Overview

The proposed Garden Bar Dam, on the Bear River, is in the heart of the last open space portion of Placer County in the foothill Blue Oak Woodlands. It is an area recognized by private land trusts and the Placer County Conservation Plan as essential land to be conserved and used as agricultural and open space lands. Placer Land Trust, Nevada County Land Trust, with State matching funds, have invested millions of dollars in lands and conservation easements that would be inundated and destroyed by the dam. Property values would be reduced and open space destroyed.

The project study is spearheaded by large developer-dominated water districts in Southern California, funding the project through South Sutter Irrigation District, a small agricultural water district west of Lincoln. The 390-foot high main dam, with three saddle dams (at 125 feet, 155 feet, and 190 feet), would form a 400,000 acre-foot reservoir and inundate over 2,500 acres of pristine blue oak woodland, riparian and wetlands habitat. For comparison, Camp Far West Reservoir just downstream of Garden Bar is 102,000 acre-feet. Surface elevation would be 685 feet above sea level.

Garden Bar was extensively used by traditional people. Native American sites as well as historical mining era sites abound. Astoundingly, the reservoir would flood over 1,500 acres of land held in conservation easements by Placer Land Trust and Nevada Land Trust and would further impact an additional 3,000 acres either in trust or proposed to be placed in trust. The project will interfere with our local ability to use our water rights and manage our dams.

Join your neighbors in opposing this unneeded raid of Northern California water by Southern Cal developers.

Read more about the effects of a dam at Garden Bar and take action now!