The letter from ARPPS president Michael Rushford, published in the Sacramento Bee today, focuses on the big picture, and one we all need to look at as the flood control and water supply system is a connected system.
How to avoid the next flood
The Dan Walters column, "Auburn Dam, peripheral canal back on the table for discussion," Sept. 18, recognizes that the threat of catastrophic flooding and the likelihood of serious water shortages are real problems that can no longer be ignored. The leaders who developed our State Water Project 50 years ago designed Shasta Dam to be 200 feet higher than it is today, tripling its water storage. That improvement, the construction of a full-service dam at Auburn and the peripheral canal would eliminate flooding along the Sacramento River, provide the flows necessary to protect salmon and other species along the American River and the Delta, and guarantee water for agriculture and people for many decades into the future.
- Michael Rushford, Carmichael
President, American River Parkway Preservation Society
