A Tale of Two Water Temples

I recall the first time I ever heard someone say the words "Hetch Hetchy" blissfully as they drank down a glass of water straight from the tap. It was 1997, I had just come to San Francisco, and I didn't know what Hetch Hetchy was. Now, 13 years later, I am teaching my children about the great battle that John Muir waged and lost for Yosemite Valley's twin sister: the Hetch Hetchy Valley.

Our lesson started just yards down the road from Filoli: The Pulgas Water Temple. It's a Roman renaissance structure (round, with grand columns) built by a French stone mason named Albert Bernasconi. A reflecting pool stretches at the temple's feet, with blue gurgling water in a formal rectangular shape.

"This is where our drinking water arrives all the way from the Hetch Hetchy reservoir," I explained to Esme and Emil. I told them - in simple language - how there was a big disagreement about whether we should dam the Hetch Hetchy Valley for our water or not. I described what the Hetch Hetchy looked like and what animals lived there before it was filled with water. I also said that millions of people live where we do, and that we use a lot of water, and that the water has to come from somewhere.

We were standing behind the temple, listening to the water bubble up from the aqueduct as we watched the water shoot down a concrete half pipe towards the lake.

Although I wrote about Filoli last week, I didn't go into great detail about the estate's first owner, William Bourn. He was the president of the Spring Valley Water Company, one of the last remaining private water companies in the country at the time. I had once assumed that he was John Muir's natural enemy - fighting for the right to fill the majestic Hetch Hetchy Valley, harnessing the water of the Tuolomne River for San Francisco use.

In reality, though, Bourn was opposed to the Hetch Hetchy plan, arguing that the Spring Valley Water Company could supply San Francisco's water needs fine without it. In 1910, Bourn contracted Willis Polk - the same architect who designed Filoli - to build a water temple designed after the one in Tivoli, Italy. This was not the water temple at Crystal Springs, however. This was the Sunol Water Temple, located in the East Bay, at the foot of the Alameda watershed.

Meanwhile, the battle raged over Hetch Hetchy, continuing even through the building of the aqueduct that ran from Yosemite to the Bay Area. The public had approved the project to bring fresh Sierra Nevada water to the city, but the Raker Act required that the city use Spring Valley Water Company water until either the city bought the company or there wasn't enough water to supply the city's needs.

It wasn't until 1934 - after an aging Bourn had sold the Spring Valley Water Company to the city for $41 million - that the Pulgas Water Temple opened to the public, commemorating the arrival of the Hetch Hetchy water from 167 miles away. The public gathered and watched the first of the water trickle and then roar into Crystal Springs Lake.

Once I learned about the Sunol Water Temple, I knew I had to visit it. A quick search online led me into the drama of its more recent history. Old newspaper articles came up, describing how the temple had fallen into disrepair. The structure was damaged and apparently abandoned after the Loma Prieta earthquake in 1989. But succumbing to pressure from members of the Sunol community, the San Francisco Public Utility Commission finally agreed to renovate it and open it to the public once again.

A Chronicle article from September 2000 describes the re-opening of the Sunol Water Temple, but hints at further disagreements. The SF Public Utility Commission had plans at the time to use the surrounding land as a huge gravel pit, while members of the community wanted vineyards, microfarms, and a wildlife preserve instead. Nothing I could find online told me what the outcome of the debate was.

So yesterday, Jacob and I headed east with the kids. The community of Sunol is tiny and rural. We drove through Niles Canyon, marveling at the steep green hills all around us. When we arrived at the Sunol Water Temple, I was disappointed to find the gates closed and locked, with a sign that said "Open Monday through Friday, 9am to 3pm."

But I could see that there was no major gravel pit surrounding the temple, and there was a sign on the gate that read "Sunol AgPark".  A quick online search explained this program "to provide public education about sustainable agriculture and natural resource stewardship, and promote a connection between urban residents and their regional watershed lands."  Apparently, the people of Sunol won their battle.

Emil and Esme talk about Hetch Hetchy often now, especially since we drive past the Crystal Springs Reservoir everyday. Emil recently said, "It's too bad they didn't make the right decision, Mommy. Isn't it?" I answered that I didn't know what the right decision was. And Esme, who fell in love with Yosemite the first time she visited it, asked, "Couldn't they have found someplace not so beautiful as Hetch Hetchy to fill in?" I still don't know. 

But I'm glad my kids are asking the questions.

 

Practical info, if you want to visit:

Pulgas Water Temple
Open Monday through Friday, 9am - 4pm
To get there: Take 280 to Edgewood Road Exit, go West on Edgewood Road, and then turn right (north) on Canada Road. The entrance to the water temple is about 2 miles from Edgewood Road on the left.
For more info, click here.

Sunol Water Temple
Open Monday through Friday, 9am - 3pm
To get there: Take Highway 84 (called Niles Canyon at this stretch) towards Sunol. Pass the exit signs for Sunol, until you get to Paloma Way on your right, which is the entrance to the water temple.
For more info, click here.

If you're interested in learning more about Hetch Hetchy, and the history of San Francisco's water sources, I highly recommend the book "The Battle over Hetch Hetchy" by historian Robert W. Righter.