Friends, this is a MUST READ for anyone who enjoys the Oneida Narrows Reservoir. If you camp, fish, hunt, boat, kayak, paddle board, swim, and yes, SOAK, the time has come to organize & protect the Bear River ecosystem & everything that the Narrows has to offer.
Both are under a fast moving, real-time assault that will change the very NATURE of this valley & river forever.
Pacificorp has announced a new proposal to add an additional new dam and reservoir into the Narrows along with another new dam along the Cutler Reservoir in Cache Valley.
This new proposal would destroy an entire ecosystem just above the current dam and would exist for the sole purpose of storing water in order to sell energy when the prices are higher.
Not only would it impact countless acres of wild land, it would be a permanent disruption to the current Oneida Narrows. And what would that disruption look like? Well, that's the part that has been conveniently left out.
Under the guise of a simple "storage" project, the truth is, there is NO WAY stakeholders even comprehend how the project will change the course of this canyon forever. But here is what we do know:
It will create a near daily rising & dropping of the entire reservoir upwards of 5-7 FT / day. That means the sudden changes render the safety & flow of this water entirely volatile. What does that mean for us? Well, remember our sudden drop in the source pond? That may be a near daily assault. Say goodbye to safe recreation and all that depends on a steady shoreline.
History may have been blind to the social & environmental losses of each new dam. Today, we know better. Entire species, ecosystems, & natural migratory paths of the wildlife upon which we depend will forever be disrupted
Pacificorp is used to getting whatever it wants whenever it wants it. It's reshaped entire regions without consent and this time must be different. This is not an essential tool in a sustainable renewable future for power, this is an experimental pilot in squeezing out every last profitable drop of our River.
Please stay tuned on how to voice your concerns, THIS IS THE BEGINNING
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