A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
April 2, 2007
3. Watersheds
DELTA ISSUES:
Farmer sees solution to Delta's low water levels - Stockton Record
Column: Canal still best Delta water fix -
Editorial: Don't take the delta for granted; A recent court ruling should serve as a reminder of the fragility of
Editorial:
Editorial: It's time to follow the law -
Editorial: Plan falls short of doing what's needed to restore the
Latest sea plan at $6 billion -
IID pleased with proposal - Imperial Valley Press
Investors have high hopes for Salton Sea real estate - Imperial Valley Press
Editorial: Draft sea plan bad for county -
KILARC RESERVOIR:
Editorial: Push to restore habitat catches fine fishing hole -
AG ISSUES:
Market lures farmers from conservation; Development offers and Bush's ethanol initiative entice owners to leave a land protection program - Los Angeles Times
Editorial: Perception hurts sea’s chances -
DELTA ISSUES:
Farmer sees solution to Delta's low water levels
By Alex Breitler, staff writer
This is not 1997.
Hildebrand fears the river this spring and summer will sink to its lowest level in years, thwarting efforts by south Delta farmers to irrigate their crops.
When the river drops this low, many farmers cannot divert water and are forced to let their fields lie fallow, says the 93-year-old Hildebrand, who still drives his own tractor and has long been on the front lines of
There is an answer, he says.
Hildebrand favors "recirculation" - pumping water south (uphill) from the Delta and then diverting it east to the
The plan would, in theory, improve the river's overall quality as far downstream as
Hildebrand, an engineer with the South Delta Water Agency, has asked the federal government to consider such a project this summer. Bureau of Reclamation spokesman Jeff McCracken said that Hildebrand's letter was under review.
It wouldn't be the first time this has been done. In a 2004 experiment, the government diverted up to 300 cubic feet per second from the
This also reduces demand for streams spilling from the Sierra, including the
Stockton East can use that water to replenish the area's shrinking groundwater supply.
"We're certainly indirectly involved," said Kevin Kauffman, general manager of Stockton East.
While Hildebrand would like to see recirculation used on a regular basis during dry years, there are questions to be resolved.
Will the federal contractors who receive water from the Delta get shorted? Hildebrand said very little water would be lost in recirculation.
How much will it cost to pump, and who will pay for it? Already up to 3 million acre-feet of water passes through the federal pumps each year - not to be confused with the nearby state pumps, targeted for possible shutdown in a recent judge's ruling.
And what is the effect on fish?
Hildebrand believes higher flows on the
What's more, much of the water pumped from the Delta originates from the Sacramento River; dumping that water into the
"This is another example of people trying to solve the problems caused by water management operations by engineering a solution that involves more water management," said Tina Swanson, a biologist with the conservation group The Bay Institute.
"You're treating a symptom with the same thing that's causing the problem" - pumping, Swanson said.
http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070401/A_NEWS/704010320/-1/A_BIZ08
Column: Canal still best Delta water fix
By Dan Walters, Bee columnist
Jerry Brown's eight-year governorship was an eclectic, often inconsistent mélange of pronouncements and actions, some of which were far-seeing -- alternative energy, for instance -- and some short-sighted and injurious, such as misreading population growth trends and virtually shutting down highway construction as unneeded.
One of Brown's better initiatives was closing a gap in the water system that had been started under his father, Pat Brown, and is the chief source of water for two-thirds of Californians. Water is captured by a dam on the Feather River at Oroville and carried to the
Pumping water out of the Delta, the younger Brown recognized, was injurious to the huge estuary's marine life by interfering with and even reversing natural flows. Therefore, he and his water director, Ron Robie, wanted to isolate the delicate ecosystem from the water transfer system by building a 44-mile-long, sloughlike channel to carry water around the Delta to the aqueduct.
Initially, the "
Although the opponents came at the
Water policy has been largely frozen ever since voters issued that ill-informed decree. Billions of dollars have been squandered on schemes to improve both the Delta and water deliveries, but the ecosystem has continued to deteriorate, with declining runs of major fish species. And late last month, an
Had the
But the canal wasn't built.
Arnold Schwarzenegger is the first governor since Brown to truly confront the water policy gridlock. While he hasn't declared support for the
Schwarzenegger described the fish-kill decision as "one more indication of how our system doesn't really work, and that we have to upgrade it. We have to fix our levees. There are a lot of things that need to be done. We need to have more above-the-ground water storage. We have to start thinking about our Delta; it's very, very vulnerable. As I said, one earthquake and one big storm, and it could wipe out this whole system, and 25 million people will suffer because of it."
