It has been sealed but not filled, so when the plans for Auburn Dam finally proceed again, work can resume, which one hopes won’t take a catastrophe to stimulate.
American River back in its bed
A tunnel, part of the unbuilt Auburn dam project, is being plugged after decades.
By Carrie Peyton Dahlberg - Bee Staff Writer
Published 12:00 am PDT Thursday, September 6, 2007
The waters of the American River began splashing into their old channel near Auburn this week, freed from a tunnel built decades ago during aborted construction of the Auburn dam.
While the change will create prettier river views and perhaps new whitewater opportunities, it probably won't have much impact on whether the dam is revived, say both friends and foes of a proposed dam.
Even its staunchest supporters acknowledge that for now, the Auburn dam has gone dormant, stalled by a change of leadership in Congress, studies outlining high costs, and the political difficulties of a key champion.
The dam, first begun in the 1960s and heralded as a way to protect Sacramento from disastrous floods, was abandoned because of earthquake risks and strong opposition.
"I'm a realist," said Placer County Supervisor Bruce Kranz, a longtime dam advocate. "We won't see any movement in the near term on the Auburn dam unless there's a severe drought or a storm comes in and creates catastrophic events downstream."
