Once anyone really examines this issue, it appears to be a good decision to bring down the dam and restore the valley.
Hetch Hetchy plan has new ally
Environmentalists long to drain the reservoir that gives San Francisco its water, and thus restore a scenic valley. Rep. Dan Lungren says the idea's worth studying - but it has some powerful foes.
By David Whitney - Bee Washington Bureau
Published 12:00 am PDT Friday, March 16, 2007
Rep. Dan Lungren, R-Gold River, said Thursday that it is time to look seriously at restoring Hetch Hetchy Valley in Yosemite National Park by draining the reservoir that has been a source of clean water for San Francisco for more than 80 years.
The conservative Republican and former California attorney general said he is convinced that the 300-foot-deep reservoir could be drained without costing San Francisco its water supply, and that doing so would add a spectacular companion to Yosemite Valley in the internationally treasured park.
"Where else could we produce that?" Lungren said in an interview. "Where else in the United States would we be able to give that to our children and our grandchildren?"
Lungren's endorsement of the Hetch Hetchy restoration comes as Congress is beginning to consider President Bush's 2008 budget submission, which includes $7 million for the Interior Department to study the idea.
That budget item has drawn scorn from California Republicans and Democrats.
Lungren's endorsement makes him the first member of Congress to side with environmentalists backing the restoration project.
