The height of the row indicates how much water the reservoir could hold. Id love to see how much water is being / has been released from these reservoirs. 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. since it required flooding a 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. 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. Draining Hetch Hetchy without depriving Bay Area residents of I believe the spillway was designed by the State. The trail includes spectacular views of Tueeulala and Wapama Falls. That puts it at 84 percent of where it would usually be usually at this time of year. One of the big challenges in water management is controling the release. Great URL. San Francisco voters have demonstrated their opposition to It wont be full until Spring snowmelt. Lake Oroville. Hetchy Reservoir can store as much as 117 billion gallons for the I dont think its currently above the historical average, not below 1 year ago. 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. UPDATE: Here's where California reservoir levels stand after this week's rains. DWR is one of many local, State and Federal entities that dictate water releases. Part of the lake is on the California side, but it has zero California water impact beyond the immediate Tahoe residents. Are they releasing water to relieve the pressure in anticipation of more water? A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the Article X, Section 2 that requires diversions for all water 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. It would be really interesting to visualize whether were able to replenish ground water this year after all the precipitation. I havent spent much time looking at it but that data is on the CDEC website. Restore Hetch Hetchy. I find myself coming back to this every few days to check on our water . "It is unknown how much area of the Feather River and Shasta Lake drainages are impacted by hydrophobic soils.". The main goal of this visualization is to provide a quick overview of the status of the main reservoirs in the state and how they compare to historical levels. Top ways to experience Hetch Hetchy Reservoir and nearby attractions Yosemite: Audio Driving Tour 1 Full-day Tours from $9.99 per group (up to 8) Private Yosemite Explorer Package | 3 Days of Adventure 3 Private and Luxury from $750.00 per adult (price varies by group size) Private Family Photo Day in Yosemite 78 Recommended Full-day Tours from 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 map graph doesnt include berryessa. Take CA Highway 120 from the park toward Groveland. How do I pay my bill? Love the dashboard! As of Feb. 1, the systems total water storage was just over 1.3 million acre-feet, or about 92% of capacity. The Hetch Hetchy Reservoir in Yosemite delivers water to 2.6 million Bay Area residents every day. Echoing the sentiments of famed naturalist John Muir, members say the glacially-carved Hetch Hetchy Valley that the reservoir sits in is comparable in grandeur to Yosemite Valley and should not be flooded. Thanks for putting this together. For perspective, water demand across the SFPUCs service area of 2.7 million people was about 205,000 acre-feet last fiscal year. "Soils that have become hydrophobic due to wildfire can also contribute to increased runoff because the water is less able to penetrate the burned soil," the department said. https://waterdata.usgs.gov/monitoring-location/11275500/#parameterCode=00054&period=P7D. Our reservoirs were alarmingly low. 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. Just in case a large storm hits, that way they dont reach 100% capacity. 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. Its fluctuating between ~107% and ~20% from one hour to the next (reading 107.6 atm). If you are on a mobile device you can tap the reservoir to get that same info. Heres where California reservoir levels stand after this weeks rains. But Sites would be what's called an off-channel . 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. 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. 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. In the year prior to Oroville reaching capacity the interactive chart showed the rate of inflow over time. Central Valleyfarms have installed enough drip irrigationstrips to reach the moon and back, an improvement that also enables more efficient application of fertilizer and pesticides. In fact, thanks to a little snowmelt, water levels were up for all reservoirs from December to January. . Major snowstorm might leave you stranded, New 101 express lanes opens in Bay Area. This dashboard provides a bit more detail on the state of each of the reservoirs while also showing an aggregate total. 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. Together, the BAWSCA agencies account for two-thirds of water consumption from the system and pay for two-thirds of its upkeep. This other page: https . 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. System for more than 60 percent of their drinking water. That cant be right. The reservoir is eight miles long and the largest single body of water in Yosemite. Twenty of San I have to agree with many people here what a great job making such a clear graph of whats happening. Hetch Hetchy has generated controversy since it was first Thanks for providing it for public information. A 1 week change would be interesting to show on each. She has been with SFGATE for more than 10 years. It is on the graph. Thanks for the prompt reply! Yes, and why is Twitchell Dam also not listed? 