ShastaDamRaise

FACTSHEET:July,2013

ShastaDamistheseventhhighestdaminCaliforniaandits4.5millionacrefootreservoiristhelargest
inthestate.Thedamcaptureswaterfromthreerivers(theupperSacramento,McCloud,andPit).
ConstructedandoperatedbytheU.S.BureauofReclamation,theShastaDamandReservoiristhe
cornerstoneofthegiantCentralValleyProject(CVP),whichprovidesirrigationanddrinkingwaterto
muchofCalifornia.
TheBureauofReclamationisstudyinganupto18.5footraiseofShastaDam,whichcouldtheoretically
increasewaterstoragebehindthedambyabout13%.Theproposedprojectisintendedtoimprove
conditionsintheSacramentoRiverforthreatenedandendangeredsalmonandsteelhead.TheBureau
hasjustreleasedforpubliccommentperioditsShastaLakeWaterResourcesInvestigation(SLWRI)Draft
FeasibilityReportandDraftEnvironmentalImpactStatement(DEIS).ThereportandDEISconsidersa
rangeofalternativesfromraisingthedamby6.5feetto18.5feet.AccordingtotheBureau,the18.5
footraiseisthemosteconomicallyjustifiedalternativetopursue.Mostofthefactsinthisdocument
weregleanedfromtheSLWRIDraftFeasibilityReportandDEIS,whichcanbereviewedat
www.usbr.gov/mp/slwri/index.html

Significant&UnavoidableImpacts
TheBureauspreliminaryDEIS(releasedlastspring)admitstoalonglistofsignificantandunavoidable
environmentalimpactsthatcannotbemitigated.Inaddition,thereareseriousconcernsaboutthe
validityofmanyoftheBureausassumptions.Significantimpactsandconcernsinclude:
SalmonandSteelheadEventhoughthedamraiseisproposedbytheBureautosupposedlyimprove
conditionsintheSacramentoRiverforthreatenedandendangeredsalmonandsteelhead,theU.S.Fish
andWildlifeService(USFWS)believesthatthedamraisewillprovidenegligiblebenefitsfor
anadromousfish.AccordingtotheUSFWSthedamraisewillnotbenefitsalmon90%ofthetime.
NativeAmericanCulturalHeritageTheDEISdocumentsthatthedamraiseandreservoirexpansion
willhavedisproportionallyhighimpactsonlocalNativeAmericans,specificallytheWinnememWintu
Tribe.TheTribelostmostoftheirtraditionalhomelandundertheexistingreservoir.Raisingthedamwill
drownculturalandsacredsitesstillusedbytheWinnememtothisday.
NationalForestLands&InfrastructureRaisingShastaDamandenlargingitsreservoirwilldrown
thousandsofacresoftheShastaTrinityNationalRecreationArea,whichismanagedbytheU.S.Forest
Serviceforpublicrecreationandwildlife.Thedamraisewillalsorequiretherelocationofmorethansix

