SMUD Breaches Trust in Upper American River Project

For Immediate Release
August 2, 2006
 
For More Information Contact:
Theresa L. Simsiman
916-835-1460
 
WHAT: SMUD Board of Director’s Meeting
WHEN:  Thursday, August 3rd
TIME:  6:00 pm
LOCATION:  SMUD Headquarters, 6301 S Street, Sacramento, CA
 
 
SMUD BREACHES PUBLIC TRUST IN UPPER AMERICAN RIVER PROJECT
 
Utility’s Hard Line on Relicensing Effort Provokes Outdoors and Environmental Groups
 
(SACRAMENTO) – Kayakers, rafters and anglers decked out in brightly colored life jackets, helmets, fishing hats, and other outdoor gear will fill the Sacramento Municipal Utility District auditorium on Thursday evening as they register concerns about SMUD’s impending relicensing of its power-generating Upper American River Project.

“Are we going to dewater the Upper American just so SMUD can provide cheap power to annex Davis?” says Bill Center from American River Recreation Association. Environmental and recreational organizations have joined with state and federal agencies to push SMUD to share a fraction of water it uses for power to improve fish habitat and recreational opportunities.  American River Recreation Association & Camp Lotus, American Whitewater, California Outdoors and Friends of the River are organizing a grassroots turnout to show popular anger at SMUD’s unwillingness to negotiate in good faith.

Background:

SMUD’s application proposes reservoirs be maintained as high as possible consistent with power generation needs through Labor Day, while an alternate proposal recommends maintaining reservoir levels that will provide winter pools for fish, minimize water level fluctuations for public safety, and support summer recreation through Labor Day.  For the most popular whitewater recreation area in the state SMUD simply promises to “coordinate” flow releases with PG&E, but provides no reliable, predictable, or quantifiable amounts, times, or duration of releases.

SMUD’s original 50-year license to operate the project expires in July 2007, and the utility is asking the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to issue another 50-year license.

SMUD submitted a license application to FERC in July 2005 after five years of preparation, including technical studies and more than 500 meetings with interested parties.  However, the application SMUD filed failed to include provisions requested by both government and non-government organizations during negotiations.
 
SMUD, the ratepayer-owned utility that provides electricity for the majority of the Sacramento metropolitan area, operates the power project on the upper South Fork American River and its tributaries.  The project consists of 11 reservoirs and eight powerhouses with supporting tunnels, penstocks and transmission lines.

FERC reassesses the use of resources affected by hydropower projects such as SMUD’s during a licensing process, applying current laws and regulations.  FERC is required to give “equal consideration” to power and non-power benefits (fish, wildlife, and recreation).  Outside organizations had been negotiating license terms with SMUD, but no settlement was reached prior to the July 2005 license submission date.   SMUD’s license application disregards critical elements that are essential for recreational use in the project region.

Alternative license conditions prepared by the interested parties were submitted to SMUD and FERC. The alternative is supported by all federal and state resource agencies representing the public trust, conservation, whitewater boating, and angling interests, including the following:

§       California Departments of Fish and Game and Parks and Recreation 
§       California State Water Resources Control Board
§       USDA Forest Service
§       USDAI Bureau of Land Management
§       USDA Fish and Wildlife Service
§       USDA National Park Service
§       American River Recreation Association & Camp Lotus
§       American Whitewater
§       California Outdoors
§       Friends of the River
§       Private Individuals
 
Recreational river users are making it clear that the application set forth by SMUD is not acceptable and that SMUD must reenter negotiations with state and federal agencies and non-governmental agencies representing the public trust. 
 
Additionally, recreational river users will oppose the Yolo annexation proposal as it poses a direct threat to the reliability, predictability, and possibly the very existence of boating flows unless there is an Upper American River Project settlement that assures adequate water for year-round flows from the Chili Bar dam, and reliable, predictable, and quantifiable flows in river stretches