Agreement Lets Work Flow on Yosemite Falls

Environmentalists still have some concerns over the project.

by Mark Grossi
Fresno Bee - May 28, 2004

Work resumed at the foot of North America's tallest waterfall, thanks to negotiations over a federal injunction that had stopped trail and restroom construction.

Areas near Yosemite Falls are closed to the public Thursday afternoon as construction work continues. The lower Yosemite Falls project is scheduled for completion in September. Darrell Wong / The Fresno Bee

Yosemite National Park officials halted the work last month at Yosemite Falls after receiving the court order, which affected several projects worth more than $100 million near the Merced River.

The river, the main waterway in Yosemite Valley, has long been embroiled in a lawsuit over a federal protection plan that several groups of environmentalists consider flawed. But the environmentalists early this month agreed to allow continued work on the falls project as well as restoration around the former Cascades Dam site. Crews removed the old hydroelectric dam this year.

Environmentalists said they still have concerns about the $12.5 million falls project, but the work progressed a long way since it began last year. They saw no reason to delay it further.

"Given where the project stands now, we thought it should move forward," said lawyer Sharon Duggan, representing Friends of Yosemite Valley and Mariposans for Environmentally Responsible Growth.

The project includes the removal of a large parking lot in front of the falls as well as construction of new restrooms and realigning of the trail. The 2,425-foot falls is one of the most popular features in the park. Crews will not work during the holiday weekend.

Mike Jones of Mauldin Dorfmeier stands on lumber that will be used to build a new restroom at Yosemite Falls. The project also will include a shuttle stop, trail loop and picnic area. Darrell Wong / The Fresno Bee

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals order last month also stopped several other Yosemite Valley projects involving housing, utilities and other improvements -- anything with a connection to the river. Before the projects can start again, the park service must figure out how many people can visit the river without trampling the plants, the banks and the surrounding ecosystem. It may take a year to determine the area's visitor capacity and revise management plans, officials have said.

The injunction last month was part of a long-running lawsuit against the park service's river protection plan. Federal courts determined authorities approved the plan without an adequate limit on the number of people who can visit the river.

Environmental groups and the park service are scheduled June 21 in U.S. District Court in Fresno to discuss the injunction and the visitor capacity issue. The park service is expected to negotiate for excluding other projects from the injunction. One is an overhaul of the aging Yosemite Valley sewage system, which has clogged and spilled into the river in the past.

Environmentalists have argued the sewage system work is part of a larger effort to expand facilities in Yosemite Valley. They have contended such plans cannot move forward without considering the impact on the river.