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. We own and operate the Hetch Hetchy Regional Water System which serves 2.7 million customers. Lake Mendocino, which has a capacity of 122,400 acre feet, saw the biggest boost from 17% of storage capacity in December to 35% in January. 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. The upcountry portion of the System begins with Hetch Hetchy Reservoir in Yosemite National Park. I notice Briones Reservoir is not on the list. A truly excellent project. 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. 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. During the winter months, they let water out of the reservoirs in anticipation of large storms. Why is it not listed? lawsuit, saying Restore Hetch Hetchys arguments were preempted Sometimes this is well done sometimes it is poorly done. Current conditions of LAKE OR RESERVOIR WATER SURFACE ELEVATION ABOVE NGVD 1929 and RESERVOIR STORAGE are available. proposed as a source of water following the 1906 San Francisco The area around Shasta has more volcanic soils that absorb rainfall than the Feather River drainage. This chart only shows reservoirs filled via natural flow/rainfall. A lock ( Californias largest water agencies, in both the urban and agricultural sectors, have invested in ambitious groundwater banking programs inKern County. O'Shaughnessy Dam is a 430-foot (131 m) high concrete arch-gravity dam in Tuolumne County, California, United States.It impounds the Tuolumne River, forming the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir at the lower end of Hetch Hetchy Valley in Yosemite National Park, about 160 miles (260 km) east of San Francisco. 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. earthquake. Thank you! And early forecasts show the rest of the wet season is not likely to produce enough precipitation. 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. The Mokolumne River, which originates in the high Sierra, provides more than 90 percent of the East Bay's water and the Owens Valley in the eastern Sierra serves as a key source of water for Los Angeles. The advocacy group Restore Hetch Hetchy took its case for Trailhead address: Evergreen Road (Hetch Hetchy Road), Yosemite National Park, CA 95321. pertained to water that was wasted, and there was no claim that Folsom is like an overflow tank. According to the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, Hetch Tracy Barbutes, Freelance / Special to The Chronicle, Heres where California reservoir levels stand after this weeks rains. And the current water storage amounts are well below the historical averages for this time of year. Then it has the appearance of something filling up, while still providing all the detail. Stay up-to-date with breaking news and upcoming events. Thats a great suggestion and one that would be particularly helpful! For perspective, water demand across the SFPUC's service area of 2.7 million people was about 205,000 acre-feet last fiscal year. Reservoir levels rising. Usually with warm ARs, you get a dramatic increase in inflow, which can fill even very large reservoirs relatively quickly, like Oroville in 2017. Its great seeing all the reservoirs in California at or near historical averages. reserved. Didnt realize how bad things were there. How can I apply to SFPUC? 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. Hetch Hetchy Reservoir in Yosemite National Park is seen in 2022. 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. rejected by an appellate court and the California Supreme Court I will take a look and see if there are other important reservoirs missing and may add them in the future. 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). 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. 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? Theyve also seen drought surcharges on their water bills. Thanks. Amy Graff is the news editor for SFGATE. Sacramento CA 95833, Everything about California water that matters, Western States Water Agencies and Districts. 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. The data on water storage comes from the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) Data Exchange Center. It was at 60 percent as of March 1 and rising, according to the Bureau of Reclamation. Current as of October 03, 2022 | Updated by . Also a little nit. Hours: Year-round, but only accessible by car when the Hetch Hetchy Road is open. Winter weather conditions may cause road closures. In addition, San Francisco receives approximately one-tenth of its power from hydroelectricity generated by the gravity-driven flow from the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir. 