News
Sports
Opposition to a proposed reservoir that would flood thousands of acres along the Bear River could come next from the Nevada County Board of Supervisors.
On Tuesday, members of the Bear Yuba Land Trust will ask supervisors to send a letter opposing the project to the South Sutter Water District.
The water district is studying the building of a lake 1,500 acres to 2,000 acres in size at the Garden Bar crossing, just upstream from the district's Camp Far West Reservoir.
County District 2 Supervisor Ed Scofield is expected to ask fellow supervisors to sign the land trust's letter.
"The area that would be flooded represents critical habitat for plants and wildlife," Scofield wrote in his recommendation to colleagues. "It has played an important role in human history for 5,000 years, and remains home to some of the oldest pioneer families in Nevada County, many of whom continue to ranch on the land."
The item is set for 10 a.m. Dec. 13 at the Eric Rood Administrative Center, 950 Maidu Ave., Nevada City. (Click on the dog-eared-page icon to read the full text of Scofield's recommendation, the letter and related documents.)
Supervisors' action on the matter will be followed Wednesday by a discussion about the proposed Garden Bar reservoir among directors of the Nevada Irrigation District.
They are expected to oppose the idea, but to discuss how NID could help South Sutter meet the future water needs of its 167 customers, primarily rice farmers in southern Sutter and far-western Placer counties.
NID sells South Sutter 10,000 acre-feet of water yearly, but future sales are uncertain due to changes expected in NID's other water contracts.
The NID meeting starts at 9 a.m. Dec. 14 at the district office, 1036 W. Main St., Grass Valley.
A reservoir at Garden Bar would flood some of nearly 6,000 acres already placed in conservation easements on both sides of the river.
The easements protect blue oak woodland, which is unique to the Sierra Nevada foothills and areas around the San Francisco Bay Area, said Joe Byrne of the Bear Yuba Land Trust (formerly Nevada County Land Trust).
The easements butt up against the 500 acres of Hidden Falls County Park in Placer County. Together, they form the core of a long-range plan to preserve habitat and create a wildlife corridor and recreation area for the region.
A reservoir there “would carve the guts out of that whole plan,” Byrne said.
The canyon in southern Nevada County is home to federally protected bald and golden eagles, and to the California black rail, a bird protected under state law, Byrne wrote in a letter he will propose the supervisors sign. (Byrne's letter is part of the Board of Supervisors documents; to read it, click on the dog-eared-page icon above.)
The area was the site of a Native American village, of a Gold Rush-era immigrant crossing, of early agriculture and continues to be an important area for wildlife, Byrne argued.
“The loss of these important natural, historic and economic benefits to the proposed dam is not offset by any significant benefit for Nevada County,” Byrne wrote.
A $1 million preliminary study funded by South Sutter and five partner water agencies looked at possible reservoirs ranging from 245,000 acre-feet to 400,000 acre-feet. (NID's total water storage capacity is about 280,000 acre-feet.)
Partners in the study included three districts from Southern California and two from Napa County; officials at one district have said they will not pursue the idea.
Placer County supervisors voted 5-0 to oppose the project on Nov. 8, after the county's Fish and Game Commission recommended against the project in October.
ooo
To contact Senior Staff Writer Trina Kleist, e-mail tkleist@theunion.com or call (530) 477-4230.
On Tuesday, members of the Bear Yuba Land Trust will ask supervisors to send a letter opposing the project to the South Sutter Water District.
The water district is studying the building of a lake 1,500 acres to 2,000 acres in size at the Garden Bar crossing, just upstream from the district's Camp Far West Reservoir.
County District 2 Supervisor Ed Scofield is expected to ask fellow supervisors to sign the land trust's letter.
"The area that would be flooded represents critical habitat for plants and wildlife," Scofield wrote in his recommendation to colleagues. "It has played an important role in human history for 5,000 years, and remains home to some of the oldest pioneer families in Nevada County, many of whom continue to ranch on the land."
The item is set for 10 a.m. Dec. 13 at the Eric Rood Administrative Center, 950 Maidu Ave., Nevada City. (Click on the dog-eared-page icon to read the full text of Scofield's recommendation, the letter and related documents.)
Supervisors' action on the matter will be followed Wednesday by a discussion about the proposed Garden Bar reservoir among directors of the Nevada Irrigation District.
They are expected to oppose the idea, but to discuss how NID could help South Sutter meet the future water needs of its 167 customers, primarily rice farmers in southern Sutter and far-western Placer counties.
NID sells South Sutter 10,000 acre-feet of water yearly, but future sales are uncertain due to changes expected in NID's other water contracts.
The NID meeting starts at 9 a.m. Dec. 14 at the district office, 1036 W. Main St., Grass Valley.
A reservoir at Garden Bar would flood some of nearly 6,000 acres already placed in conservation easements on both sides of the river.
The easements protect blue oak woodland, which is unique to the Sierra Nevada foothills and areas around the San Francisco Bay Area, said Joe Byrne of the Bear Yuba Land Trust (formerly Nevada County Land Trust).
The easements butt up against the 500 acres of Hidden Falls County Park in Placer County. Together, they form the core of a long-range plan to preserve habitat and create a wildlife corridor and recreation area for the region.
A reservoir there “would carve the guts out of that whole plan,” Byrne said.
The canyon in southern Nevada County is home to federally protected bald and golden eagles, and to the California black rail, a bird protected under state law, Byrne wrote in a letter he will propose the supervisors sign. (Byrne's letter is part of the Board of Supervisors documents; to read it, click on the dog-eared-page icon above.)
The area was the site of a Native American village, of a Gold Rush-era immigrant crossing, of early agriculture and continues to be an important area for wildlife, Byrne argued.
“The loss of these important natural, historic and economic benefits to the proposed dam is not offset by any significant benefit for Nevada County,” Byrne wrote.
A $1 million preliminary study funded by South Sutter and five partner water agencies looked at possible reservoirs ranging from 245,000 acre-feet to 400,000 acre-feet. (NID's total water storage capacity is about 280,000 acre-feet.)
Partners in the study included three districts from Southern California and two from Napa County; officials at one district have said they will not pursue the idea.
Placer County supervisors voted 5-0 to oppose the project on Nov. 8, after the county's Fish and Game Commission recommended against the project in October.
ooo
To contact Senior Staff Writer Trina Kleist, e-mail tkleist@theunion.com or call (530) 477-4230.
