From: tut@cairo.Eng.Sun.COM (Bill "Bill" Tuthill)
Newsgroups: rec.boats.paddle,rec.outdoors.fishing
Subject: Clavey river in danger (update)
Followup-To: poster
Date: 23 Dec 1992 07:08:58 GMT
Organization: Sun Microsystems Inc., Mountain View, CA
Distribution: usa
NNTP-Posting-Host: cairo

Last December 15th, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)
and the Turlock Irrigation District (TID) held scoping hearings on
a proposed dam that would destroy the Clavey river.  At the evening
meeting, many citizens spoke against the project, to the delight of
a vocal anti-dam crowd.

For this dam to be stopped, it is important that you register your
opinions now.  Before the January 19th deadline, please write FERC
at the following address to explain your opposition:

  Secretary
  Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
  825 North Capitol St. NE
  Washington, DC 20426

They require you to put "FERC project #10081, Clavey River Project"
as a header on the first page.  Please send a copy to:

  Janet L. Wold, Supervisor
  Stanislaus National Forest
  19777 Greenley Rd.
  Sonora, CA 95370-5909

FERC is the agency responsible for licensing hydroelectric projects,
and TID is asking them to approve this boondoggle.  This particular
project would dam the Clavey river about 11 miles above its confluence
with the Tuolumne river, to create a storage reservoir.  Because of
insufficient flows, three side creeks would be diverted into this 2 1/2
mile long reservoir, through 4 1/2 miles of concrete pipe.  River water
would be taken away from the riverbed through penstocks to a holding
reservoir 1 1/2 miles above the Tuolumne confluence.  Power lines
would emanate from a peaking-power generating station at that spot.
A re-regulation dam 1/2 mile below would attempt to even out flows
for the remaining mile, though not very well.  Plans call for the
power plant to run 6 hours a day, with re-regulation flows 18 hours
a day, varying between 20 and 400 cfs.

TID's proposal is most vulnerable from two directions: first, fishery
and wildlife issues; and second, economics and cost issues.  Recreation
and aesthetic issues are also a concern, but have already been addressed
in the project plan, to the probable satisfaction of FERC.

Whitewater boaters should note that the penstock diversion would dewater
a class V raft/kayak run upstream, and a class V+ kayak run downstream.
Also, camping parties at Clavey would be endangered by unpredictable
dam releases, and streamside scenery would be severely degraded.

Anglers should note that dams would devastate fish populations, and
greatly reduce streamside habitat for backcountry fishing activities.
As the only remaining undammed river on the west slope of the Sierra,
the Clavey contains a nearly complete native biotic assemblage of fish
(minus salmon) from before the time Europeans arrived and started
building dams.  The Clavey ranges from a warm water fishery near the
Tuolumne to an alpine fishery upstream, so is considered a "benchmark"
stream.  Fish populations in the upper river would be isolated and
invaded by reservoir fish.  Since the river would be dewatered for 10
miles (the plan calls for release of 2 cfs), it is unlikely many fish
could survive downstream.  Fish populations in the Tuolumne river might
be affected as well.

The Clavey was one of California's first designated wild trout streams.
It sustains an excellent native trout population, and harbors a unique
strain of rainbow trout.  Additionally, the Clavey serves as a wildlife
corridor, and Yosemite's high-country deer winter there every year.
Several candidates for endangered species listing live on the Clavey.

Turlock area residents should note that they would be the ones forced
to pay higher utility rates if FERC approves this dam.  Even given TID's
liberal hydrology forecasts, which have not been verified independently,
the project would produce electricity at about 14 cents a kilowatt hour,
more than twice market rates from PG&E.  Total cost is (under)estimated
at $707 million, over twice the price of equivalent-capacity generators
using steam-injected natural gas turbines.  Continued drought, or even
higher environmental requirements for minimum stream flows, would make
project costs even more unmanageable.

Newsgroups: rec.boats.paddle