AROUND FRIANT AND CALIFORNIA

Tule River

Lake Success Storage Limit Lifted

It doesn’t much matter in the midst of drought with Tule River runoff predicted to be just 10% of average during the current water year but full storage capacity has been restored in Lake Success east of Porterville.
Success Dam had been under a safety-of-dams storage restriction. For a time, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was considering construction of a new Success Dam to address the concerns.
Corps officials last year announced that the dam’s safety was in reality not a problem, based on new studies of the structure’s strength and underlying geology.
Now, the capacity is back at more than 83,000 acre-feet although actual storage is 13,800 acre-feet because of the drought.
The Corps in July plans to release a baseline risk assessment report detailing the dam’s safety findings. That report could lead to a decision on whether or not to construct control facilities to further increase capacity.

American River

Talk Renewed Over Auburn Dam

There is renewed discussion over an old American River-North Fork project.
Auburn Dam on the American River, California’s largest unbuilt dam gained new support during a recent presentation by Rep. Tom McClintock (R-AUBURN).
McClintock called for a resumption of construction on Auburn Dam to enhance American River storage.
Construction was halted in 1976 after a 5.7 earthquake centered fairly close by led to seismic safety concerns. By then, more than $137 million had been expended.
The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation said that to re-launch construction would require what it called a full “reformulation study,” reassessing the project’s costs and priorities.
In 2008, the State Water Resources Control Board revoked water rights for Auburn Dam.

Ventura County

New Find For Quagga Mussels

Quagga mussels, the most invasive exotic species to be found in the nation’s rivers and lakes, have become established in the Santa Clara River downstream of Lake Piru and in the Ventura County lake itself.
They are the area’s first quagga mussels to be identified.
The find is bad news. Quagga mussels’ population growth is explosive and eradication of quaggas has never succeeded. They have become established in several Southern California waterways.
No quagga mussels have been found in the valley.

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