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First Siting of Hetch Hetchy
John Muir writes in Overland Monthly of the beauty of Hetch Hetchy Valley -
San Francisco considers Hetch Hetchy
City of San Francisco begins searching for cheap, plentiful water to serve its growing population, and begins to consider Hetch Hetchy Valley as the location of a reservoir -
First Proposal
San Francisco Mayor James Phelan first proposes damming the Hetch Hetchy Valley to create a reservoir for San Francisco. -
Sierra Club Formed
Club leads effort to defeat a proposed reduction in the boundaries of Yosemite National Park. -
Denies Request
Mayor Phelan applies to the Interior Department for a permit for water storage in Hetch Hetchy Valley. Secretary of the Interior Ethan Hitchcock promptly denies the request, since Hetch Hetchy is in a national park -
8-year Campaign
John Muir and William E. Colby launch 8 - year campaign to prevent Hetch Hetchy from being dammed for a reservoir. -
Gifford Pinchot
Pinchot served as the first Chief of the United States Forest Service from 1905 until his firing in 1910 -
Devastation of San Fransisco
After a major earthquake and subsequent fire that devastated San Francisco, the inadequacy of the city's water system was made tragically clear. San Francisco applied to the United States Department of the Interior to gain water rights to Hetch Hetchy -
San Francisco Renews Campaign
Woodrow Wilson is elected President, and would appoint former San Francisco City Attorney Franklin Lane as Secretary of the Interior. Lane supports damming Hetch Hetchy -
Raker Bill
Congress passes the Raker Bill, allowing flooding of Hetch Hetchy Valley, but stipulating that the city could not sell water or power for resale. President Woodrow Wilson signs the bill on December 19. -
O’Shaughnessy Dam
Construction of O'Shaughnessy Dam completed, at a cost of $100 million and the lives of 67 men and one woman. The project transports water 160 miles by gravity alone to customers in San Francisco and 32 other Bay Area communities. -
Second Pipeline
San Francisco voters approve $25 million for a second pipeline for the Hetch Hetchy system. -
Removal and Restoration of Dams
Secretary of the Interior Don Hodel suggests removal of O'Shaughnessy Dam and the restoration of Hetch Hetchy Valley. -
Restoration Denied
Legislative funding to study restoration of Hetch Hetchy is defeated in Congress. -
Lawsuit against San Francisco
The advocacy group Restore Hetch Hetchy files a lawsuit against the city of San Francisco asserting that asserts Yosemite's Hetch Hetchy Reservoir violates California law. -
Failed Lawsuit
Tuolumne County Superior Court Judge Kevin M. Seibert ruled on April 28, 2016 against Restore Hetch Hetchy's lawsuit following a demurrer and motion to strike from the City of San Francisco.
