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<p class=MsoNormal><strong><span style='font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:black'>Is Temperance Flat Dam really just a shell game for real estate
developers?</span></strong><b><span style='font-size:16.0pt;color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:13.5pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:13.5pt;color:black'>by Deirdre Des
Jardins <br>
<em><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>Saturday Aug 7th, 2010
1:40 PM </span></em><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:13.5pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:13.5pt;color:black'>The $11.1
billion state water bond would, among other things, authorize $3 billion for
"new storage,", including a proposed dam at Temperance Flat, on the
San Joaquin River above Friant Dam in Fresno County. The second dam is supposed
to increase the reliability of the water supply for Eastside San Joaquin Valley
farmers. <o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><b><span
style='font-size:13.5pt;color:black'><img width=612 height=400 id="_x0000_i1025"
src="cid:image001.jpg@01CB372A.BA038CA0" alt="temperanceflatpic.jpg "></span></b><b><span
style='font-size:13.5pt;color:black'><br>
<strong><span style='font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>temperanceflatpic.jpg</span></strong><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:13.5pt;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:13.5pt;color:black'>The
dam-building crowd has long criticized Friant dam, built in the 1940's on the
San Joaquin River, as being too small to capture the entire flows of the river
in wet years. They forget that the dam was never designed to divert the entire
flow of the river. In fact many promises were made by the federal government
that only surplus flows would be diverted south via the Friant-Kern canal. <br>
<br>
Instead, when the dam was completed, the Bureau of Reclamation dried up the
river, and sent the water south to big cotton growers. It was the first great
water grab in the San Joaquin Valley for private interests. And it cheated
regular Fresno residents of the many beneficial uses of the state's second
largest river. Riverfront homeowners sued, but lost after a 16 year long legal
battle. It took another 50 years to restore just 18% of the flow of the river
to its natural course. <br>
<br>
Fresno residents, having forgotten this history, and worried about shortages of
water for farming, are pushing to build a second dam at Temperance Flat. The
original purpose of the proposed second dam was to ensure the capture all flows
of the San Joaquin River, ensuring that none of it was ever spilled by Friant
dam to the dry San Joaquin riverbed. Even with this assumption, the dam did not
make economic sense unless the public paid for half of it. <br>
<br>
With the recently mandated river restoration flows, the dam makes even less
sense. <br>
Pre-restoration simulations prior showed that if the minimal pre-restoration
flows to the river were maintained, the dam could at best change delivery of an
average 116,000 acre feet of “surplus” high flow water in the
winter. Currently the high flow water is released to San Joaquin growers and
groundwater banks whenever Friant dam fills to the flood safety level. Instead,
the water held in the new upstream dam could be stored and delivered on a
schedule. <br>
<br>
Why would anyone pay $3 billion for a dam that would simply change the timing
of water deliveries to groundwater banks, which are specifically designed and
operated to store unpredictable flood flows? The answer lies the need by real
estate developers for "reliable" water supplies for new subdivisions.
“Surplus” flood flows are not reliable and cannot be used as the
primary water supply for a development. But if the water is held behind a dam,
it becomes a contracted, reliable supply. <br>
<br>
So the real benefits of Temperance Flat dam would go to the “conjunctive
use partners” who would put up about half the money for the construction
of the dam. These partners include the Metropolitan Water District of Southern
California, and the Westside Mutual Water Company controlled by Stewart
Resnick, who owns about 140,000 acres in Kern County. <br>
<br>
While the dam has been represented as increasing the reliability of the Friant
water supply for agriculture, growers along the Friant-Kern canal would see
little benefit from new contracts, because they would likely be too expensive
for agricultural use. The growers would however, lose the high flow water
remaining after the mandated San Joaquin Restoration flows, and likely also see
a reduction in water for Friant Class 2 contracts. <br>
<br>
One has to ask if this dam, sold to California taxpayers as “increasing
surface storage,” is worth taxpayers paying half the $3 billion cost for
the supposed public benefit, or whether it is really just a shell game for
water brokers and real estate developers. <o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";
color:#948A54'>Byron Leydecker, JcT<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";
color:#948A54'>Chair, Friends of Trinity River<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";
color:#948A54'>PO Box 2327<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";
color:#948A54'>Mill Valley, CA 94942-2327<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";
color:#948A54'>415 383 4810 land/fax<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";
color:#948A54'>415 519 4810 mobile<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><i><u><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";
color:#4F81BD'>bwl3@comcast.net <o:p></o:p></span></u></i></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><i><u><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";
color:#4F81BD'>bleydecker@stanfordalumni.org <o:p></o:p></span></u></i></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><i><u><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";
color:#4F81BD'>http://www.fotr.org<o:p></o:p></span></u></i></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
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