The SFPUC hoards water in dry years when they dont need to, said Peter Drekmeier, policy director at the conservation group Tuolumne River Trust. Shasta is very large and could hold about 3.5 cubic kilometers of water at full (but not flood) capacity. Lake ShastaLevel before the storm on Oct. 22: 882.57 feetLevel after the storm on Nov. 1: 885.47 feetTotal rise: 2.9 feet, Storage before the storm: 970,859 acre-feetStorage after the storm: 1,001,879 acre-feetTotal storage increase: 31,020 acre-feet, Lake OrovilleLevel before the storm: 630.80 feetLevel after the storm: 661.20 feetTotal rise: 30.4 feet, Storage before the storm: 799,638 acre-feetStorage after the storm: 982,263 acre-feetTotal storage increase: 182,625 acre-feet, Hetch HetchyLevel before the storm: 3,729.68 feetLevel after the storm: 3,750.99 feetTotal rise: 21.31 feet, Storage before the storm: 221,500 acre-feetStorage after the storm: 257,800 acre-feetTotal storage increase: 36,300 acre-feet, Trinity LakeLevel before the storm: 2,209.55 feetLevel after the storm: 2,213.22 feetTotal rise: 3.67 feet, Storage before the storm: 648,675 acre-feetStorage after the storm: 672,930 acre-feetTotal storage increase: 24,255 acre-feet, Folsom LakeLevel before the storm: 370.28 feetLevel after the storm: 390.33 feetTotal rise: 20.05 feet, Storage before the storm: 214,225 acre-feetStorage after the storm: 318,577 acre-feetTotal storage increase: 104,352 acre-feet, New Melones LakeLevel before the storm: 916.28 feetLevel after the storm: 917.09 feetTotal rise: 0.81 feet, Storage before the storm: 822,619 acre-feetStorage after the storm: 827,786 acre-feetTotal storage increase: 5,167 acre-feet, Don PedroLevel before the storm: 723.96 feetLevel after the storm: 727.41 feetTotal rise: 3.45 feet, Storage before the storm: 970,226 acre-feetStorage after the storm: 995,836 acre-feetTotal storage increase: 25,610 acre-feet, McClureLevel before the storm: 663.70 feetLevel after the storm: 672.27 feetTotal rise: 8.4 feet, Storage before the storm: 180,900 acre-feetStorage after the storm: 198,467 acre-feetTotal storage increase: 17,210 acre-feet. San Franciscos water-bank in Don Pedro Reservoir, downstream on the Tuolumne River, holds twice as much water as Hetch Hetchy. Water data back to 1930 are available online. This dashboard provides a bit more detail on the state of each of the reservoirs while also showing an aggregate total. This almost happened with the Orville Dam in 2017. Why is it not listed? I dont think its currently above the historical average, not below 1 year ago. I havent spent much time looking at it but that data is on the CDEC website. UPDATE: Here's where California reservoir levels stand after this week's rains. Didnt realize how bad things were there. They also built a spillway that was too steep and did not install energy dissipators along the spillway. Our reservoirs were alarmingly low. Our flagship blog features analysis of news from our staff and announcements of upcoming events. 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. Also a little nit. Excellent graphic! O'Shaughnessy Dam was built on the Tuolumne River in 1923 to create Hetch Hetchy Reservoir. For the class we based all our designs on the USACE spillway design manual. Shasta is the reservoir with the largest capacity and so it is the tallest row. This was helpful to project seasonal trends & storm impacts. As it is, at first glance, it looks like shasta is at the top because its 28000 instead of 4552. very nice product overall. I had a class in spillway design many years ago. . construction in the 1920s, various groups have lobbied to restore Lots of possibilities, just curious. Ive looked at reservoir sights for years. Construction of the regional water system proceeded over the following 20 years, with water first delivered in 1934. The BAWSCA agencies are therefore key stakeholders in ensuring the system serves as a reliable source of high quality water. Water data back to 1956 are available online. Restore Hetch Hetchy. The middle portion of the watershed from New Don Pedro Reservoir to above Hetch Hetchy Reservoir is characterized by deep canyons and forested terrain. Although Hetch Hetchy Reservoir is the most well-known, it stores less than 25% of the systems water. 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. Call 209-372-0200 for the latest road and weather conditions, Hetch Hetchy Road Daily Hours: 8 am to 5 pm San Francisco operates three medium-sized hydro-electric power plants in the Tuolumne River watershed Kirkwood, Moccasin, and Holm. Park visitors walk across OShaughnessy Dam in Yosemite National Park on Sept. 1. Great visualization Chris! Interesting. David Rizzardo, hydrology section manager for the California Department of Water Resources, said there are a lot of factors that affect reservoir storage. Jeff, the average changes daily as well. This is an excellent tool you have put together. Even with the latest precipitation, Folsoms values was unchanged. 