best path forward for the Bay-Delta, as the voluntary agreement strikes the right balance between environmental stewardship and water reliability. Restore Hetch Hetchy intends to undo this Great American mistake, and return the valley to Yosemite National Park and all people. I notice Briones Reservoir is not on the list. California reservoir levels: . Thanks for developing it, and for sharing it with the rest of us! Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. has a graph which shows how the historical avg changes throughout the year (oscillating between ~15000 and ~21000). He frequently writes about water, wildfire, climate and the American West. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. The upcountry portion of the System begins with Hetch Hetchy Reservoir in Yosemite National Park. Long-term values for reservoir inflows use maximum number of complete water years in record. Love the dashboard! 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. Voters rejected a 2012 Copyright 2023Water Education Foundation. //this function is called from the javascript from within the iframe after the contents of iframe are loaded (and after an additional 150ms delay) As it is, at first glance, it looks like shasta is at the top because its 28000 instead of 4552. very nice product overall. ) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. That cant be right. Generation at Holm powerhouse below Cherry Lake would be less affected. During most years, there will be a 30-day shut down of the Hetch Hetchy source in the winter months. Previously, Kellie covered dining news and trends, visual arts, events and nightlife for the Arizona Republic, and freelanced for the former Contra Costa Times. The reservoir is now projected to cost $4.4 billion, with Prop. Together, the BAWSCA agencies account for two-thirds of water consumption from the system and pay for two-thirds of its upkeep. function resizeframe(){ resizeframe(); 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. Congress had to approve the project because it was Remember, much of the state is still in a drought and so the prudence is warranted.. Article X, Section 2 that requires diversions for all water } Sierra Club unsuccessfully fought the reservoirs establishment If you are on a mobile device you can tap the reservoir to get that same info. This is a very clear graph and I cannot imagine the hours you have put in while setting it up and doing the maintenance. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Subscribe to receive email notifications of new content. Local reservoir inflows have negative daily flow rates set to zero. reloadiframes(); 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. After the reservoirs in 2018. The BAWSCA agencies are therefore key stakeholders in ensuring the system serves as a reliable source of high quality water. This local water is captured in reservoirs located in San Mateo and Alameda counties. 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. and its snowmelt-fed water supply, water from Hetch Hetchy There are no alerts at this time. Sacramento CA 95833, Everything about California water that matters, Western States Water Agencies and Districts. Could you also show each reservoirs level as a function of time? 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.. Just a wistful thought, it would be really cool to graph the water release statistics. Winter weather conditions may cause road closures. Great visualization Chris! https://cdec.water.ca.gov/dynamicapp/QueryDaily?s=HTH 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 blue line indicates the reservoirs water level one year ago today. For perspective, water demand across the SFPUC's service area of 2.7 million people was about 205,000 acre-feet last fiscal year. The Hetch Hetchy Reservoir in Yosemite delivers water to 2.6 million Bay Area residents every day. There are many very small reservoirs (relative to Shasta) so the bars will be very thin to the point where they are barely a sliver or may not even show up. May 24, 2022 - BAWSCA Statement About the Adoption of a Systemwide Water Use Reduction of 11%. proposed as a source of water following the 1906 San Francisco More about the Tuolumne River Voluntary Agreement can be found athttp://www.tuolumnerivermanagementplan.com. The height of the row indicates how much water the reservoir could hold. San Francisco operates three medium-sized hydro-electric power plants in the Tuolumne River watershed Kirkwood, Moccasin, and Holm. From the main road, it's about a 20- to 25-minute drive to the parking area. proposition that would have funded an $8 million study on how 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). My guess would be that the recent systems have been cold and so they are predominantly dropping snow on the watershed. Next feature request: wire in aquifer level data! It used to be full (and beyond). A lock ( I have wanted to do exactly this plot for years. 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. the city wastes water, so it was a moot issue. 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. ", The difference in soil type in the two watersheds was likely another factor. You can email her at agraff@sfgate.com. Have you looked into that side of the water management equation? Monitoring location 11277500 is associated with a LAKE, RESERVOIR, IMPOUNDMENT in TUOLUMNE COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. These sources include surface water stored in reservoirs located in the Sierra Nevada, Alameda County and San Mateo County, and groundwater supplies stored in a deep aquifer located in San Francisco and San Mateo counties.
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