In this editorial from today’s Bee Folsom Dam’s 50th birthday is celebrated and one fact of interest is that the lake the dam created is the second most popular destination in the state park system, which gives a hint at how popular (most popular?) the lake the Auburn Dam will create will be.
Here is an excerpt.
Editorial: Folsom Dam, age 50
Structure forever faces many missions
Published 12:01 am PDT Saturday, May 20, 2006
Dams don't normally have birthday parties thrown in their honor, but this is no ordinary dam. Folsom Dam, now full of chilly Sierra snowmelt, transformed the American River a half-century ago and reshaped the future of the region below it.
Today, a full day of boat rides, music and other activities are planned, starting at 10 a.m. at the Beals Point Recreation Area off Folsom-Auburn Road. The federal Bureau of Reclamation, the agency that manages the dam, deserves the moment of celebration. For on Monday, it is back to work solving a seemingly endless set of problems.
The Bureau likes to call Folsom a "multipurpose" dam. Multiconflict dam is more like it. It is hard to imagine a structure with more conflicting missions than Folsom Dam. As long as the region is thirsty for water, fearful of flooding and enamored of the river's salmon and steelhead, managing Folsom Dam will be one of the toughest jobs in town.