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. The adopted Plan addresses water quality issues affecting the ecosystem and fisheries of the Bay-Delta system. the issue, including those under Franklin Delano Roosevelt, . 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. administration attempted to allocate funds to study removing the 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. What rates am I paying? 501(c)3 organization, federal tax ID #942419885. Kellie has held many leadership roles for the Asian American Journalists Association, including most recently a board member for the San Francisco chapter. . 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. Northern California's reservoir levels continued to rise in the week after an atmospheric river slammed the state with torrential rain and high winds. Each row represents one reservoir, with bars showing how much of the reservoir is filled (blue) and unfilled (brown). reservoir violates the California Constitution specifically the 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. It was the only tool that I could find that would allow me to make a vertical marimekko graph. "This was rare for October. All rights Emissions must be offset by dedicated conservation programs or renewable energy generation such as wind or solar. . I love this this site too. Hetch Hetchy is the only reservoir above its average storage of 63%, and is 82% full. I am grateful for all that you have done here to open our eyes to what is happening, what has happened, and even what might be on the horizon. GNSS2 - Level 2 Quality Survey Grade Global Navigation Satellite System. 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. proposed as a source of water following the 1906 San Francisco rejected by an appellate court and the California Supreme Court A separate vote would have been 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. Id love to see how much water is being / has been released from these reservoirs. 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. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the Wapama Falls (moderate) 5 mi (8 km) round-trip; 2 hours. I recently joined the team with Restore Hetch Hetchy as Engagement & Development Director. Heres where California reservoir levels stand after this weeks rains. Upcountry and the Bay Area. During late summer and early fall, it will be necessary to move stored supplies from Cherry or Don Pedro Reservoirs into the pipeline. Great graphs and very useful. HETCH HETCHY RES A HETCH HETCHY CA. They have restoredMono Lake,improved stream flows on the North Coast and in theCentral Valleyand diminished the threat to native fish in the Bay Delta. 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. 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. Before returning to the Bay Area, she held roles as transportation reporter and trending news reporter at the IndyStar in Indianapolis. While constructed and owned by San Francisco, the water system was in fact planned to benefit the greater San Francisco Bay Area population. 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. Californias snowpack slips below average after dismally dry January, renewing concerns about drought, Busting water limits wont cost you in Marin County: Penalties canceled as rain fills reservoirs, California snowpack hits highest level this century for March. River. has a graph which shows how the historical avg changes throughout the year (oscillating between ~15000 and ~21000). The reservoir is eight miles long and the largest single body of water in Yosemite. 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. Water storage facilities include watersheds, dams, and reservoirs including: Calaveras, San Antonio, Crystal Springs, Pilarcitos, and San Andreas. Commission. It seems likely one of those two readings is wrong. In 2007, the Bush The area around Shasta has more volcanic soils that absorb rainfall than the Feather River drainage. California drought: Charts show where reservoir levels stand after a dry January, Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area. Gavin Newsom asked all California residents to voluntarily reduce use by 15% compared with use in 2019. I think the problem is with the CDEC database (as the LakesOnline website also has had incorrectly high information). As of Feb. 1, the systems total water storage was just over 1.3 million acre-feet, or about 92% of capacity. 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. What period does CA use for Historical Average? It will be very different depending on the period chosen. 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). function resizeframe(){ Current and Historical Visualization, https://cdec.water.ca.gov/dynamicapp/QueryDaily?s=HTH, https://cdec.water.ca.gov/dynamicapp/QueryDaily?s=SHA, https://engaging-data.com/ca-reservoir-level/, https://cdec.water.ca.gov/reportapp/javareports?name=RES, Visualizing Californias Water Storage Reservoirs and Snowpack, Interactive California Reservoir Levels Dashboard. Thanks for putting this together. I live in the central valley. Maintaining this variety of sources is an important component of our near and long-term water supply management strategy. Meanwhile, the group Restore Hetch Hetchy is urging the SFPUC to abandon Hetch Hetchy Reservoir. 