Dec. 11, 2018
Liz Writes Life
Nice to see some drizzle on Monday morning along with the fog.
Can’t believe the night temps have been so warm. I definitely don’t need to
stoke the woodstove. Most of the time, I just let it put-put along. Over the
weekend, the East coast was hammered with snow. Sure do hope our mountains get
a lot more. For now, it seems like last week’s snow was just a big tease.
Oh, and last week, I saw several hundred geese in Clint
Custer’s grain field and a few days before that there was a large herd of elk
down in the swampy area. Wildlife likes Scott Valley farms.
Klamath dams
At the November Scott Valley Protect Our Water meeting, Dist.
5 Siskiyou Co. Supervisor, Ray Haupt, told us that the Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission is blowing the Klamath River Renewal Corp’s dam removal
analysis on flooding out of the water. Apparently, nearly all the actions KRRC
is proposing for taking out the four hydro-electric dams, KRRC assumed a
perfect outcome. Natural Resource science is a “messy science and difficult to
predict,” Ray said. Isn’t that the truth!
Some of KRRC’s assumptions are ridiculous. First, in my mind,
is the fact that KRRC’s model only shows possible flooding within the first
five miles below the Iron Gate dam. What! Many floods, especially in the years
1955 and 1964, devastated the riverbanks throughout the 190 miles to the
Pacific Ocean.
There are 34 homes along the Klamath River in those first five
miles and KRRC did propose several remedies to flooding. One was to put the
houses on stilts and another was to build dams around them. Yep, KRRC really
did put that in their fix-it part of the plan. How unrealistic can KRRC get?
During a meeting in Sacramento, several weeks ago, Ray met
with Lester Snow (president of the KRRC board) and other state officials. He
reminded them the four Klamath River dams are used for flood control. Potential
flooding, damage to highways and isolation of residents and towns, like Happy
Camp, are a public safety issue; and will result in huge emergency services
problems for the State of California if not addressed. Yep, they have not been
addressed by the state or KRRC.
Siskiyou County wrote an extensive response to the
outrageously naïve and inept KRRC definite plan and FERC realizes the arguments
are credible and if not addressed will create a huge financial liability. A
FERC engineer is actively challenging KRRC on its basic information and
assumptions. This is really good, folks. Finally, our county is receiving some
head-nodding on its concerns and unaddressed issues.
More dam news
On Nov. 21, 2018, the non-profit Siskiyou County Water Users
Assoc. filed a motion to dismiss the FERC proceedings that would transfer the
four Klamath River hydro-electric dams to KRRC ownership. FERC has not ruled on
SCWUA’s previous motion regarding the re-licensing of the hydro-electric dams
into KRRC’s ownership and so SCWUA filed a Writ of Mandamus to force the
situation.
In a press release, SCWUA claims the parties to the Amended
Klamath Hydroelectric Service Agreement, along with the states of Oregon and
California and other signatory parties, including PacifiCorp and the Klamath
River Renewal Corp., are attempting to evade Federal law by seeking to transfer
the dams to a third party (KRRC) for purpose of destruction of the
hydroelectric facilities and the reservoirs behind them.
SCWUA contends KRRC does not have the millions of dollars
needed to pay for dam removal; and that KRRC is not equipped to handle the
magnitude of the project; and unaddressed liabilities will cause havoc to water
quality and the environment.
SCWUA demands that FERC should rule on its motion to dismiss,
which would stop the application process of PacifiCorp relicensing the
hydro-electric facilities to KRRC. I am not sure when a response to the Writ of
Mandamus will be.
More water storage
Finally, the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture has announced a $449
million loan to the Sites Reservoir Project Authority. Our Dist. 1 Congressman,
Doug LaMalfa, has been working with CA. Democrat Congressman John Garamendi to
get the Site’s Reservoir built, so more water can be stored in California.
Regulations and the slow-process of bureaucracies within government agencies
have frustrated LaMalfa, who has been pushing for funding for years. He was
pleased with the USDA loan.
The Sites Reservoir project is a proposed 1.8 million
acre-foot off-stream reservoir located in Glenn and Colusa Counties that will
use existing infrastructure to divert high-winter flows from the Sacramento
River. It does not dam a major stream or river and will create new
environmental benefits, while relieving pressure on Lake Shasta, Folsom Lake
and other Northern CA. reservoirs.
California is lagging way behind in water storage. The
current water supply infrastructure was built for 20 million people, but now
serves a population of nearly 40 million.
Meanwhile, I didn’t realize the project to raise Shasta Dam
18 feet really is underway. Several groups have tried to stop the project,
including the Center for Biological Diversity, which claims the Shasta
Salamander will go extinct, because it will lose its habitat. What bunk!
I had forgotten that CA. voters did approve the raising of
the Shasta Dam that will add 600,000 acre feet of storage to the lake.
Construction for the dam began in 1938, but World War II caused a severe labor
shortage and the dam was actually downsized, but building continued because
electricity was also needed for the war effort. So, this is good to see
expansion of the dam will actually happen.
Liz Bowen began writing ranch and
farm news, published in newspapers, in 1976. She is a native of Siskiyou County
and lives near Callahan. Call her at 530-467-3515. Check out her blog at:
LizWritesLife.blogspot.com.
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