Supes did right by the Moke River

Our county supervisors got it right when they voted to support state wild and scenic designation for the Mokelumne River. They had sound reasons for their decision, including the economic advantages of having a wild and scenic section available for fishing, kayaking and whitewater rafting. The designation is an opportunity to save the river and use its water resources for the benefit of Calaveras County – to preserve our water rights for future development and protect the river from outside interests.

The wild and scenic designation won’t change existing water rights for Calaveras County and won’t prevent new off-stream dams and water diversions for local domestic use. The only change is that it will ban any new on-stream dams – no more flooding of this stretch of the Moke River with new dams and selling our water down the hill.

We don’t need this wild stretch of the Mokelumne River to meet our water demands. Future water needs of the county can be met in many other ways. The county is blessed with over 20,000 acre feet of water reservations on the Moke. We can draw water both above and below the wild and scenic sections, from the river’s tributaries, from the Middle and South forks of the Mokelumne, from the existing reservoirs and by reoperation of reservoirs not being used.

Statements made by opponents of the wild and scenic designation at the supervisors’ meeting were disingenuous.  Their proposed amendments would have gutted the spirit and purpose of the law. We have no good reasons not to go forward with the designation.

You can learn about our water rights and state wild and scenic designation in the July 29, 2014, board of supervisors packet prepared by the county counsel (in the document archives online). To understand why our supervisors voted in support of wild and scenic status, watch the video clip of the board of supervisors comments posted on cala-verascap.com.

I’d like to thank Supervisors Callaway, Wright, Ponte and Spellman for casting their votes to preserve our access and rights to future use of the Mokelumne River.

Bill Senger

Avery