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. At times, nearly 90% of the flow of the Tuolumne River is piped off by the SFPUC and other water agencies in the region. Hoping they start building more reservoirs soon. Having it here would be great! An improvement: Could you include a bar for Last year at this date? Thanks for the link. It looks like the red and blue lines are backwards on Folsom. Awesome work!! resizeframe(); Previously, Kellie covered dining news and trends, visual arts, events and nightlife for the Arizona Republic, and freelanced for the former Contra Costa Times. Hetch Hetchy is Monitoring location 11275500. Hetch-Hetchy predicted to fill by end of the snowmelt period 2020-2021 Winter season continues to be dry 2019-2020 was dry, although key differences Feb. 2020 was unusually warm, which impacted snowfall levels and water demands; Feb 2021 was cooler, and hence snowfall level higher and water use lower Historical average is near unattainable these days. "This was rare for October. function resizeframe(){ "In contrast, the Shasta Lake drainage had only a couple of stations in excess of 10 inches whereas most received less. That said, most of its outflow makes its way down Feather River (via Rock Creek Reservoir) and ultimately into Orville. Absolutely zero reason to be releasing this much water from these reservoirs. My guess would be that the recent systems have been cold and so they are predominantly dropping snow on the watershed. Hetch Hetchy Water System The system originates more than 100 miles from its primary customers, in Yosemite National Park. The Bay Area's main reservoir is up 21 feet. 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. 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. Just a wistful thought, it would be really cool to graph the water release statistics. For detailed analysis of how San Franciscos water system will operate without Hetch Hetchy reservoir, see the Environmental Defense Funds studiesParadise RegainedandCherry Intertie Alternative. Remaining Capacity text in the legend should be brown? . Jeff, the average changes daily as well. But they'll cost you, Fight at high school basketball game in S.F. Find out more about the system at http://www.sfwater.org, BAWSCA Board Policy Committee Meeting, April 12, 2023 1:30pm. If you are experiencing a water, power, or sewer emergency or service problem call our 24-hour hotline at 3-1-1 or (415) 701-2311 from outside SF or log on at, Public Notices and Public Meeting Notices, Customer Assistance Program - Water/Wastewater, Customer Assistance Program - Hetch Hetchy Power, Hetch Hetchy Power Medical Necessity Assitance Program, Hot Water Recirculation Pump Rebate Program, San Francisco's Urban Watersheds Overview, Free Phone Consultations, Evaluations and Devices, Games Puzzles Virtual Backgrounds Overview, Get your Free 2023 Pollution Prevention Calendar, Construction & Contracts Overview Overview, Contract Opportunities and Payments Overview, Project Review and Land Use - Hetch Hetchy Water and Power, Project Review and Land Use - San Francisco, Sewer System Improvement Program Overview, Water Infrastructure Improvements Overview, Boards, Commissions and Committees Overview, Internships, Apprenticeships and Youth Employment, Public Notices and Public Meeting Notices Overview, Audited Financial Statements & Annual Comprehensive Financial Reports, SFPUC Preliminary Public Power Options Report, Civic Center Sustainable Utilities District Plan, Resolution Condemning Systemic Racism & Taking Action to Promote Racial Justice. by the Raker Act. Only modest new supplies would be required in the driest years. Before returning to the Bay Area, she held roles as transportation reporter and trending news reporter at the IndyStar in Indianapolis. Wapama Falls (moderate) 5 mi (8 km) round-trip; 2 hours. So included in DWR #S. It takes a fair amount of work to make graphs compared to other more plug-and-play libraries but its very customizable, which is a plus. It certainly looks dry at least until the last week in February, he said. Just trying to learn here Thanks so much! Restore Hetch Hetchy intends to undo this Great American mistake, and return the valley to Yosemite National Park and all people. document.getElementById('globes').contentWindow.location.reload(); I would like to make one small suggestion:. mobilewarn(); How Much Water is in California Reservoirs? As the system aged, especially in an era of heightened safety awareness following the Loma Prieta Earthquake in 1989 and drought in the 1990s, it became evident that the system required a complete overhaul. a minimum, according to the San Francisco Public Utilities Delivery rates are 7-day average values. drained by the Tuolumne There doesnt seem to be any site that shows the impact of each storm. Email: kalexander@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kurtisalexander. Your Privacy Choices (Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads). Ive looked at reservoir sights for years. The name Hetch Hetchy is derived from a Sierra Miwok What happened to the Hetch Hetchy level? Thats a very poor design. Excellent graphic! globe.height = globe.contentWindow.document.body.scrollHeight+40+"px"; 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. But the growing water reserves dont please everyone. They are draining it currently so that it can serve as that overflow if needed given how much rain is coming down and expected over the next week. BAWSCA Board of Directors Meeting, March 16, 2023, 6:30 PM. scenic mountain valley in a national park. Much of the recent inflow was to Hetch Hetchy, which can hold. Gavin Newsom asked all California residents to voluntarily reduce use by 15% compared with use in 2019. A wet December produced ample snowfall, which is still sitting at high elevations. Only improvement I would suggest is an improvement of the display of the smaller reservoirs so the names are readable. This is a marimekko (or mekko) graph which may take some time to understand if you arent used to seeing them. I have wanted to do exactly this plot for years. 