Hetch-Hetchy Water Project: Then and NowThe Hetch-Hetchy Valley was originally a V-shaped ravine that had been slowly carved out over time by the ancient Tuolumne River. After some glacial formations during the last ice age, the valley was carved into what it is today around 10,000 years ago due to melting glaciers. Once the glaciers finished melting, they formed the alluvial floodplain that makes up the valley floor. In comparison to other similar valleys found in the region, the Hetch-Hetchy Valley has much rounder and smoother walls due to its greater abundance of glaciation. Before the valley was built and flooded, it was home to many types of flora and animals. In the mid-1800s, it was also home to many tribes of Native American hunters and gatherers. However, by the late 1880s, the city of San Francisco already had its eyes on the valley as a solution to the growing problems in its water system. During the Great Earthquake of 1906, fires ravaged the city of San Francisco and it became clear that the city urgently needed to upgrade its inadequate water supply system. After a bitter battle with an environmental group known as the Sierra Club led by John Muir, the city of San Francisco was able to win the right to build a dam on the Tuolumne River, creating a reservoir allowing them to have a more adequate water source. Because the area that was to be affected was within the region a national park Congress had to approve and President Woodrow Wilson had to sign the approved legislation before the project began. Plans began and the Hetch-Hetchy Water Project was started in 1913 and completed. in 1938. Its goal was to provide fresh drinking water to San Francisco and the greater Bay Area here... middle of paper ......ce.org/HetchHetchy/>."The Original Valley.” The Original Valley. Np, and Web. April 23, 2014. .Huber, N. King. “The Geologic History of the Yosemite Valleys.” United States Geological Survey. Np, January 13, 2004. Web. April 23, 2014. .Wunderman, Jim. "Forum: Don't drain Hetch Hetchy." SF door. SFGate, December 23, 2009. Web. April 23, 2014. .SCHOOL: Huber, N. King. “Late Cenozoic evolution of the Tuolumne River, central Sierra Nevada, California.” Late Cenozoic evolution of the Tuolumne River, central Sierra Nevada, California. Np, and Web. April 23, 2014. .Muir, John. “Hetch Hetchy Valley.” Sierra Club Newsletter 6 (1912): 211-20.