[env-trinity] Herb Burton: Big lake with a little hole; investment needed

[Tom Stokely]

http://www.trinityjournal.com/opinion/letters_to_editor/article_2efdb734-fe29-11e6-b769-735764f98305.html
Big lake with a little hole; investment needed
   
   - From Herb Burton Lewiston
Many will agree, Gov. Jerry Brown’s four-point plan to bolster dam safety and flood protection is long overdue and a positive step forward. California has nearly $50 billion in unmet flood management and infrastructure needs. However, as in the case of Oroville Dam, why should the public pay for repairing the spillway when the State Water Contractors benefit from the dam and the Department of Water Resources mismanaged the flood space in the reservoir that caused the evacuation of downstream communities?After years of controversy, millions invested and failure to achieve fishery restoration goals, maybe now is an appropriate time for both state and federal officials to consider better use of Trinity River Restoration Program’s annual $15 million funding base. Investing in Trinity Dam repairs and constructing a concrete lined emergency spillway, that surprisingly does not exist, would be prudent.Fishery flows coupled with emergency spillway releases to match extreme high water year inflows may prove a better bang for the buck and ultimately a safe investment that fulfills a longtime need to make Trinity Dam safer. 
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