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South Yuba River Wild and Scenic Bill Goes To
Governor |
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by Roger Hicks, M.D.
Small Community Wins 16 Year Battle To Protect River
David and Goliath struggle shows the little guy still counts
The South Yuba River Citizens League – widely known as SYRCL – began its
campaign to protect the South Yuba River from unwanted dams back in 1983. Today – 16
years later – that effort bore fruit.
Called the highest profile environmental issue in the legislature this session, Senate
Bill 496 (SB496) authored by State Senator Byron Sher (D-Palo Alto), will add 39 miles of
the South Yuba River to California's Wild and Scenic Rivers System. It will be the first
river protected under the Act since Sher successfully authored the last additions to the
State Wild and Scenic Rivers system – the East Carson and West Walker rivers -- in
1989.
"The passage of SB 496 signals a new direction in watershed management – a
direction that shows that common solutions to river protection, water supply and flood
protection can be found," said SYRCL Board President Roger Hicks, MD. "We
realized early on that part of the solution to protect the South Yuba River is addressing
the flood control problems of our downstream neighbors." |
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© Lickter 1999 |
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For years, neighboring Yuba County has proposed new dams on the South Yuba, claiming
they are needed for flood control and future water supply. But the Army Corps of
Engineers, the California Reclamation Board, the State Water Plan, and the CALFED
Bay-Delta Program have rejected the idea of building either a flood control or water
supply dam on this section of river.
"Everyone agrees downstream areas need flood protection, but the dams prohibited
by Wild and Scenic have already been rejected- as recently as a year ago- by the Army
Corps of Engineers and California Board of Reclamation as technically, environmentally,
and economically infeasible. Focusing on these controversial and infeasible dams only
serves to distract everyone from cooperating on a realistic flood control solutions,"
said John Regan, Wild and Scenic Campaign Director for SYRCL. "SYRCL has spent
considerable time and effort to secure realistic flood control for the Marysville/Yuba
City area."
"Nevada County and SYRCL worked tirelessly for $17 million in the federal Water
Resources Development Act that gives Yuba County 200 and 300 year flood protection --
among the highest protection in the state," said Supervisor Elizabeth Martin.
"Nevada County citizens designed a collaborative project funded by CALFED to
investigate regional flood control alternatives." Martin collaborated with Yuba
County Supervisor Brent Hastey in lobbying for $90 million in flood control for counties
adjacent to the Yuba and Feather Rivers.
Future water supply from the watershed is secure under provisions of SB496, as
evidenced by Placer County Water Agency's endorsement of the bill, the first time in
history that a water agency has supported wild and scenic designation for a river. Placer
County Water Agency obtains a significant portion of its water supply from the South Yuba
River.
Through its 16 years, SYRCL has fought and defeated 7 dam projects for the Yuba River,
founded an "Adopt-A-Watershed" program, sued the federal government to protect
endangered species, helped created California’s longest river-based State Park, and
successfully fought to increase the amount of water left in the Yuba River. Through these
victories, SYRCL’s membership grew to more than 2,750 and its staff has grown to six.
SYRCL has even hired the Sierra’s first attorney dedicated to protection of Sierra
resources.
However, SYRCL never lost sight of its mission: permanent protection of the South Yuba
River as a Wild and Scenic River. In January of this year, with a shift in Democratic
fortunes in the state legislature and the Governor’s office and an historic shift in
the Nevada County Board of Supervisors, SYRCL seized the opportunity. Within a month,
volunteers had drafted legislation and presented it to the Nevada County Board of
Supervisors, which agreed to sponsor the legislation. Soon after, Senator Sher agreed to
author the bill.
The Yuba River bill garnered significant statewide attention, earning the endorsement
of the Los Angeles Times, the League of Women Voters, more than 200 businesses and every
state and regional environmental organization. But it was not without its detractors, and
opponents -- including the Northern California Water Association -- spent more than one
hundred thousand dollars opposing the effort and hired the state's highest paid lobbyist
to work against the bill.
"The South Yuba River is the heart and soul of this community. Wild and Scenic has
the overwhelming support of local businesses, property owners and recreationists. The
camaign has brought this community together in a way that we could not have
imagined," said Hicks. "I imagine that David felt like this after his historic
battle with Goliath."
Senate Bill 496 now awaits Governor Davis' signature.