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CityWorks Interns Celebrate Their Summer Journey with a Trip to Hetch Hetchy

With the summer coming to a close, so marks the end of the SFPUC’s interns’ time with the CityWorks program.

A few weeks ago, some CityWorks interns had the opportunity to go on a tour of the SFPUC’s Regional Water System. The tour began at the agency’s headquarters at 525 Golden Gate Avenue and ended with a hike to Wapama Falls at Hetch Hetchy. Along the way, the CityWorks interns got an up-close look at some of the SFPUC’s facilities. Stops along the tour included the Pulgas Water Temple, Tesla Water Treatment Facility, Moccasin, and Hetch Hetchy.

CityWorks interns got a closeup of Hetch Hetchy.

“It was my second time going up to Hetch Hetchy and I can say it was even more beautiful the second time” said Mtoa Jones, student at City College of San Francisco. “The weather was great, the food was great, and the star gazing was definitely my highlight.”

The interns had the opportunity to stargaze on top of the O’Shaughnessy Dam – a 430-foot high concrete arch-gravity dam. Construction of the dam started in 1919 and was finished in 1923.

CityWorks interns at the Pulgas Water Temple.

“The trip to Hetchy was amazing. It gave me and all the other interns the opportunity to unplug and interact and bond with each other” said Jeremiah Goodman, in coming Junior at Madera South High School. “I’ve never star gazed before and getting to do it was out of this world. I remember just looking at the sky with wide eyes trying to catch a shooting star.”

Early the next morning, the interns went on a six-mile hike to Wapama Falls. Along the way, they got to speak with a park ranger about the wildlife in the reservoir and see up close the different views of Hetch Hetchy that they have never seen before.  The long journey was well worth it, as the interns got to see the abundantly flowing waterfalls up close.

CityWorks interns learning about the SFPUC’s regional system.

Former CityWorks intern and now Fellow with the program, Zaria Clemmons talked about what the trip to Hetch Hetchy meant to her.

“Joining the trip as a mentor and witnessing interns interact with the watershed they’ve learned so much about this summer was gratifying. I was on this trip as an intern just 5 years ago, and I know how much my life has changed because of that visit, and I know the same will be true for the interns who visited this time around.”