The Pulgas Water Temple in San Francisco

The Pulgas Water Temple was built at the terminus of the Hetch Hetchy aqueduct as a monument to the new water system.

It’s located within the watershed, just south of Crystal Springs reservoir.

The inscription is a biblical quote from Isaiah.

"I give waters in the wilderness and rivers in the desert, to give drink to my people,"

In 1909, the city of San Francisco purchased land in the Hetch Hetchy Valley in Yosemite with the intention to dam the Tuolumne river.

The effort expended was enormous: $45 million dollars, twenty years of construction, a few deaths and lots of politics.