He's right. #
http://www.sacbee.com/111/story/147490.html
Editorial: Don't take the delta for granted; A recent court ruling should serve as a reminder of the fragility of
WATER SHOULDN'T be taken for granted in
But a recent ruling by the Alameda County Superior Court is a reminder that this shouldn't be the case. The decision says that
That probably won't happen. But make no mistake: The state's water system is in trouble.
The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta provides water for 25 million Californians — including 60% of
Even without these challenges, the delta faces problems. Like
State officials have known about the delta's weaknesses for decades, and they have talked about various ways to mitigate damage to the delta or to bypass it altogether. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger was in
With the governor in his second term, and politicians worried about Hurricane Katrina-like doomsday scenarios, the time is ripe for action. Not-so-subtle nudges like last week's ruling could provide a push to officials who need to get serious about managing the delta. And it could remind the rest of us that the water in our faucets is at the end of a very long and costly journey.
Editorial:
IN less than 60 days, the spigot will be turned off on
State officials, of all things, failed to obtain a state permit to kill threatened or endangered salmon and Delta smelt. They have a federal permit that allows massive pumps to supply water to more than 23 million people in
Alameda County Superior Court Judge Frank Roesch recently ruled that DWR violated the California Endangered Species Act and could've turned off the pumps right on the spot. Instead, he gave state officials 60 days from March 23 to rectify the situation, but not surprising, officials claim they need more time.
It's not like they were blindsided by this. Back in 2005, acting on a report by this newspaper, a state Senate committee learned that state water officials failed to obtain a permit to operate pumps just when the Delta's ecosystem crisis was becoming apparent. Instead of working toward meeting the guidelines to gain a permit, state officials relied on flimsy agreements that "allowed them" to continue pumping. That didn't hold water in court and now the situation looks grim.
Balancing
Nevertheless, what about beyond? Officials are turning to Fish and Game for possible solutions, such as issuing a temporary permit to keep these pumps going, but let's get to the bottom line here. This situation tells us
The pumps crisis needs to be addressed immediately. We have to do what is necessary to keep the spigot open in the short term and the state must find long-term remedies to our growing demands for water without severely endangering wildlife.
We urge state officials to form a plan to deliver water and qualify the pumps under state law. If they can at least bring a plan to the table, there's a chance the 60-day deadline could be extended. If we take this approach, find innovative ideas instead of excuses, we can deliver water to millions while striving to preserve vulnerable species. That's the way it should be. #
http://www.insidebayarea.com/argus/oped/ci_5564996
Editorial: It's time to follow the law
What should you do if the state passes a law you don't like?
» Ignore it.
» Make excuses.
» Hope nobody enforces it.
Administrators of the California Department of Water Resources, which operates the 11 pumps that send Delta water south near
That changed on March 23, when an
That's impossible in the time frame given, maybe impossible altogether.
Department of Water Resources officials haven't obtained the permit - despite claiming they would as far back as 2005 - because the application would force a closer examination of environmental degradation in the Delta.
The pumps kill fish. Three species are in need of protection.
It's almost too late to save the Delta smelt. There once were an estimated 800,000 of them. There are about 35,000 today.
More than the survival of aquatic species is at stake.
An estimated 22 million
Still, that doesn't justify disregarding the law.
State Sen. Michael Machado, D-Linden, is concerned the Delta smelt might disappear before the dispute is resolved.
"You can start and stop pumps. But extinction is forever," Machado said.
Officials at the Department of Water Resources - because of fear and a misplaced sense of their own importance - have violated the public trust.
Now they're going to have to come up with a solution that follows state law, whether they like it or not. #
http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070330/A_OPINION01/703300310/-1/A_OPINION06
Editorial: Plan falls short of doing what's needed to restore the
Desert Sun – 4/1/07
The fact that California Secretary of Resources Mike Chrisman won't submit final recommendations until the end of April on restoring the
While we're heartened that the issue has the attention of the Schwarzenegger Administration and the California Legislature, the plan Chrisman released Tuesday falls short of the expectations the
Key components of the plan released by Chrisman call for dramatically shrinking the Salton Sea, creating a new shoreline that is lower in elevation, establishing a dry lake bed in the middle of the sea and not providing for any recreational waters on the south end of the lake.