milesofpublicroads,therelocationormodificationoffivebridges,dozensofrecreationfacilities
(marinas,campgrounds,etc),andutilitiesandwastewatersystems.
Wild&ScenicRiversExpandingShastaReservoirwillfloodupstreamriversandstreams,including1.5
milesoftheMcCloudRiver,whichisprotectedundertheCaliforniaWild&ScenicRiversAct,thoughit
hasyettobefullydesignatedWild&Scenicundertheact.TheBureausresponsetothisviolationof
statelawistosimplyproposechangingthelaw.Theexpandedreservoirwouldalsofloodsegmentsof
theMcCloudandupperSacramentoRiversidentifiedbytheForestServiceaseligibleforprotectionin
theNationalWild&ScenicRiversSystem.Notonlywouldthedamraisefloodtheseimportantriver
segments,itwouldharmtheriversoutstandinglyremarkablescenic,recreational,wildtrout,andNative
Americanculturalvalues.
WildlifeThedamraise/reservoirexpansionwillcausepermanentlossofhabitatfornumerous
importantandspecialstatuswildlifespecies,includingPacificfisher,northernspottedowl,northern
goshawk,foothillyellowleggedfrog,Shastasalamander,sevenbatspecies,andfourmollusks.The
projectwillalsoresultinthepermanentlossofrareplanthabitatandimportantwinterandfawning
habitatfordeer.
LowerSacramentoRiverThedamraise/reservoirexpansionwillmodifyflowsinthelowerSacramento
River,withpotentiallysignificantimpactsontheriversriparianecosystemandprotectedwildlife
speciesthatdependonthatecosystem.TheBureauproposesaroughsketchofaAdaptiveManagement
PlantomitigatetheseimpactsbutprovideslittleinformationonhowthePlanwillbeimplemented,how
theneedsofwatercontractswillbeweighedagainstecosystemflowneeds,andwhatguaranteeswillbe
providedtoensurethatthesesignificantimpactsaretrulymitigatedtolessthansignificantlevels.
DeltaTheeffectsofthedamraise/reservoirexpansionwillbefeltallthewaydownstreamtothe
SacramentoSanJoaquinDelta.Storingmorewaterbehindtheexpandeddamandreservoirwillreduce
freshwaterflowsintotheDeltaduringcriticalperiods,withpotentiallysignificantincreasesinmortality
forendangeredDeltafishduetoincreasedreverseflowsinthesouthDelta.
AirQualityTheBureauadmitsthatthedamraise/reservoirexpansionwillincreasetheshortterm
emissionofcarbondioxide(agreenhousegas)by30%butfailstorecognizethattheexistingreservoir
alreadypumps224tonsofcarbondioxideintotheatmosphereonadailybasis(equalto14,500
automobilesdriving40milesaday).ExpandingthereservoirmayincreaseShastaDamsdaily
contributiontogreenhousegasesandglobalwarming.
HydropowerThedamraise/reservoirexpansioncoulddecreaselongtermmonthlyaverage
hydropowergenerationbyasmuchas5%,alevelthatcouldaffectCaliforniasalwaystenuouspower
market.
CostandBenefitsRaisingShastaDamby18.5feetwillcostnearly$1.1billiondollars,withannual
operatingcostsof$54million.TheBureauofReclamationclaimsthatmorethan60%ofthebenefits
andtherefore60%ofthecostsofthedamraiseshouldbeapportionedtothepublic.Accordingtothe
Bureau,theprimarypublicbenefitofraisingthedamwillbetoprovidecoldwaterdownstreamto

benefitthreatenedandendangeredsalmonintheSacramentoRiver.ButaccordingtotheUSFWS,
raisingthedamwillprovidenobenefitsforsalmon9outof10years.Improvingthedamsexisting
temperaturecontroldevice,restoringspawninggravelandrearinghabitat,improvingfishpassage,
increasingminimumflows,andscreeningwaterdiversionsallincreasesalmonsurvivalmorethanthe
damraise.
WaterYieldThe18.5footraisewillincreasetheexistingreservoircapacityby634,000acrefeetor
about13%.Buttheannualfirmwateryieldprovidedbytheenlargedreservoirisnomorethan133,000
acrefeetincomparisontotheCVPstypicalannualdeliveriesof7millionacrefeetandmanagementof
9millionacrefeetofwater.Thecomparativelysmalladditionalwateryieldisbecausetheexisting
ShastaDamalreadydevelopsmuchoftheavailableyieldoftheriversitdams..Ofcourse,theenlarged
reservoirwillstillbesubjecttoCaliforniaschronicdroughtcyclesandclimatechange.Inaddition,the
Bureauadmitsthathydrology,climatechange,watersystemoperations,watersupplyreliability,and
waterdemandareallsignificantuncertaintiesinregardtotheprojectsactualyieldofwater.
WaterContractsAlloftheestimatedfirmyieldof133,000acrefeetwillbesoldtofederalwater
contractors,with77%soldtowatercontractorssouthoftheDelta.ThisdirectlytiestheShastaDam
raisetotheDeltatunnelsprojectproposedintheBayDeltaConservationPlan(BDCP).TheBureaus
previousstudyoftheShastaDamraisewasshelvedwhenvotersrejectedtheproposedPeripheralCanal
in1982,presumablybecausemostofthecustomersforthewaterdevelopedbythedamraiseare
betweenthedamandthemeanderingchannelsoftheDelta.Thedamraisewasrevivedwiththe
resurrectionofthecanalastheBDCPsDeltatunnels.
Formoreinformationconcerningthisproject,pleasecontactSteveEvans,WildRiversProject
ConsultantforFriendsoftheRiver,phone:(916)7083155,email:sevans@friendsoftheriver.org.