Plans to Dewater Upper SF and Silver Forks of the American River (CA)

IRRIGATION DISTRICT PLANS TO DEWATER UPPER SOUTH FORK AND SILVER FORKS OF THE AMERICAN RIVER (CA) by John Simpkin

 

American Whitewater is actively monitoring a water storage project that the El Dorado Irrigation District is proposing on Alder Creek that will deeply impact the South and Silver Forks of the American River. Resurrecting a plan from the 1970s, the District has submitted the Alder Reservoir Concept for funding consideration to the California Water Commission. Under Proposition 1, which implements the Water Quality, Supply and Infrastructure Improvement Act of 2014, the Commission has the authority to allocate $2.7 billion in public dollars to water storage projects. If the District is successful in receiving partial funding for the $909 million Alder Reservoir project, a significant portion of the Upper South Fork American River drainage would be de-watered. 

 

The project would involve 6.6 miles of pipeline and an 8.8 mile long tunnel, which could divert up to 180,000 acre feet of water in an average year. This would eliminate popular whitewater resources on the South Fork and Silver Forks of the American River, including:

 

South Fork American River - Lover’s Leap (IV-V), Kyburz (III-V), Riverton (III-IV), Golden Gate (V+)

 

Silver Fork American River - Dugald Bremner Run (V), Middle Run (III-IV), Lower Run (V+) 

 

"This would be the death of all boating in the upper SFA drainage", commented Jared Noceti, a long-time boater who grew up in the area. "This is huge. In a very bad way."

 

See Jared’s video of the Silver Fork American HERE

 

American Whitewater will continue to track this project and work to keep the South and Silver Forks of the American River flowing! We’ll need your voices…stay tuned for more information and ways you can take action!

 

Photo Credit: Jared Noceti