for s shasta dam raise fact sheet july 2013

8/10/2019 For s Shasta Dam Raise Fact Sheet July 2013

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ShastaDamRaise

FACTSHEET:July,2013

ShastaDamistheseventhhighestdaminCaliforniaandits4.5millionacrefootreservoiristhelargest

inthestate.Thedamcaptureswaterfromthreerivers(theupperSacramento,McCloud,andPit).

ConstructedandoperatedbytheU.S.BureauofReclamation,theShastaDamandReservoiristhe

cornerstoneofthegiantCentralValleyProject(CVP),whichprovidesirrigationanddrinkingwaterto

muchofCalifornia.

TheBureauofReclamationisstudyinganupto18.5footraiseofShastaDam,whichcouldtheoretically

increasewaterstoragebehindthedambyabout13%.Theproposedprojectisintendedtoimprove

conditionsintheSacramentoRiverforthreatenedandendangeredsalmonandsteelhead.TheBureau

hasjust

released

for

public

comment

period

its

Shasta

Lake

Water

Resources

Investigation

(SLWRI)

Draft

FeasibilityReportandDraftEnvironmentalImpactStatement(DEIS).ThereportandDEISconsidersa

rangeofalternativesfromraisingthedamby6.5feetto18.5feet.AccordingtotheBureau,the18.5

footraiseisthemosteconomicallyjustifiedalternativetopursue.Mostofthefactsinthisdocument

weregleanedfromtheSLWRIDraftFeasibilityReportandDEIS,whichcanbereviewedat

www.usbr.gov/mp/slwri/index.html

Significant&UnavoidableImpacts

TheBureaus

preliminary

DEIS

(released

last

spring)

admits

to

along

list

of

significant

and

unavoidable

environmentalimpactsthatcannotbemitigated.Inaddition,thereareseriousconcernsaboutthe

validityofmanyoftheBureausassumptions.Significantimpactsandconcernsinclude:

SalmonandSteelheadEventhoughthedamraiseisproposedbytheBureautosupposedlyimprove

conditionsintheSacramentoRiverforthreatenedandendangeredsalmonandsteelhead,theU.S.Fish

andWildlifeService(USFWS)believesthatthedamraisewillprovidenegligiblebenefitsfor

anadromousfish.AccordingtotheUSFWSthedamraisewillnotbenefitsalmon90%ofthetime.

NativeAmericanCulturalHeritageTheDEISdocumentsthatthedamraiseandreservoirexpansion

willhavedisproportionallyhighimpactsonlocalNativeAmericans,specificallytheWinnememWintu

Tribe.The

Tribe

lost

most

of

their

traditional

homeland

under

the

existing

reservoir.

Raising

the

dam

will

drownculturalandsacredsitesstillusedbytheWinnememtothisday.

NationalForestLands&InfrastructureRaisingShastaDamandenlargingitsreservoirwilldrown

thousandsofacresoftheShastaTrinityNationalRecreationArea,whichismanagedbytheU.S.Forest

Serviceforpublicrecreationandwildlife.Thedamraisewillalsorequiretherelocationofmorethansix


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milesofpublicroads,therelocationormodificationoffivebridges,dozensofrecreationfacilities

(marinas,campgrounds,etc),andutilitiesandwastewatersystems.

Wild&ScenicRiversExpandingShastaReservoirwillfloodupstreamriversandstreams,including1.5

milesoftheMcCloudRiver,whichisprotectedundertheCaliforniaWild&ScenicRiversAct,thoughit

hasyet

to

be

fully

designated

Wild

&

Scenic

under

the

act.

The

Bureaus

response

to

this

violation

of

statelawistosimplyproposechangingthelaw.Theexpandedreservoirwouldalsofloodsegmentsof

theMcCloudandupperSacramentoRiversidentifiedbytheForestServiceaseligibleforprotectionin

theNationalWild&ScenicRiversSystem.Notonlywouldthedamraisefloodtheseimportantriver

segments,itwouldharmtheriversoutstandinglyremarkablescenic,recreational,wildtrout,andNative

Americanculturalvalues.

WildlifeThedamraise/reservoirexpansionwillcausepermanentlossofhabitatfornumerous

importantandspecialstatuswildlifespecies,includingPacificfisher,northernspottedowl,northern

goshawk,foothillyellowleggedfrog,Shastasalamander,sevenbatspecies,andfourmollusks.The

projectwillalsoresultinthepermanentlossofrareplanthabitatandimportantwinterandfawning

habitatfordeer.