Some problems
These are all troubling and unacceptable aspects of the state's preliminary recommendations.
The Salton Sea is the largest lake in
Luckily, Chrisman recognizes the value of a lake. But the balance between lake and habitat is off: 62,000 acres of habitat is too much and 34,000 acres of lake too small. The state also needs to make sure that the lake is shaped in a way that allows for free and unconstrained recreation. Part of the ambiance of the desert is its wide open space, and the
A real open body of water rather than one that is canalized is what's needed. The state's current plan does not meet that criteria.
Also, in regards to recreation, there needs to be a recreational estuary on the south end of the sea that benefits
Two other sticking points that need to be addressed are raising the shoreline two feet higher than what the state has proposed in order to stabilize the shoreline, and working with the Torres Martinez Band of Cahuilla Indians and the Coachella Valley Water District to build a wildlife habitat refuge in the north at the mouth of the
Chrisman's recommendations are just that - initial recommendations. In the next month he will finalize his plan, which leaves an opportunity for him to listen to the concerns of the valley. Rick Daniels, the executive director of the Salton Sea Authority, has done a good job galvanizing broad-base local support. Indeed, 50 organizations have endorsed its plan. That was no easy feat and Chrisman needs to pay attention to the local solution. We are the people who must live with the consequences of his decision.
These changes would not only save the sea, but it would also spur economic development. The
By proposing to spend $6 billion, he also realizes that a significant investment is needed.
Needs discussion
Make no mistake, the need to breathe life into the state's largest lake is one of the most critical issues facing the area. The bottom line is that if nothing is done to save the Salton Sea, the consequences are a devastating economic and environmental blow to the
And that isn't good for anybody, the state included. #
http://www.thedesertsun.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2007704010319
Latest sea plan at $6 billion
By Jonathan Athens, staff writer
SALTON SEA — Area stakeholders are not satisfied with a newly proposed multibillion dollar fix for the Salton Sea that leaves out a critical element vital to the economic future of both the southern portion of the sea and
California Secretary of Resources Director Mike Chrisman on Tuesday unveiled the Salton Sea Advisory Committee’s draft plan to restore the sea. That draft plan incorporates elements from other proposed remedies that range from $4 billion to $14 billion.
But that draft plan, roughly estimated to cost $6 billion, leaves out the Salton Sea Authority’s proposal to create two bodies of water, a northern lake within
At issue is which portion of
“We need to have recreation opportunities for people in
Wyatt said leaving out plans for a southern lake is “unacceptable.”
To see a rendering of the draft preferred alternative click here
Also, he said more emphasis needs to be placed on restoration on the portion of the lake that is within
Chrisman characterized the draft plan as an “aggressive” approach to tackling the overall degradation of the
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But geography is what’s driving some of the debate.
Wyatt and Rick Daniels, the authority’s executive director, said they will continue to push for creating a southern lake and getting more of the emphasis on
“I think the state’s moving closer to moving toward our vision of restoration but they aren’t there yet,” Daniels said.
The authority’s proposed fix is estimated to cost $5.2 billion. In addition to the two lakes, the authority’s plan includes installation of water treatment facilities and creation of 17,000-acre shallow water wetlands.
The state’s composite preliminary plan also dropped The Imperial Group’s $14 billion proposed fix using geotubes or sediment-filled rings to create two lakes.
Bill DuBois, a California Farm Bureau representative, said he was disappointed the committee did not incorporate the Imperial Group’s plans.
But he said he was pleased the draft plan allows for water access in the southern portion of the sea.
“It’s a compromise. It really is,” DuBois said.
Stakeholders for years have wrangled over and talked about several proposed fixes but none could agree on which of the 10 alternatives would be the best option.
And time is running out. Scientists estimate the Salton Sea will begin to shrink by 2015 if nothing is done, and come 2017, water that was flowing to the sea will instead be redirected to
A tourist
Chrisman said his office will release more defined cost estimates next week of the draft plan as his staff completes a more detailed analysis.
From here, his office is slated to come up with a final draft that Chrisman said he expects to present to state lawmakers in late April.
“I expect a very open and very involved conversation with the Legislature as it should be,” he said. #
http://www.ivpressonline.com/articles/2007/03/28/news/news02.txt
IID pleased with proposal
By Darren Simon, staff writer
For months the Imperial Irrigation District board has avoided offering support to any one alternative for saving the
Instead, the board has said there are two elements that must be included in any alternative — enough water along the southern shore to protect farmland and an early start project meant to protect the environment and habitat as the sea starts to recede in the next five years.
