| At long last, the draft Environmental Impact
Statement/Environmental Impact Report for the American River
Pump Station Project has been released! As anticipated, the
preferred alternative calls for closure of the Auburn Dam bypass
tunnel and restoration of the North Fork American River to its
natural channel in the canyon below Auburn. It also spells out
plans for recreational improvements that will enhance public
access to the river and end the 35 year ban on recreational
boating downstream of the North-Middle Fork Confluence.
The Plan’s sponsors, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and Placer
County Water Agency, appear to have conducted a thorough analysis
of the proposed project’s potential environmental impacts.
The project design calls for re-creation of a naturally appearing
and functioning riverbed, resulting in a restored river that
will be both aesthetically pleasing and beneficial to fish
and wildlife.
The EIS/EIR also spells out plans for public access to the
river by means of an existing road, currently gated, off Maidu
Drive in Auburn. The road will lead to a new 20 car parking
lot at the former dam construction site, as well as to a new
50 car lot at a staging area above Oregon Bar. An existing
short road leading from the latter parking lot to the Oregon
Bar area will be improved, with a vehicle turn-around area
created where the road ends. A new trail will lead from the
vehicle turn-around up to the staging area parking lot. These
improvements will allow boaters to stage vehicles at either
the dam site or at the lot above Oregon Bar, and then enjoy
an easy float trip from the Confluence down to their waiting
vehicles.
One negative consequence of the proposed project will be
the loss of the existing land bridge through the dam construction
zone, connecting the popular Auburn to Cool Trail. Replacement
of this vital trail link is something PARC believes must be
addressed. The Draft EIS/EIR notes the loss of the trail connector
and calls for the issue to be addressed by State Parks as
it develops its new general plan for the Auburn State Recreation
Area, a process that is scheduled to begin in 2003.
Copies of the Draft EIS/EIR Executive Summary are available
upon request. Contact Carol Brown by telephone at 916-563-6360
or by email at Brown@SWRI.net. Full reports can be examined
at Placer, El Dorado, and Sacramento County public libraries.
Public comments on the Draft EIS/EIR may be submitted no later
than November 9, 2001. Oral and/or written comments can be
made at a public hearing scheduled for October 11, 2001 at
7 p.m. at Placer County Water Agency’s headquarters located
at 144 Ferguson Road in Auburn. Written comments may be mailed
to:
American River Pump Station Project
Draft EIS/EIR Comments Surface Water Resources, Inc.
2031 Howe Avenue, Suite 110
Sacramento CA 95825
Fax: 916-286-0957
PARC encourages its members and all interested parties to
submit comments on the draft plan, even if those comments
are limited to an expression of approval for the preferred
alternative. There remains a funding shortfall to complete
this project, and it is important to again remind the Bureau
and PCWA that the proposed restoration of the American River
has widespread and enthusiastic public support. Also please
plan on attending the October 11 public hearing; a large turnout
will send a clear message that the public is firmly in favor
of a restored and free flowing American River!
|
|
Improving the American River Watershed begins with knowing
that we are all a part of it and that our actions can harm
or protect it.
Carolyn Kemmler, an active fly fisherwoman and a member of
PARC and CalTrout, recently added the support of CalTrout
to the growing list of partner organizations who support our
mission to protect and restore the wilderness and wildlife
resources of the North and Middle Forks of the American River.
Curtis Knight, CalTrout's Area Conservation Manager, wrote
in a letter to PARC: "California Trout Inc. would like to
express its support for the closing of the Auburn Dam Diversion
Tunnel and restoring the North Fork of the American River
to its natural bed. One of the primary threats to fish populations
in California is barriers to migration and fragmented populations.
The closing of the Auburn Dam Diversion Tunnel would remove
impediments to fish migration and generally improve the fishery
in the North Fork of the American River."
"Cal Trout is a statewide conservation organization founded
in 1971, 'To protect and restore wild trout, native steelhead,
and the waters that nurture them to create high quality fishing
adventures for the public to CalTrout's enjoy.' members use
the waters affected by the Auburn Dam Diversion Tunnel and
have a keen interest in seeing the tunnel closed."
Protect American River Canyons has long supported closure
of the Auburn dam diversion tunnel and restoration of the
American River to its natural channel to accommodate the natural
migration of aquatic life in the river.
The upper forks of the American River have the capacity to
provide vital habitat for rainbow and brown trout and also
kokanee and inland Chinook salmon that have been introduced
to Folsom Reservoir. Spawning fish migrations mark one of
nature's grandest spectacles. Humans, bears and eagles are
among the animals that await them. The Confluence of the North
and Middle Forks of the American River is a central viewing
area to witness these migrations.
Over time the life-cycles of salmon, their comings and goings,
can become important measures of the seasons. Most importantly,
healthy local runs of salmon can signify the commitment of
an entire community to its environment— a sign of environmental
health we can all be proud to share.
|
