Help Protect Lake Almanor! 
 
PG&E Re-licensing of Lake Almanor - Project 2105.

Included in this post:
 

• What is Project 2105?
• What our community can do
• Government contact information
• Sample Letter to government personnel

 
What is Project 2105?
Excerpted from the Project 2105 site.
“Project 2105 is a federally regulated and licensed hydro-electric project located in Northern California in Plumas County owned and operated by Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) under the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) license number 2105.  A significant feature of the project is Lake Almanor, a large reservoir that provides water storage for the hydro project and important recreation benefits for residents and visitors.”
 
See the link below:
https://www.lakealmanorarea.com/lake-information.html
 
Here is what our community can do: 
 
Encourage our Plumas County Board of Supervisors to honor the Settlement Agreement and fight for what has been negotiated.
 
Write our legislators and FERC asking for their support of the 2015 Settlement Agreement and that the license be issued ASAP and include the water releases in the original Settlement Agreement. 
 
It is expected that FERC will release their response/license sometime between July 2021 and December 2022.
 
Please see the government contact information below:
 
Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission 
888 First Street, N.E. Room 1A
Washington, D.C. 20428
 
US Congressman Doug Lamalfa 
Chico District Office
120 Independence Circle Suite B
Chico, CA 95973
Telephone:
(530) 343-1000
 
To email CA Senators:
https://www.senate.gov/states/CA/intro.htm
 
Senator Dianne Feinstein 
331 Hart Senate Office Building 
Washington DC 20510
(202) 224-3841
 
Senator Alex Padilla 
112 Hart Senate Office Building 
Washington DC 20510
(202) 224-3553
 
https://www.plumascounty.us/98/Board-of-Supervisors
 
Members:

• Dwight Ceresola, Supervisor District One
• Kevin Goss, Supervisor District Two
• Sherrie Thrall, Supervisor District Three
• Greg Hagwood, Supervisor District Four
• Jeff Engel, Supervisor District Five

Sample Letter to government personnel:

Lake Almanor, CA  96137
11 May 2021

RE: Project 2105

Dear Senator Feinstein:

I have deep concerns that Project 2105 will have a devastating negative impact on my community, the surrounding communities, the local economy, and the environment.

My main issue with the Project 2105 is that there is little in the report regarding the impacts of this project and what the proposed alternatives will be.  I strongly disagree with the statement that increasing the water temperatures of Lake Almanor will not have a “substantial impact.” I live here and my personal experience has been contrary to your findings. After several years of drought, I have seen firsthand the negative effects that an increase in water temperature has on the lake. We are experiencing more algae than in the past, which in turn reduces the clarity of the lake. Any activity that further reduces cold water in the lake will also greatly reduce the cold-water fisheries that have made Lake Almanor one of the best fishing destinations in the State of California. My observations are supported by data in the final draft of the Lake Almanor Water Quality Report, 2020.  https://sierrainstitute.us/new/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Final-Lake-Almanor-Water-Quality-Report2020.pdf

Increased water temperatures, increased algae, and reduced fisheries will have a devastating impact on local wildlife, local economy, and local families, which are ALL dependent upon the lake.  Further damage to the lake will also exasperate declining tourism, which is already suffering. After considering all of the negative impacts this project will have, will it also affect my community by losing needed services, such as our hospital, as a result of a worsening local economy? Will we lose the one thing that has brought us all here – the enjoyment and preservation of Lake Almanor?

In conclusion, I am OPPOSED to Alternatives one & two of SWRCB’s 2014 draft, and now Alternative three of SWRCB’s 2020 draft. All three of these alternatives are unreasonable and reckless. I strongly urge the State Water Board to only consider the PG&E project, as submitted and approved in the Settlement Agreement of April 22, 2004, without the additional release of cold water from Lake Almanor.

Sincerely,


Jane Smith





 

                      

 

 

   
 

 

               
 
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