LowerSacramentoRiverThedamraise/reservoirexpansionwillmodifyflowsinthelowerSacramento

River,withpotentiallysignificantimpactsontheriversriparianecosystemandprotectedwildlife

speciesthatdependonthatecosystem.TheBureauproposesaroughsketchofaAdaptiveManagement

PlantomitigatetheseimpactsbutprovideslittleinformationonhowthePlanwillbeimplemented,how

theneedsofwatercontractswillbeweighedagainstecosystemflowneeds,andwhatguaranteeswillbe

providedtoensurethatthesesignificantimpactsaretrulymitigatedtolessthansignificantlevels.

DeltaTheeffectsofthedamraise/reservoirexpansionwillbefeltallthewaydownstreamtothe

SacramentoSan

Joaquin

Delta.

Storing

more

water

behind

the

expanded

dam

and

reservoir

will

reduce

freshwaterflowsintotheDeltaduringcriticalperiods,withpotentiallysignificantincreasesinmortality

forendangeredDeltafishduetoincreasedreverseflowsinthesouthDelta.

AirQualityTheBureauadmitsthatthedamraise/reservoirexpansionwillincreasetheshortterm

emissionofcarbondioxide(agreenhousegas)by30%butfailstorecognizethattheexistingreservoir

alreadypumps224tonsofcarbondioxideintotheatmosphereonadailybasis(equalto14,500

automobilesdriving40milesaday).ExpandingthereservoirmayincreaseShastaDamsdaily

contributiontogreenhousegasesandglobalwarming.

HydropowerThedamraise/reservoirexpansioncoulddecreaselongtermmonthlyaverage

hydropowergenerationbyasmuchas5%,alevelthatcouldaffectCaliforniasalwaystenuouspower

market.

CostandBenefitsRaisingShastaDamby18.5feetwillcostnearly$1.1billiondollars,withannual

operatingcostsof$54million.TheBureauofReclamationclaimsthatmorethan60%ofthebenefits

andtherefore60%ofthecostsofthedamraiseshouldbeapportionedtothepublic.Accordingtothe

Bureau,theprimarypublicbenefitofraisingthedamwillbetoprovidecoldwaterdownstreamto


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benefitthreatenedandendangeredsalmonintheSacramentoRiver.ButaccordingtotheUSFWS,

raisingthedamwillprovidenobenefitsforsalmon9outof10years.Improvingthedamsexisting

temperaturecontroldevice,restoringspawninggravelandrearinghabitat,improvingfishpassage,

increasingminimumflows,andscreeningwaterdiversionsallincreasesalmonsurvivalmorethanthe

damraise.

WaterYieldThe18.5footraisewillincreasetheexistingreservoircapacityby634,000acrefeetor

about13%.Buttheannualfirmwateryieldprovidedbytheenlargedreservoirisnomorethan133,000

acrefeetincomparisontotheCVPstypicalannualdeliveriesof7millionacrefeetandmanagementof

9millionacrefeetofwater.Thecomparativelysmalladditionalwateryieldisbecausetheexisting

ShastaDamalreadydevelopsmuchoftheavailableyieldoftheriversitdams..Ofcourse,theenlarged

reservoirwillstillbesubjecttoCaliforniaschronicdroughtcyclesandclimatechange.Inaddition,the

Bureauadmitsthathydrology,climatechange,watersystemoperations,watersupplyreliability,and

waterdemandareallsignificantuncertaintiesinregardtotheprojectsactualyieldofwater.

WaterContractsAlloftheestimatedfirmyieldof133,000acrefeetwillbesoldtofederalwater

contractors,with77%soldtowatercontractorssouthoftheDelta.ThisdirectlytiestheShastaDam

raisetotheDeltatunnelsprojectproposedintheBayDeltaConservationPlan(BDCP).TheBureaus

previousstudyoftheShastaDamraisewasshelvedwhenvotersrejectedtheproposedPeripheralCanal

in1982,presumablybecausemostofthecustomersforthewaterdevelopedbythedamraiseare

betweenthedamandthemeanderingchannelsoftheDelta.Thedamraisewasrevivedwiththe

resurrectionofthecanalastheBDCPsDeltatunnels.

Formoreinformationconcerningthisproject,pleasecontactSteveEvans,WildRiversProject

ConsultantforFriendsoftheRiver,phone:(916)7083155,email:[email protected].

for s shasta dam raise fact sheet july 2013

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