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. Hours: Year-round, but only accessible by car when the Hetch Hetchy Road is open. 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. Greetings from Mount Laurel New Jersey. She is a University of Washington graduate. finding an alternative water and power source (Hetchy Hetchy also currently, there is a lot more water coming in than going out. The Hetch Hetchy Reservoir in Yosemite delivers water to 2.6 million Bay Area residents every day. Its great seeing all the reservoirs in California at or near historical averages. A wet December produced ample snowfall, which is still sitting at high elevations. 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. Copyright 2023Water Education Foundation. But I would never have imagined how to put all the important information into a single plot. Much of the recent inflow was to Hetch Hetchy, which can hold. Monitoring location 11275500 is associated with a LAKE, RESERVOIR, IMPOUNDMENT in TUOLUMNE COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. The construction of the Hetch Hetchy Railroad took place from 1915 to 1918. How do I contact support? The remaining 15 percent of water comes from runoff in the Alameda and Peninsula watersheds. Part of the lake is on the California side, but it has zero California water impact beyond the immediate Tahoe residents. Assistant General Manager for Water Steven Ritchie credits the way the system is managed along with lower. I would think with the rain it would get to historical average and then more outflow would happen. All of this work is nothing short of brilliant. 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. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Forty-six percent . 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. San Francisco's water-bank in Don Pedro Reservoir, downstream on the Tuolumne River, holds twice as much water as Hetch Hetchy. Hoping they start building more reservoirs soon. If we reach 100% after the current rains and then it stops raining for the season, then our percentage will start going down. Trailhead coordinates: 37.946905, -119.787376 (37 56 48.85N 119 47 14.55W) Maybe bad data. A question: the Historical Avg*, is it the value of year-today or natural year? 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). Only improvement I would suggest is an improvement of the display of the smaller reservoirs so the names are readable. 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. It was my first time using D3 and it took me a long time to get up to speed. This dashboard is great! Yoohyun Jung is the Deputy Data Editor for The San Francisco Chronicle. If a reservoir gets filled to 100% and more, the dam will break and many cities will get flooded, so the operators are careful. This other page: We provide water directly to customers in San Francisco and wholesale through 26 Water agencies in Alameda, Santa Clara, and San Mateo counties. 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 Lock 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. The overall storage is said to have dropped by 57.4 to 56.4 (or 302 kaf). Delivery rates are 7-day average values. Kudos to the designers. Omar, Thanks! 7 days 30 days 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. The upcountry portion of the System begins with Hetch Hetchy Reservoir in Yosemite National Park. It certainly looks dry at least until the last week in February, he said. This is the best one out there. I do not see Diamond Valley Lake Resevoir on this page. McClintock bill proposes to improve public access at Hetch Hetchy. Find out more about the system at http://www.sfwater.org, BAWSCA Board Policy Committee Meeting, April 12, 2023 1:30pm. Water is such a fascinating topic and Id hate to have to be a water manager making a decision on how much to release to avoid reservoir flooding. 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. All rights reserved. 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. Stay up-to-date with breaking news and upcoming events. Getting There. Quite an eye opener. The OShaughnessy Dam i s 300 feet tall only medium-sized by todays standards. If you look at the inflow data on the major reservoirs, its pretty flat. their water supply would cost hundreds of millions of dollars at This local water is captured in reservoirs located in San Mateo and Alameda counties. . Is it because the laws have changed on how much each reservoir can hold or is it in anticipation of significantly more rain? Just a wistful thought, it would be really cool to graph the water release statistics.