Battle lines drawn after East Bay Municipal Utility District plans to raise level of Pardee Dam

A proposal to make Pardee Dam 33 feet higher has stirred a mixture of support and significant opposition.

The East Bay Municipal Utility District, which supplies water from the Mokelumne River to parts of Alameda and Contra Costa counties, has prepared a plan to serve its needs through the year 2040. A key element is raising Pardee Dam by 33 feet.

Here are the battle lines: Outdoor enthusiasts oppose the proposal because the new Pardee Dam would destroy some prime whitewater rafting area at Middle Bar, which is on the Mokelumne River. A higher dam would raise the level of the river inundating the rapids and recreation areas. However, EBMUD supports the idea because it would serve its East Bay customers, especially during dry winters. And water officials in San Joaquin County like it for the potential it has to help replenish the parched groundwater basin in the Lodi area.

EBMUD spokesman Charles Hardy maintains that the district's board hasn't decided on whether to raise Pardee Dam. Furthermore, that decision may not be made until 2025.

EBMUD will conduct a public meeting on the project in Lodi on Monday afternoon.

District officials say their water supply from the Mokelumne River is sufficient in normal and wet years through 2040. A larger Pardee Dam is intended to meet dry-year water needs.

The primary opposition has come from the Foothill Conservancy, an organization dedicated to protecting the environment in Amador and Calaveras counties. The conservancy has conducted an e-mail campaign against Pardee's expansion, even composing a sample letter for the public to send to EBMUD.

Pardee Dam at a glance

Pardee Reservoir is 38 miles northeast of Stockton. The reservoir has a licensed capacity of 209,950 acre-feet. Camanche Reservoir is downstream of Pardee Reservoir.

East Bay Municipal Utility District's water right allows the utility to divert up to 200 million gallons per day from the Mokelumne River for use in the East Bay. Together, the Camanche permit and the Pardee license allow delivery of up to 325 million gallons per day from the river, subject to the availability of Mokelumne River runoff and EBMUD's meeting obligations to senior water rights, downstream fishery flow requirements, and other Mokelumne River water uses.

EBMUD provides domestic water service to 1.3 million customers in the East Bay and about 600,000 customers west of the Oakland/Berkeley hills with wastewater services.

Source: East Bay Municipal Utility District

Public meeting on Pardee proposal

The East Bay Municipal Utility District will discuss its plans on additional water storage for Pardee Dam and accept public comments at four public workshops beginning next week.

The first workshop will be held from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Monday at the Lodi Police Department community room, 215 W. Elm St. For those who can't attend the meeting in the daytime, another one will be held the same night from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Amador Water Agency office, 12800 Ridge Road, Sutter Creek.

Future public meetings will be held on Wednesday night in Oakland and March 23 in Walnut Creek.

A draft environmental impact report detailing EBMUD's water needs through 2040 is available for review at the Lodi Public Library, 212 W. Pine St., the Stockton-San Joaquin Library, 2370 E. Main St., and at libraries west to Oakland and north to Oroville. It is also available online at www.ebmud.com/water_&_environment/water_supply/water_supply_management_program/CEQA/default.htm.

Written comments will be accepted until 5 p.m. April 6 by writing to the EBMUD Water Supply Improvements Division, 375 11th St., MS 104, Oakland, CA 94607 or send an e-mail to tfrancis@ebmud.com.

Source: East Bay Municipal Utility District

"I am definitely against it," said Mary Dils, who owns Sierra Adventure Outfitters in Downtown Lodi. "There are historic areas in the Middle Bar section — and river use recreation. The nature area will no longer be there."

Chris Wright, the conservancy's executive director, strongly opposes the project for aesthetic purposes and because he doesn't think San Joaquin County water interests will be served.

"There's nothing in there that says that nobody gets any water accept EBMUD," Wright said. "This is a great recreational spot — fishing, boating, the historical bridge is restored, and the Crest-to-Crest trail is going to run through there."

But San Joaquin County water providers are champing at the bit about a new Pardee.

"I hope they build it next year," said Kevin Kauffman, general manager of the Stockton East Water District. "Any surface storage we can put in — I don't care where it is — makes all the sense in the world.

"You can take the water when you need it, for ag, municipal, environmental," Kauffman said. "You can increase the potential for addressing the (groundwater) overdraft."

Ed Steffani, general manager of the North San Joaquin Water Conservation District, tentatively supports the proposal, but it depends how it's put together.

"It depends on a billion things," Steffani said. "For example, if Pardee was enlarged and there was space for what we could store in Duck Creek, there would be no impact on us. If it benefits EBMUD only, it will affect us."

North San Joaquin would like to construct a dam on Duck Creek, a tributary to the Calaveras River south of Highway 12, and divert Mokelumne River water into Duck Creek during wet rainy seasons. That water could help replenish the groundwater basin in eastern San Joaquin County.

Wright, the Foothill Conservancy director, said that EBMUD can reach its water goals by conserving 15 percent rather than 10.

Pardee's capacity would go up from 2,200 acres to 3,480 acres. During dry years, it would create an additional 51 million gallons of water per day in each dry year for up to three consecutive dry years.

Kauffman says that participants in the Mokelumne River Forum, a coalition of water providers in San Joaquin, Calaveras and Amador counties, have agreed to do a project, such as the new dam, that will benefit everyone.

"If all the water was dedicated to the East Bay, there would be concerns, but that's not the intention of the players in the Mokelumne River Forum," Kauffman said. "We're not going to push anybody's pet project without benefits to all."

Kauffman sees EBMUD eventually approving a larger Pardee.

"You're going to get 10 percent who have valid concerns that you won't be able to resolve," he said. "Another 20 percent will be sympathetic to them. So you're going to get 30 percent against the project — that's a given. That's politics."

Contact reporter Ross Farrow at rossf@lodinews.com.

Reader Feedback

Leonard wrote on Mar 13, 2009 7:39 AM:

" max stanfield wrote on Mar 12, 2009 9:04 PM:

" The choices are: None or limited water to California residents or the orgasmic fun for a handful of Kayuckkers?

The supply of water in California is, literally, finite and thus will always be limited. Consumption need to be planned accordingly. "

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max stanfield wrote on Mar 12, 2009 9:04 PM:

" The choices are: None or limited water to California residents or the orgasmic fun for a handful of Kayuckkers? Ummm, I vote for the water. Sorry Ki yuckers. These controversies are why Kalifornia is in such a mess. The Environmental crazies have choked up the water, oil, roads, everything. Do they care? No because they keep living the good life while barfing against the world. "

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Ivan Dixon wrote on Mar 12, 2009 6:17 PM:

" Stay away from those big night crawlers with the teeth and the noisy tails. "

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Leonard wrote on Mar 12, 2009 12:12 PM:

" I wouldn't want to live uphill of the new shore when they start to fill that thing.

I've seen some big rattlers at Pardee in my day. Snakes have to live somewhere and, when the water rises, they head up hill. "

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dogs4you wrote on Mar 12, 2009 12:08 PM:

" Leonard, I`v been saying that for years, well maybe a bit different but you get the idea, a dam is only as good as the water behind it. As far as your fishing hole goes, get more line. "

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Leonard wrote on Mar 12, 2009 10:08 AM:

" There's nothing uglier than an empty reservoir. "

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Cogito wrote on Mar 12, 2009 9:04 AM:

" Then instead of half full, it will be 1/3 full. Those EBMUD people are smart! "

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effa56 wrote on Mar 12, 2009 5:56 AM:

" better make sure the leves are capable of holding anothe 33 feet thats is a lot of water. beware of FLOODS "

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