Red Bluff Diversion Dam diverts water for last time

The gates of the Red Bluff Diversion Dam will be raised for the final time Thursday, marking the end of an era not only for crop irrigation on the west side of the northern Sacramento Valley, but also for Red Bluff's recreation economy.

Paul Freeman of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation said Thursday will be a historically significant day for the region.

"It's a very important day because of the history of reliable water supply (for farmers)," Freeman said.

Water diverted from the dam has irrigated more than 150,000 acres of crops in Tehama, Glenn and Colusa counties since the early 1960s, reportedly generating more than $1 billion each year in benefits to the overall regional economy, according to Jeff Sutton, general manager of the Tehama-Colusa Canal Authority.

The canal authority manages the water delivery system from the dam.

"The gates will come up and Lake Red Bluff will be a causality of the Endangered Species Act," Sutton said.

Protecting endangered fish species has been at the heart of a convoluted and decades-long fight to provide irrigation water to area farmers in a way that does not harm migrating Chinook salmon and sturgeon populations.

Opened in 1966, the diversion dam consists of a series of moveable gates that, when lowered, divert water into the headworks of the Tehama-Colusa and Corning canals, feeding 17 separate water districts between Red Bluff and Woodland.

Ancillary waters from diversion operations pool to form Lake Red Bluff, which has provided millions of dollars of benefit to the city's economy, officials said.

Troubles surfaced in the late-1980s after Chinook salmon were added to the endangered species list. When the dam gates are lowered and the river is blocked, fish cannot migrate.

To help protect the fish, in 1986 dam operations were reduced from year-round to six months each year, hampering regional agriculture in the process.

Eventually the irrigation window shrank to just about two months out of the year, further jeopardizing scores of farming operations up and down the valley.

Debate simmered for many years as farmers struggled unsuccessfully to regain year-round water access and environmental groups fought to protect endangered fish.

Complicating the matter was the fact that a certain portion of Red Bluff's recreation and tourist economy had become completely dependent on the existence of the lake, which can only occur when the dam gates are lowered and fish populations are jeopardized.

The issue came to a head in the summer of 2008 when several environmental groups filed suit in federal court seeking, at least in part, to end diversion operations statewide. A federal judge ruled that water diversions do harm endangered fish populations and ordered the gates to come up permanently this year.

A $200 million pumping plant is currently under construction at the dam site that is expected to provide valley farmers with badly-needed access to a steady irrigation source. That project is expected to be completed by May of next year, Sutton said.

"The project achieves the duel-goals of reliable water for farmers and safe passage for the fish," Sutton said.

But it is not good news for Red Bluff, the economy of which has reportedly received as much as $11 million in benefits each year in tourism and recreation.

"Not only is it a loss of money for people around here, but the lake is also just a part of the community," said Donna Lewis of Red Bluff. "It's not just about property values, a lot residents grew up with the lake as part of life."

Lewis operates the Sycamore Campground on the shores of the manmade lake and the Sacramento River.

"Losing the lake is going to hurt the camping, the fishing, everything," Lewis said. "It's going to ruin this park."

Lewis said the issue is particularly upsetting because she feels like the needs of local citizens have been trumped "for a bunch of fish."

At the same time, however, sport fishing — and particularly salmon fishing — produces hundreds of thousands, if not millions of dollars to the California economy each year, so protecting the fish is also an economic necessity, sport fishing alliances argue.

The loss of millions in recreation-related dollars in Red Bluff could not have come at a worse time, according to Dave Gowan, president of the Red Bluff Chamber of Commerce, who said there is no way to sugarcoat the negative impact.

"It's definitely not a positive for the city," Gowan said. "It will have an impact, but we won't really know (the scope) until some time next year after some time without the lake has passed."

As part of a mitigation settlement agreement, the T-C Canal Authority paid Red Bluff about $30,000 to study revenue alternatives after the lake is gone and city officials are currently working with U.S. Rep. Wally Herger's office to secure funding for the city to take over the lake's recreation area and campgrounds.

"We're working to secure that land for a future project that will off-set some of the impacts of the loss of Lake Red Bluff," said Martin Nichols, Red Bluff's city manager.

Nichols said the city hopes to assume control of the land some time over the next year, but said no specific timetable has been put in place.

"There are many different types of recreation projects that have been discussed, but nothing concrete, yet" Nichols said.

While Red Bluff officials scramble to reanimate the recreation economy, Sutton said regional farmers should feel some much-need relief in anticipation of year-round irrigation access beginning in May.

"It's been a literal race against time," Sutton said. "But I'm pleased to say that everything is on-track right now for the spring."

The dam gates will be raised at 7 a.m. and Lake Red Bluff is expected to be completely drained by Sunday.

CONTACT Rob Parsons at 934-6800 or rparsons@tcnpress.com.