First Night Lighting for the High Sierra
There could be no construction of the future O ’ Shaughnessy Dam — or any Hetch Hetchy system infrastructure — without electricity for essential boring drills and other equipment . So the development of a dependable source of power for the remote mountain terrain was imperative . May 1918 marked the generation of the first hydropower at tiny Early Intake Powerhouse 12 miles downstream from the dam site . Pioneering master engineer Michael M . O ’ Shaughnessy also envisioned an accelerated 24 / 7 schedule , and the infinite new power source allowed him to illuminate the dark wooded locale for all-night construction — an innovation at the time . Early Intake Powerhouse would operate until 1967 .
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