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TUESDAY JUNE 14, 2011 Breaking news at: www.redbluffdailynews.com Steam Machines See Inside American Profile RED BLUFF Embattled Giants Sports 1B Sunny 96/63 Weather forecast 8B By TANG LOR DN Staff Writer When the gates at the Red Bluff Diversion Dam go in Wednesday it will be the last time the gates will be lowered and the last year Lake Red Bluff will exist. Excluding any unfore- seen circumstances, at exactly 12:01 a.m., Wednes- day, from the little block- house just off the side of the dam that functions as the operation center, an operator will set in motion the decent of the manually controlled gates. It will be a slow and deliberate process with each of the 11 fixed wheel gates going down one at a time. Workers will evaluate the level of the Sacramento River, controlling the back- up of water that will create Lake Red Bluff and the flow of the river downstream, said Paul Freeman, the divi- sion chief and facility man- ager of the Bureau of Recla- mation’s Red Bluff Field Office. “It’s quite a balancing act,” Freeman said. Reclamation has been preparing for the gates to go in by releasing water from Keswick Dam. The extra water will mitigate impacts on the river downstream of the diversion as the lake is being filled, Freeman said. Once initiated, the actual lowering of the gates should take about 12 hours, and by noon, Wednesday, Lake Red Bluff will have fully emerged. The lake elevation will be a foot lower than in years past to prevent flooding that might occur at the pumping plant construction site along Daily News photo by Tang Lor The gates at the Red Bluff Diversion Dam will be lowered Wednesday allowing Lake Red Bluff to emerge and fill this area right up to the construction site of the pumping plant. the river near Red Bank Creek associated with the Fish Passage Improvement Project. But that should not have too much impact on those who still want to enjoy the lake, Freeman said. The closest inner city access to the lake can be made through the boat ramp at River Park. The boat ramp will be closed June 25 for the River Park Festival. The dam gates should stay in until Aug. 31, allow- ing for about two and a half months of recreation. Lake Red Bluff was cre- ated in 1966 when the gates of the diversion dam, which was completed two years earlier, were lowered for the first time. For more than 20 years, the dam operated year round diverting water to agricultur- al land through the Tehama- Colusa Canal Authority and the Corning Canal systems. Dam operation and the existence of the year-round lake has shortened over the years, as researchers found evidence the dam was impeding fish migration. A federal court judge has ordered the dam to cease operation by May 2012. “Because of the fish problem the lake will go away,” Freeman said. “This is the last year that we antic- Forever in peace may you wave ipate the lake will be there.” The canal authority and reclamation are working jointly to create a pumping plant that will take over the dam operation. Project construction began in March 2010 and is on pace for completion by the 2012 deadline. Water should start going through the pumps on May 4, 2012, Freeman said. Aside from the structures DAILYNEWS TEHAMACOUNTY DAILY 50¢ T H E V O I C E O F T E H A M A C O U N T Y S I N C E 1 8 8 5 Lake’s last anticipated summer that are starting to form across the river, the most noticeable thing about the construction, of late, is the frequency and number of trucks traveling up and down Diamond Avenue and South Main Street. The trucks are carrying excess dirt from the con- struction site to a designated dumping site on property owned by reclamation off Altube Avenue where it will most likely stay, Freeman said. While the dam is owned and operated by reclama- tion, the operation and maintenance of the pumping plant will be turned over to the canal authority, eventual- ly phasing out the need for reclamation staff working in Red Bluff. At that point, Freeman and another member of his staff will retire. The remain- ing three staff will most like- ly be transferred to another site. While Freeman has not always worked in the Red Bluff office, he has lived here most his life and con- siders himself a Red Bluff lifer. “I was here before the lake and I’ll be here after the lake,” he said. He was just a high school student when the dam was being built. “I could look down the river and see that something was going on,” Freeman said. But now the dam has out- lived its purpose, and come Aug. 31 the gates will go back up and the lake will be gone. “The gates will go up, and it will never go down again,” he said. Fairboard to mull budgeting options By JULIE ZEEB DN Staff Writer The Tehama District Fairboard has changed its date and time for its June meeting in hopes of getting more input from the public. The meeting is set for 6 p.m. tonight in the Tehama Room at the Tehama District Fairground. The board is expected to receive a report from Friends of the Fairground, a group organized in the last few months that is hoping to help keep the fairground open should state fund- ing be eliminated. Governor Jerry Brown has proposed the elimination of all funding from the state. Since the Tehama District Fair is 25 percent dependent on state funding, which is about $200,000, the elimination could cause problems and has landed the fair on the list of fairs at-risk of closing. In addition, Rebecca Desmond, acting director of Fairs and Expositions, the agency that oversees fairs, is expected to be at the meeting. Desmond and the fair’s asset manager Lisa Drury will be giving a presentation on future operations and what it might look like. The Red Bluff Round-Up Association contract and a City of Red Bluff resolution in support of the Tehama District Fair will be up for discussion. An update on the solar panel refinancing will be given and the finance committee of the Fairboard will give its rec- ommendations for budget cuts. A final update on the Fourth of July Heritage Days is scheduled to be given along with an update on the 2011 Fair. Events planned for the 2011 Tehama District Fair include Rock Cross on Friday, tractor pulls on Saturday and the Destruction Derby on Sunday. There is no main grand stand event planned for Thursday. Courtesy photo New flags fly at the Tehama County Department of Education thanks to a generous donation. Thanks to the members of the Red Bluff Exchange Club and the Marine Corps Color Guard, the Tehama County Department of Edu- cation is flying a brand new set of flags on Lincoln Street. The Exchange Club donated the flags as part of its effort to promote com- munity and patriotism, said club member Roxy Williams. 7 5 8 5 5 1 6 9 0 0 1 9 The flags were dedicated in a ceremony performed by members of the Marine Corps Color Guard for Department of Education employees who were in attendance. Special guest and Exchange Club Talent Search winner Ashiah Scharaga were in attendance to sing the National Anthem. Larry Champion, super- intendent of schools, and Charles Allen, associate superintendent, spoke to the group about the importance of the flag and service to the community. “We are here today to dedicate our new flag pole and to thank the Exchange Club for providing these wonderful new flags,” Champion said. “We must remember that our flag rep- resents all the values, liber- ties and freedom that Amer- icans have and enjoy every day.” Anyone with ideas is encouraged to attend Tuesday’s meet- ing or call Fair CEO Mark Eidman at 527-5920. 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