Wednesday August 17, 2022
California Globe —
In a letter sent to Governor Newsom on Tuesday, California Congressional Republicans urged him to reverse his position on the enlargement of the Shasta Dam due to numerous water use, electric, and environmental reasons.
The subject of raising Shasta Dam, located on the Northern end of the Sacramento Valley in Shasta County, has been heated for years. Opponents have said that an enlargement would have few water benefits while at the same time would destroy Native American sites, harm fish and wildlife, and would significantly increase the chance for loss of life should a dam failure occur. However, proponents, backed by findings from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, have pointed out that a larger dam would allow more water to be collected, would give the state more water resources to work with in the future, reduce flood damage, and would benefit fish species in the area.
While water outflow projects, specifically those for environmental flows, have been a major factor in reservoir levels dropping across the state, the continued drought has made the water situation worse across the state. And with Newsom both opposing the raising of Shasta Dam yet also being in favor of having more reservoir storage, there has been no definite answer to if expansion will really happen. And the open question if the project would receive federal funds, which would make the project far more likely to happen, has been up in the air as well.
Amid all of this, Congressional Republicans, led by House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) wrote a letter to Newsom trying to get his support on Shasta.