Meeting To Discuss Controversial Watershed Plans For Camanche And Pardee Reservoirs

Valley Springs, Ca — Proposed watershed plans for the area around the Comanche and Pardee Reservoirs will be discussed at a public meeting Thursday night.

The East Bay Municipal Utility District, which owns the land, has formed a Community Liaison Committee to evaluate different options for the 19,000 acres of land and 10,000 acres of water that the district owns along the Mokelumne River. Representatives from the District will be on hand at the meeting to answer questions about different proposals.

“One option is preserving the natural environment by curtailing human activity,” says District Spokesperson Jeff Becerra. “That would include recreation, the mobile homes, etc. Another option is to continue the level of human access, retaining the mobile homes, and possibly expanding recreation.”

If the first option is selected, those who live in the approximately 200 mobile homes along the Comanche Reservoir would be forced to find a new place of residence because the homes are considered a threat to the water quality.

Allowing them to stay could require the construction of more infrastructure. Becerra adds that a third option is a combination of the two proposals.

The meeting begins at 7pm, Thursday, at the La Contenta Golf Club in Valley Springs.

Written by BJ Hansen