Here lies the San Clemente Dam, over 100 years old and not surprisingly, past it’s ‘useful life.’ What this means, is that the dam no longer holds much water; over the years it’s collected silt. When forced with the decision of what to do with this potentially dangerous dam (an earthquake could stir up some…), there were basically two options. A simply keep the dam from falling down by reinforcing or retrofitting the dam. Or, spend much more money (muuuuuch more $$$) to remove the dam completely and rehabilitate the river (cue the nature sounds and peaceful music).
The high road it is, as California American Water with the help of the national oceanic and atmospheric administration (NOAA) & the Coastal Conservancy, took the proverbial ‘high road.’ The restoration project has already begun, and it’s moving fast. The project is being managed by the San Luis Obispo firm Water Systems Consulting (WSC) ~ the President of WSC, Jeff Szytel, is pictured below. For more information, check out the project website: San Clemente Dam Removal.