11 months ago
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FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – A nationalist non-profit dedicated to stream conservation is calling connected PG&E to amended modulate releases from a Fresno County dam aft authorities numbers amusement astir 10 times much h2o being released into the stream beneath than expected.
The radical says a abrupt merchandise of h2o from the aforesaid dam led to a Clovis teenager's decease successful 2018.
PG&E releases h2o from the Kerckhoff Dam, which increases flows downstream into the San Joaquin River. The inferior tells YourCentralValley.com that releases are done to behaviour planned attraction astatine the powerhouse.
The inferior reported successful September that the h2o releases would summation from astir 25 to 500 cubic feet per 2nd (cfs) until Nov. 22. However, information from the California Department of Water Resources showed a acold larger magnitude of h2o being released, peaking astatine 10 p.m. connected Oct. 7 wherever the magnitude of h2o released measured astatine 5,973 cfs. A illustration produced by the California Department of Water Resources shows the h2o releases below.
In a statement, PG&E says the releases bash fluctuate owed to non-PG&E dam operations upstream that are beyond their control, adding that the inferior is operating wrong its FERC (Federal Energy Regulatory Commission) license.
In effect to the higher-than-expected flows, American Whitewater has appealed to FERC (the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission) to code the "significant nationalist information issue" caused by the abrupt releases.
These rapidly fluctuating flows airs a important menace to nationalist safety, endangering the nationalist participating successful stream recreation wrong the San Joaquin River Gorge Recreation Area beneath the dam.
American WhitewaterAmerican Whitewater cited an incidental successful 2018 erstwhile a Clovis teen hiking successful the country died aft helium was swept distant by fast-moving water. American Whitewater says that h2o releases that time accrued from 35 cfs to 5,989 cfs successful conscionable implicit an hour, causing a 7.5-foot emergence successful stream tallness astatine the gauge beneath the dam.
After the 2018 drowning, American Whitewater says PG&E introduced a signifier called "Spill Season Flow Measure" successful which a minimum of 500 cfs are released beneath Kerckhoff Dam during outages and high-flow events to supply a ocular cue to pass the public. However, arsenic American Whitewater points out, recreationists who are respective feet from the river’s borderline stay astatine hazard erstwhile a multi-foot surge abruptly enters the San Joaquin River Gorge.
"People person the close to expect that they tin safely recreate successful rivers beneath PG&E’s dams,” said Dave Steindorf with American Whitewater.
American Whitewater has called connected national officials to amend the Kerckhoff Hydroelectric Project's existent licence "before anyone other is wounded oregon drowned by PG&E’s erratic h2o releases."
In effect to YourCentralValley.com's petition for comment, PG&E says they "urge radical to enactment retired of the h2o and to workout caution if adjacent the h2o arsenic flows tin change."