IID made its wishes known as part of the programmatic environmental impact report the state prepared that listed eight restoration alternatives and two no-action plans that would let the sea die.
On Wednesday — a day after California Resources Agency Secretary Mike Chrisman announced findings in support of one restoration alternative — IID officials praised the proposal for addressing the district’s two concerns.
“IID is glad to see its comments to the PEIR were taken seriously by the secretary,” IID spokesman Kevin Kelley said.
But, Kelley said, the IID Board of Directors has not yet had a chance to meet and discuss Chrisman’s proposal in detail.
The proposed alternative would cost $6 billion and calls for building a dike that would create a large lake to the north and a saline water habitat along the southern shore.
Rick Daniels, executive director of the Salton Sea Authority, said while the state plan falls short of a proposed restoration alternative the SSA is fighting for — one that includes a south lake — the state proposal has major elements the authority wants.
“This is very, very close,” Daniels said.
But, he said the SSA is going to continue to fight for a south lake until a final restoration proposal is identified in April.
The south lake has been deemed key by the SSA to maintain the sea as a recreational resource and to protect southern shore farming.
IID Assistant General Manager Elston Grubaugh said there are sections within the state’s proposed saline water habitat on the southern shore that are deep enough and wide enough to support fishing and boating activities.
Also, a chief concern for IID was the protection of what has been called a microclimate along the southern shore that for years has created some of the most fertile high production farmland in the Valley.
Kelley said the saline water habitat along the southern shore appears to be large enough to protect the microclimate.
Kelley also said Chrisman is taking into consideration the need to protect the environment as the sea recedes.
The state proposal calls for building structures by 2012 that would protect the southern shore from exposed playa and provide wildlife habitat protection.
“It does appear to be a true hybrid that borrows from a number of proposals,” Kelley said of Chrisman’s proposal.
Kelley said IID, which has not taken a leading role in the
“The IID, which has avoided taking a definitive position on the
http://www.ivpressonline.com/articles/2007/03/29/news/news03.txt
Investors have high hopes for
By Jonathan Athens, staff writer
SALTON SEA — Despite the apocalyptic predictions that the
That’s because stakeholders and investors have high hopes that a yet-to-be-approved multibillion dollar restoration plan will turn everything around, allowing the
Some experts say this is risky business and others say investing in Salton Sea real estate, for now, is no riskier than any other market in
Billions of dollars in property tax revenues, new jobs, tourism, outdoor recreation and maintaining water for nearby farmers are at stake in
“People are putting their hearts and souls into this place,” said Brent Rouhe, 41, who relocated to
Rouhe is a construction manager for a local development company. He paid $399,000 for his new 2,600-square-foot house.
“I believe in the area,” Rouhe said, and he intends to buy investment property. “I think it’s the best value right now” compared to the real estate and housing markets elsewhere in the
The Salton Sea Authority in August 2005 estimated that once restoration is finished, about 80,000 units will be built over a 30- to 40-year span, mostly along the northern and western shores.
Rouhe admits he’s taking a gamble but he said news of restoration plans is driving the boom.
“The restoration efforts are a great chance for people to get in on the ground floor of investments. That’s kind of what I did. It’s an adventurous move,” he said.
Other investors are rolling the dice on the area’s future.
In the northern portion of the sea in
But the future, like the restoration efforts, remains in question.
If or when that happens is anybody’s guess. Either way, that uncertainty means the Salton Sea is risky for investors, said Susa Eidler, a Rancho Mirage real estate broker.
“I really believe its risky business in the
She has been advising clients and others not to gamble on investment property in the area.
Despite the political hardball that is being played out now over restoration plans, Eidler said she is optimistic the economic future of the area will be bright.
“It’s going to turn around. The question becomes: How long is it going to take?” Eidler asked.
Area real estate and insurance broker Greg Smith said: “Right now it’s no more risky than any other real estate market in
Because whatever restoration plan is approved will take 75 years to fully implement, investors will need to see higher rates of return, Smith said. #
http://www.ivpressonline.com/articles/2007/03/29/news/news02.txt
Editorial: Draft sea plan bad for county
If the state’s proposal to revitalize the Salton Sea is so fair, how about flipping it around and giving Imperial County the nice part and Riverside County the muck?
