Congressmen Jeff Denham and Tom McClintock, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, and Supervisors Randy Hanvelt (Tuolumne County,Dennis Mills (Calaveras County and Sherry Brennan (Tuolumne County)
By Jack Cox, CCA Director
The Secretary the United States Department of Interior Ryan Zinke visited our region Friday, July 20th along with Congressmen Tom McClintock and Jeff Denham. He came to meet with local officials on the pending crisis over the California State Water Board’s plan to remove as much as 50% of the water from our rivers for the purpose of pushing a few fish into the Delta and the Bay.
Calaveras County Supervisor Dennis Mills and Tuolumne County Supervisors Randy Hanvelt and Sherry Brennan were invited to meet with the Secretary. Thanks to a special invitation from our Congressman Tom McClintock and Supervisor Mills, I was able to attend to be present on behalf of the Lake Tulloch Alliance and as a Director of the Copper Cove Association. The Bureau of Reclamation, which operates New Melones Reservoir) is overseen by the Interior Department.
Supervisors Mills and Hanvelt briefed the Interior Secretary on the serious impact the proposed policy of the State Water Board on our region. It is a policy which will be detrimental to our economy, way of life, and even the environment itself.
How the Water Grab Effects Lake Tulloch
Congressman McClintock asked us to brief the Secretary on how the “State Water Grab” would impact Lake Tulloch. We explained how in 2015 a threat was made to drain Lake Tulloch by the Oakdale Irrigation District as a result of the fish flows mandated by the state in the middle of a drought. Fortunately, this community mobilized including two huge meetings at Black Creek Park to oppose this threat. Congressman McClintock, Assemblyman Frank Bigelow, and then CCWD Director Dennis Mills took part. We killed any plan to consider the draining of the lake. We told the Secretary Zinke that our entire region’s economy is based heavily on recreation and the draining of Melones or Tulloch would severely cripple our community and economy.
Ironically after we told the Secretary about the need to protect Lake Tulloch, Steve Knell, the director of the Oakdale Irrigation District manager, who uttered the 2015 threats in an agency press release, again threatened us in comments to the Secretary. Supervisor Mills noted that Knells statement to Interior Secretary Zinke was chilling. The OID manager declared “should New Melones be taken low enough to no longer generate power, we will drain Lake Tulloch for our uses”. Knell demonstrated again no concern for our community. We countered his shocking comment by telling the Interior Secretary that we have 5,000 citizens who live here and many more in our region. We even depend on this lake for our water and our economy and even our property values are tied to it. We also pointed out that we are one of the few reservoirs in the state where private homes and facilities like the Kiva can be located. Knell did not counter us.
The Secretary listened intently to all of us explain the critical need to end this ridiculous policy by the politicians in Sacramento. Our Congressmen and County Supervisors have placed our challenges on a national level to Secretary Zinke. He is probably the first Secretary of Interior who ever knew much of Lake Tulloch! Thanks to Congressmen McClintock and Denham for their leadership in making this opportunity a reality.
Request for an Executive Action by the President
Calaveras County Supervisor Mills made the case for his proposal for the President to issue an Executive Order to hold the release of water owned or controlled by the federal government from being turned over this purpose. Mills presented to Secretary Zinke a letter to President Trump requesting that the President issue an executive order that would end the release of federal water for schemes of the California State Water Board that promote “fish first, people second.” Mills was involved in the work to create New Melones Reservoir in 1973.
Mills, in his letter, declared “For literally thousands of California citizens, farmers and leaders, we believe that your administration should take steps to stop this policy since a large amount of water is the property of the United States Government.” The Supervisor noted that about 85% of the water in the New Melones Reservoir, operated by the Bureau of Reclamation, is the property of the United States and not the State of California or any other agency.
The Fight Ahead
As homeowners we need to understand the threat to us by these proposals. It is serious. One analysis found that New Melones could be almost drained as often as every 6 years if the Water Board’s scheme is put into law. There will be a rally at the State Capitol on Monday August 20 of citizens throughout the region. Many Lake Tulloch residents have worked now for three years opposing these policies including speaking at one of three hearings in 2016. We will keep you posted.