Environment | Daily Report

Officials broke ground yesterday on the largest U.S. Department of the Interior stimulus project in the nation, a bypass allowing fish to reach their spawning grounds while protecting a valuable water source for Northern California farmers.

Red Bluff Diversion Dam

The project to update the Red Bluff Diversion Dam is estimated to cost $230 million, with and nearly half of the funds coming from federal stimulus.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger attended the ceremony and urged Californians to pass a water measure appearing on the November ballot that would, among other projects, provide the final $60 million in funding for the project.

"I love when we solve problems, when everyone comes together, unlike – what you saw of Washington with the health care bill," the governor said.

The work near Red Bluff will enable fish to pass through the dam gates while continuing to irrigate 150,000 acres of cropland, according to the Department of the Interior. Here's how Capital Press, an agricultural news Web site, described it:

The diversion dam's lowered gates form Lake Red Bluff, which enable gravity to carry water from the Sacramento River into canals. However, the lowered gates block threatened and endangered salmon, steelhead trout, green sturgeon and other fish from reaching spawning grounds.

In response to environmental lawsuits that threatened the dam's use, gates are lowered for shorter periods during the summer months and temporary pumps and fish screens and an existing research pumping station are being used to take up some of the slack.

The dam and temporary fish screens are expected to be in place until the new permanent pumping station is built in time for the 2013 irrigation season or earlier.

“This project represents almost 40 years of efforts by many entities to find a balanced solution that improves fish passage and sustains the reliability of agricultural water deliveries,” said Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Mike Connor.

According to Capital Press, farmers that use water from the dam produce some $250 million in crops each year and contribute about $1 billion to the regional economy. More than half the farmland served by the dam grows permanent crops, including 58,000 acres of almonds, according to Jeff Sutton, general manager of the Tehama Colusa Canal Authority.