While some might say we are not being realistic, considering the populations and political power of the areas,
How would it play in
The state released its $6 billion draft plan for the
What
“Playa” in Spanish means “beach,” which in this matter likely translates to newly exposed sand, which means trouble for
The Imperial Irrigation District said it basically likes the plan, for reasons including the establishment of wetlands near
Grogan insisted
Basically, though, we wonder why a 35-member committee that worked for three years and included
Not everyone feels as we do, though. For example Rick Daniels, executive director of the Salton Sea Authority, which has stakeholders in both
It’s very, very close to what we support, too … as long as the map for the proposal is flipped upside down. #
http://www.ivpressonline.com/articles/2007/04/01/opinion/ed02_4-1-07.txt
Editorial: Perception hurts sea’s chances
Welcome to the world of the
Daniels, the executive director of the Salton Sea Authority, complained recently that the government doesn’t seem too concerned about saving the slowly dying sea. He said the federal government had not even given a look a plan to save the sea.
And no one in
The fact is, this is not an issue to the rest of the state. Most other people in
It is fine that local municipalities are voting to support a plan to clean up the sea, but any selected option would cost billions of dollars. That would be a huge financial burden for the state or federal government. Any local government, of course, could never afford that kind of price tag.
Daniels has been a good advocate for the
But it is unfortunately a bit naive to think the government will jump on board with a clean up. It would be a disaster for the air quality here if the sea dries up. But that doesn’t mean bureaucrats on the state or federal level want to have anything to do with fixing the
There is still hope, of course. State Sen. Denise Moreno Ducheny has said she believes the state and feds will come up with money to clean up the sea this fiscal year.
We will believe that when we see the check.
In the meantime, Daniels is learning what it is like to do business in
We understand that doing so in the face of so much disinterest is a daunting task. #
http://www.ivpressonline.com/articles/2007/03/28/opinion/ed02_3-28-07.txt
AG ISSUES:
Market lures farmers from conservation; Development offers and Bush's ethanol initiative entice owners to leave a land protection program
By Tim Reiterman, staff writer
Now the Conservation Reserve Program is about to shrink by millions of acres as part of the Bush administration's plans for stimulating corn production for ethanol to reduce dependence on foreign oil.
Federal agricultural officials recently suspended enrollment in the program for at least a year. They also have been considering releasing farmers and ranchers from existing contracts that protect land already in the program, although it is unlikely they will do that this year.
The enrollment suspension comes as many
The $2-billion-per-year federal program pays owners not to cultivate land that is prone to erosion, marginal for farming or significant for wildlife habitat.
Since its inception in 1985, the voluntary program has protected 2 million acres of wetlands, planted 1.7 million acres of grass and trees along streams and other waterways, reduced soil erosion by 450 million tons per year and increased the duck population by millions through improved habitat.
About 37 million acres of private land are enrolled — more than the total acreage of the national wildlife refuge system in the lower 48 states. But U.S. Department of Agriculture officials expect the program to decline by several million acres within the next few years as existing contracts expire.
Conservation groups say the administration's strategy is counterproductive. "Most of this land was enrolled because it is highly erodible or very environmentally sensitive," said Terry Riley, vice president of policy at the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership. "So why on Earth would we be encouraging people to get out of the program and put it into production, which encourages more runoff, fertilizer and pesticides?"
Moreover, conservationists argue that opening protected lands for corn production does not make sense because much of it is not suited for that crop. "What are we trying to accomplish here?" asked Jennifer Mock Schaeffer, farm bill coordinator for the Assn. of Fish and Wildlife Agencies.
In its proposed alternative-fuel rules, the Environmental Protection Agency said in September that raising corn on conservation lands that are erosion-prone, steep, or near lakes and streams posed risks to water quality.
Federal officials in
USDA officials acknowledge that not all land in the program will be appropriate for corn production — and they say they will take steps to protect the most environmentally sensitive places.
"There is a very difficult balancing act that has to be played out over the next couple of years to adjust to this biofuels boom," said Keith Collins, USDA's chief economist. "If thought of as a seesaw, one seat would be historically tight crop markets, with ethanol driving tightness in corn…. On the other seat would be the environmental benefits of the [program], which are considerable."
Based on the contracts expiring in the next few years, agency officials project that about 11 million acres will leave the program by 2010 and potentially be available for crop production, development or other uses. However, they say some of that reduction would be offset when new general enrollments resume in either in 2008 or 2009.
The administration was hoping that plans for corn plantings would increase, and on Friday put the number at 90.5 million acres—the largest total since 1944.
Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns on Friday said he did not anticipate releasing owners from conservation contracts this year, but said he would not hesitate to make future adjustments to USDA programs.
"There will be another decision point next year [on conservation contracts] because of the increase in ethanol demand," said USDA senior economist Larry Salathe.
In February, many agribusiness groups, including beef, pork and poultry producers, called on the USDA to permit withdrawal of conservation lands without penalty.
On Friday, some organizations expressed disappointment in Johanns' decision and said it was premature because weather and market forces could cut into corn production. "There is land in the CRP that can be farmed in a sustainable way," said Randall Gordon, vice president of the National Grain and Feed Assn. "We believe producers should have the option to bring that land out of the program."
Although
Ethanol demand has soared as
Hundred-car trains haul corn from the Midwest to two major ethanol plants in the Central Valley, but they produce only about 70 million gallons a year — a small fraction of the nearly 1 billion gallons Californians consume.
"
Most of
Larry Gross, chief executive of Los Angeles-based Altra Inc., which has an ethanol plant in Tulare County, said conservation lands in California "would be a great place" to raise raw material for plants using new ethanol production techniques.
At the same time, the state's expanding real estate market is another powerful inducement for farmers in some areas to take land out of the federal conservation program.
In rural Yolo County, where rolling grasslands and oak woodlands are within commuting distance of Sacramento and the Bay Area, there is growing pressure both to build homes and plant vineyards, which can bring in more money than conservation payments that average about $30 per acre annually.
Four developers have approached
This past year, owners of half the land eligible for contract renewals or extensions in the county opted to withdraw from the program — among the highest rates in the state. Federal district conservationist Phil Hogan estimated that acreage will drop from about 18,000 to half that in the next few years.
The family of former state Agriculture Secretary Richard Rominger has 250 acres of land enrolled in the program. On part of it, the Romingers have planted oaks and native grasses, and built a pond where geese flock.
"The importance of the program is the reduction of soil erosion," said Rominger, who also served as deputy Agriculture secretary in the
Nevertheless, the Romingers may convert some of their protected acreage to vineyards, although with erosion controls. "There is a distinct possibility we would take some land out [of the program] and put grapes on it," said Rominger's son Bruce.
Growers are caught in a vise, said
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/politics/la-na-farms1apr01,1,970821,full.story
KILARC RESERVOIR:
Editorial: Push to restore habitat catches fine fishing hole
Redding Record Searchlight – 4/1/07
Here's a slippery paradox: In the name of improving fish habitat, the north state is likely to lose one of its favorite local fishing holes.
Kilarc Forebay, a nearly 5-acre pond on a ridge above Whitmore, has heavenly views and well-stocked schools of fat trout. Generations of residents have learned to bait a hook on its banks.
And its waters might dry up as Pacific Gas and Electric Co. dismantles its century-old Kilarc-Cow Creek hydroelectric project.
PG&E is giving up its license for the system because it would be too costly to re-engineer the small power station to leave more water in Cow Creek for wild rainbow trout and salmon. The project produces only 5 megawatts of power, barely a spark in PG&E's vast electrical grid, so the juice won't really be missed.
What will be deeply missed, not only by its neighbors in Whitmore and Oak Run but by fishing families across
The north state has no shortage of fishable lakes, but most are either vast reservoirs frequently choked with the motorboating masses or alpine escapes that demand fit hiking legs to reach. Little Kilarc is comfortingly human-scaled and just accessible enough (at the end of a rough dirt road) to be within easy reach of in-the-know anglers without drawing highway crowds.
Oddly enough, even as PG&E prepares to dismantle Kilarc, a foundation known as the Stewardship Council has been drawing up plans to preserve the utility's surplus property in the
Well, a wheelchair ramp to a dry lakebed wouldn't make a lot of sense. Nor would draining Kilarc at all if there were anyway to save it.
PG&E representatives say the nearly four-mile diversion canal, perched often precariously on the side of a steep canyon above Cow Creek, is too expensive to maintain properly to prevent breaches and washouts -- another reason it agreed to give up the project.
Would it be technically feasible to improve the canal? Of course, with enough money. But if
Still, one way or another PG&E will spend a lot of time and money removing its old dams. As it does so, it's at least worth carefully studying whether there's any possible way to reserve just a little water to keep fish in the Kilarc reservoir. #
http://www.redding.com/news/2007/apr/01/push-to-restore-habitat-catches-fine-fishing/
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