Boost for Mokelumne River protection

East Bay MUD votes to support wild and scenic status

By Alex Breitler Record Staff Writer

Posted Mar. 12, 2015

Last year’s legislation might have died, but the cause itself lives on.

Supporters of a “wild and scenic” designation for the upper Mokelumne River were heartened this week when the stream’s thirstiest water user, the East Bay Municipal Utility District, voted unanimously to support such a designation.

It’s not the first time the district has taken such a position, but the move buoyed wild and scenic supporters anyhow, seven months after a bill that would have protected the river died in the Legislature.

“We’re happy with the outcome” of this week’s vote, said Katherine Evatt, president of the nonprofit Foothill Conservancy, an environmental group. “I think East Bay MUD having a strong statement of support could make a difference.”

The wild and scenic designation would preclude any new dams or reservoirs for a stretch of about 35 miles between Pardee Lake and Salt Springs Reservoir.

East Bay MUD takes its water farther downstream and has dropped plans to expand Pardee. The district stands to actually benefit from the designation if it means other water users are unable to build new reservoirs or diversions upstream.

A resolution adopted by East Bay MUD’s Board of Directors on Tuesday says wild and scenic designation would protect historical and cultural relics and fish and wildlife habitat, while also being “protective of the (district’s) water rights, facilities and operations.”

The water district initially opposed last year’s legislation, over concerns exactly where the river ends and where the Pardee reservoir begins. This week’s resolution specifies an elevation that the water district considers to be acceptable.

Also this week, the water district voted to oppose new legislation that would require additional study before the wild and scenic designation can be made. Rather, the district supports a solution that is “locally championed and broadly supported in the Mokelumne River watershed by local communities and local governments,” according to a water district staff report.

If that broad support exists, it is not absolute. Environmentalists, Mother Lode businesses and last year’s Calaveras County Board of Supervisors have backed the measure in the past, but some farmers and upstream water agencies have been in opposition.

San Joaquin County also opposed last year’s wild and scenic proposal for fear it would eliminate the possibility of new water projects on the Mokelumne in future decades — projects that may be needed, given the ramifications of climate change on the region’s water supply, the county argued.

Contact reporter Alex Breitler at (209) 546-8295 or abreitler@recordnet.com. Follow him at recordnet.com/breitlerblog and on Twitter @alexbreitler