[Water_news] 3. DWR'S CALIFORNIA WATER NEWS: WATERSHEDS - 3/30/07

Department of Water Resources

California Water News

A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment

 

March 30, 2007

 

3. Watersheds –

 

Dan Lungren: It is time to restore Hetch Hetchy Valley -

Sacramento Bee

 

Battle over Oceano Dunes land ends Round 4

San Luis Obispo Tribune

 

­________________________________________________________

 

Dan Lungren: It is time to restore Hetch Hetchy Valley

Sacramento Bee – 3/30/07

By Dan Lungren - Special To The Bee

 

Yosemite Valley -- with all its resplendent beauty -- be dammed! Let's flood it now. After all, there are plenty of other national parks for Americans to enjoy. Increasingly, the city of Los Angeles is in desperate need for this water source. Besides, even though Yosemite Valley would be submerged, the granite peaks and their waterfalls would still be visible from the dam's state-of-the-art observation deck.

 

Imagine if the city of Los Angeles made this claim today. Although this scenario is fictitious, this argument was made on behalf of the city of San Francisco in the early part of the last century.

 

Eighty-four years ago the Hetch Hetchy Valley -- the smaller twin to Yosemite Valley that is completely contained within the boundaries of Yosemite National Park -- was converted to a reservoir to serve the water needs of San Francisco. At that time John Muir, the famous preservationist and founder of the Sierra Club, fought this decision and said, "Dam Hetch Hetchy! As well dam for water tanks the people's cathedrals and churches, for no holier temple has ever been consecrated by the heart of man."

 

So how did one of nature's most beautiful sanctuaries, a jewel for millions of Americans, get converted into a water source for a single city? The short answer is that a ready supply of water was available with no apparent practical alternative at a time when our frontier seemed endless.

 

What about now? The restoration of Hetch Hetchy is about more than water and definitely more than politics. The restoration of Hetch Hetchy is about the return of a national treasure to all of the American people, and the addition of a prized piece of the fabric back into the quilt that is our national park system.

 

Opposition to restoring the valley has been strong. However, claims about disrupting the Tuolumne River system and equating the removal of a dam to closing down of an interstate highway are understandable only if a viable alternative is not presented. Fortunately, a recent study by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's administration confirmed that it is "technically feasible" to have the water supply from Hetch Hetchy be fully recovered, along with the current level of power generation, without depriving the citizens of San Francisco of either.

For example, water from the Tuolumne River, currently feeding the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir, could be allowed to flow into an expanded Don Pedro Reservoir, which is now six times the size of the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir. Alternatives such as Don Pedro Reservoir and improvements in engineering technology did not exist in 1923, when the dam was completed in the Hetch Hetchy Valley.

 

A number of environmental groups such as National Wildlife Federation, Earthjustice, Friends of the Earth, Environmental Defense, Restore Hetch Hetchy and the Sierra Club have joined in support of a study of the prospect of a restored Hetch Hetchy. President Bush has allocated $7 million of the federal budget proposal as well. The largely unspoken possibility of resurrecting this hidden -- but not forgotten -- valley now has a real chance to enter the national debate.

 

For eight decades Americans have been deprived of this national treasure; now it is time to restore the Hetch Hetchy Valley.

 

In order to move in this direction the federal study is imperative. And that is just the first step. Ultimately, it will take enormous cooperation among local, state and federal officials. And the cost of this endeavor will be substantial -- probably into the billions of dollars. Yet the gift we would present to our children, grandchildren and the world would be priceless.#

http://www.sacbee.com/110/story/146438.html

 

Battle over Oceano Dunes land ends Round 4

San Luis Obispo Tribune – 3/30/07

By Nick Wilson

 

Representatives from the cities of Arroyo Grande, Grover Beach and Pismo Beach said Thursday night they support continued vehicle recreation on county land within the Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area that could soon be sold to the state.

 

But some members of the public pushed for banning vehicles from the property that makes up more than 30 percent of the Dunes off- roading area. And others favored imposing conditions on the state if it buys or renews the lease on the property — such as creating an alternate access route.

 

The county Board of Supervisors will consider a $4.8 million offer from the state for about 584 acres of the Dunes at a meeting April 17.

A 25-year state lease of the property from the county expires in June 2008.

 

Thursday marked the fourth meeting of a task force appointed by 4th District Supervisor Katcho Achadjian regarding the property.

Achadjian said he will submit a summary of the ideas and opinions from the meetings to county supervisors.

 

The supervisor, whose district includes Oceano, said that revenues from the sale or lease of the Dunes property should go to Oceano, where residents have long said they bear the brunt of Dunes-related trash, noise, sand buildup and traffic congestion.

 

The task force consisted of representatives from about 15 local government, political and citizen groups. They hold a range of opinions about the future of the property, such as buying or selling the land, possibly imposing conditions on the state, or maintaining county ownership without state involvement.

 

City officials on the task force supported continued riding on the property.

 

"If the use of the property changes, it would have an economic impact on Pismo Beach," said Shelly Higginbotham, a Pismo Beach councilwoman. "There is an advantage of getting money for the community of Oceano. And I'd hate to see the county saddled with no income and having to preserve the land and take on liability costs (from lawsuits associated with the Dunes)."

 

Off-road vehicle representatives and state officials have cited a tradition of 100 years of vehicular riding on the Dunes and an estimated $150 million in Dunes-related tourism that the park brings to the county annually.

 

But environmentalists have long complained about destruction to the Dunes habitat, particularly by motorized vehicles crossing Arroyo Grande Creek. And some are tired of hearing about the economic impact.

 

"All I hear is dollar, dollar, dollar," said Verona Rebow, a Halcyon resident. "But what about the beauty of the Dunes? That's our treasure. Isn't it possible to draw tourism for a preserve?"

 

In response to complaints about environmental issues, the state Department of Parks and Recreation has cited its snowy plover preservation and spending on other environmental programs at the Dunes. The plover is a threatened species that nests in the Dunes.

 

Some at the meeting promoted alternate vehicle access to the Dunes. Oceano resident Norm Getty supported an entrance south of Arroyo Grande Creek. An entrance there would limit off-road traffic across the creek. Vehicles now enter at Grand Avenue and Pier Avenue, then travel south across the creek to the off-road riding area.

Getty also proposed that access fees go to the state park and the Oceano community.

 

A town hall meeting about the future of the Dunes property is set for April 9 at 6 p.m. at the Oceano Elks Lodge at 410 Air Park Drive.

What do you think should be done with the Dune property?#

http://www.sanluisobispo.com/mld/sanluisobispo/16998606.htm