UPDATE: Success! We put an end to the sneaky bill provision that would have fast forward expansion of Shasta Dam. Thanks to YOU and our Representatives in Congress, the provision was stripped before the latest budget was approved by Congress. However, the battle to stop the expansion of Shasta Dam by 18.5 feet is not over. There is still $20 million in federal grant money that can be accessed for the project. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation will have to decide if it can be spent for initial work on the dam without violating federal cost-sharing rules. The project will still have to move through major legal and budget challenges that will likely cause delays, and hopefully end it altogether. You can fully expect CalTrout to remain committed and push back until it’s off the table and a California river is protected, at least for one more day.
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(Original blog post below)
The possibility of raising Shasta Dam is back on the table.
Background
Back in 2013, the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) conducted a feasibility study for raising Shasta Dam by 18.5 feet which would increase water storage by approximately 13%. Shasta Dam and Reservoir is the cornerstone of the Central Valley Project which provides irrigation and drinking water for much of California’s Central Valley and parts of, and valleys just south of, the San Francisco Bay Area. At the time of the study, California Trout submitted comments on the BOR’s Draft Feasibility Report outlining our concerns on behalf of native fish and their waters. Ultimately, the BOR did not recommend raising the dam for several reasons, not least of which was the need to have California (a non-federal partner) pay for half the estimated $1.3 billion cost.
What’s going on now?
Fast-forward five years and Westlands Water District has quietly been ushering through a proposal for authorizing construction of expanding Shasta Dam. It’s now at an advanced Federal planning stage. Not surprisingly, the Trump Administration favors the project, which is unsettling given the close ties between powerful people in Washington and the water interests that would benefit from the dam expansion (e.g., Westlands Water District). Congress is considering adding a rider to a bill that would eliminate cost-sharing requirements with California, but then the cost gets put on federal taxpayers.
“Under California law, this is an illegal project,” said Rep. Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael). “The Trump administration would have to abrogate a century of federal deference to state laws on California water to go ahead with this.”
Here are our concerns:
Here is what we do support:
HOW CAN YOU HELP?
Please write to your Senators and Representatives in Washington and tell them you oppose this plan. We’ve written a sample letter that can be sent fast and easy. There is no time to waste.
Photo: Creative Commons Amit Patel
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Peter Moyle is the Distinguished Professor Emeritus in the Department of Wildlife, Fish and Conservation Biology and Associate Director of the Center for Watershed Sciences, at UC Davis. He is author or co-author of more than 240 publications, including the definitive Inland Fishes of California (2002). He is co-author of the 2017 book, Floodplains: Processes and Management for Ecosystem Services. His research interests include conservation of aquatic species, habitats, and ecosystems, including salmon; ecology of fishes of the San Francisco Estuary; ecology of California stream fishes; impact of introduced aquatic organisms; and use of floodplains by fish.
Robert Lusardi is the California Trout/UC Davis Wild and Coldwater Fish Researcher focused on establishing the basis for long-term science specific to California Trout’s wild and coldwater fish initiatives. His work bridges the widening gap between academic science and applied conservation policy, ensuring that rapidly developing science informs conservation projects throughout California. Dr. Lusardi resides at the UC Davis Center for Watershed Sciences and works closely with Dr. Peter Moyle on numerous projects to help inform California Trout conservation policy. His recent research interests include Coho salmon on the Shasta River, the ecology of volcanic spring-fed rivers, inland trout conservation and management, and policy implications of trap and haul programs for anadromous fishes in California.
Patrick Samuel is the Conservation Program Coordinator for California Trout, a position he has held for almost two years, where he coordinates special research projects for California Trout, including the State of the Salmonids report. Prior to joining CalTrout, he worked with the Fisheries Leadership & Sustainability Forum, a non-profit that supports the eight federal regional fishery management councils around the country. Patrick got his start in fisheries as an undergraduate intern with NOAA Fisheries Protected Resources Division in Sacramento, and in his first field job as a crew member of the California Department of Fish & Wildlife’s Wild and Heritage Trout Program.
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[…] Opponents of the dam project, however, are refusing to give at all. They include the state of California, a local Native American tribe and environmental and fishing groups. […]
[…] Opponents of the dam project, however, are refusing to give at all. They include the state of California, a local Native American tribe and environmental and fishing groups. […]