The notion of constructing a dam near Auburn was first floated during a Placer County Board of Supervisor’s meeting in January 1956. That’s more than 52 years ago, but this fatally flawed plan to build a giant reservoir to store water, generate electricity and assist with flood control in the Sacramento Valley just won’t die.
Its most strident supporter, our very own U.S. Representative John T. Doolittle (R-Roseville), though on his political deathbed, is using his last breath to continue his unrelenting, career-long fight to see this project through. And now the two main pretenders to his throne, Republicans Tom McClintock and Doug Ose, are flogging this dead horse as a campaign issue.
At this point, any further talk about building an Auburn Dam is pure hyperbole, and serious candidates need to abandon this debate and focus on more substantive issues facing the Fourth Congressional District. To continue promoting the dam makes about as much sense as “staying the course” in Iraq.
Perhaps the biggest problem is in the nearly 30 years since construction was halted because of seismic concerns, the cost to build the massive concrete structure is now minimally $6 billion and as high as $10 billion, virtually unaffordable in our anemic economy. And the scary thing is the latest high estimate was calculated nearly a year ago—before fuel and material prices went through the roof. The diesel fuel required to build this monster could put a dent in filling the dam at more than $5 per gallon.
The very real threat of an earthquake and potential consequences
haven’t diminished since 1979 when Congress deep-sixed the project. In
fact, some geologists believe that the sheer weight of a completed dam,
plus the water stored, would be sufficient to stimulate an earthquake —
likely devastating the very valley it is designed to protect.
Go through the list of dam benefits that have been promoted over the years, and none holds water today:
—We have a basic need to collect the water. That’s true if continued,
unchecked growth in California is a priority for anyone other than the
developers enriched by building shopping islands and gated communities.
A better choice is to manage growth, both here and in southern
California, and adopt sensible conservation practices. And besides, at
this point, we can’t even fill the Folsom Dam.
—We need to protect the valley against the 500-year flood. Excuse me,
but has anyone else noticed that it doesn’t rain here any more? We’re
suffering from some very unpleasant weather trends, and no one can
predict when or if normal rainfall levels will ever return. Here’s an
idea for the interim: stop building in flood plains.
—We need the electrical power that can be generated by a dam. More
recent studies show the amount of hydro-electric energy that could be
produced is far less than original projections. The payback period, in
any event, would be measured in eons.
—We would benefit from new recreational opportunities. Excuse me? The
American River canyon is already flooded with outdoor enthusiasts of
all persuasions. Mountain bikers, runners, equestrians, kayakers,
hikers and families who enjoy the river would all be displaced in an
instant. To suggest that power boaters represent a desirable
alternative is absurd. The noise of screaming engines would shatter the
tranquility that people seek here in the first place. At the end of the
day, though, escalating fuel prices have the power to radically
diminish this “sport.”
The most tragic result of an Auburn Dam is it would irreparably destroy
one of the most beautiful and pristine ecosystems on the planet. The
American River canyon is a natural resource that must be protected—it
must be preserved in the pursuit of the common good and for the
enjoyment of our progeny. Mr. Ose and Mr. McClintock would be well
served to understand and appreciate that next time they campaign in
Auburn, spouting their pre-packaged stump lines. At elevations in their
district above 1300 feet, a whole bunch of people don’t cotton to their
kind of talk.
While many of the man-made scars in the canyon will never fade,
significant progress has been made to conceal the unsightly damage
wreaked decades ago. A diversion tunnel built in 1972 was sealed last
year and the river’s flow was returned to its original path. Earth
movers spent months in effort to cover gashes cut in the hillsides. And
just recently, a section of the river closed for years to recreation
has now been reopened for kayakers.
The Auburn Dam project is truly dead. Now is the time for our politicians to finally accept what the people already know.
Gary Moffat is a journalist and owns Carpe Vino in Old Town Auburn. He can be reached at
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The reason that the dam won't die is the promise of development between Auburn and Placerville.
The dam would mean a large straightish road to open it up and the cast of supporters has always read like a who's-who of developers.
The Georgetown Divide would'nt be a divide any more!