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. 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). 2022 All Rights Reserved. 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. Hetch Hetchy is only one of nine reservoirs in the San Francisco Public Utility Commissions water system. Hi Keith, you could de-select the large reservoirs from the menu at the top right. We provide water directly to customers in San Francisco and wholesale through 26 Water agencies in Alameda, Santa Clara, and San Mateo counties. "It's an increase of a few percent, . 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. She joined the Chronicle as a data reporter in 2021. thanks. San Francisco will be in great shape going into 2023, said Spreck Rosekrans, executive director of Restore Hetch Hetchy Its unfortunate that too little is being done with these flows to recharge groundwater basins to help cities and farms and even restoring Hetch Hetchy Valley., Kurtis Alexander is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Although Hetch Hetchy Reservoir is the most well-known, it stores less than 25% of the systems water. . I noticed that Folsom does not change whereas every reservoir changes on an hourly update. This is a very clear graph and I cannot imagine the hours you have put in while setting it up and doing the maintenance. proposition that would have funded an $8 million study on how Begin at O'Shaughnessy Dam. Python is used to extract the data from this page hourly and wrangle the data in to a clean format. By a large measure, damming and flooding Hetch Hetchy is the most significant damage ever allowed in any of our national parks. The Hetch Hetchy Valley today with the dam seen in the lower right. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Subscribe to receive email notifications of new content. Located within the boundaries of Yosemite National Park, the reservoir saw a sizable 21.31-foot bump in its water level and gained 36,300 acre-feet, according to Tuesday data from the U.S. Geological Survey. The blue line indicates the reservoirs water level one year ago today. 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. Thank you for a beautiful job. California drought: Charts show where reservoir levels stand after a dry January, Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area. https://engaging-data.com/ca-reservoir-level/ Is it because the laws have changed on how much each reservoir can hold or is it in anticipation of significantly more rain? ) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. administration attempted to allocate funds to study removing the . Hetch Hetchy is the only reservoir above its average storage of 63%, and is 82% full. Nate, thanks for the insight. finding an alternative water and power source (Hetchy Hetchy also YTD values are from January 1 . 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. Click here for the SFPUC's 2020State of the Regional Water System Report. This website along with another shows that Eastmans level is still rising even though we have not had rain in more than a week. the issue, including those under Franklin Delano Roosevelt, One gauge in the area has measured 6.12 inches since Oct. 1, which is 899% of normal. Data have been checked by the reporting agency. I second that request. 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. Good info to know. California snowpack hits highest level this century for March. But tearing down O'Shaughnessy Dam in order to restore Hetch Hetchy Valley would be a disaster. The upcountry portion of the System begins with Hetch Hetchy Reservoir in Yosemite National Park. All rights reserved. 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. Great graphs and very useful. After the reservoirs With modest additional investments San Francisco will be able to maintain an uninterrupted supply of high quality Tuolumne River water. The BAWSCA agencies are therefore key stakeholders in ensuring the system serves as a reliable source of high quality water. window.addEventListener("orientationchange", function() { If we reach 100% after the current rains and then it stops raining for the season, then our percentage will start going down. Even with all the rain and floods, still a long way to fill them to capacity. Great Job on this site! Thats enough to supply the citys service area for perhaps seven years. The water travels through a series of pipelines before it reaches the Bay Area and blends with five local reservoirs. SFPUC said as of this week, the Hetch Hetchy reservoir is at 92 percent capacity. Its supposed to be brown. Visualization was done in javascript and specifically the D3.js visualization library. Im curious: Lk Almanor is the 8th largest reservoir in CA. 95 percent of. Best of luck out there in California! Im curious why the percentage of capacity has stayed almost flat for the past 6 weeks or so and below historical average. 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.