From News Line, a daily compilation of farm water news distributed to CFWC members and others upon request. To receive News Line, click here.

Rep. McClintock wrong about Merced River

Coalition response…H.R. 934 does not remove the Merced River from the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. It also does not increase the height of New Exchequer Dam, only the spillway by 10 feet. The length of the Merced River is 122 miles from Yosemite to the dam. Rep. McClintock’s legislation would only cover the last 1,800 feet for two to eight weeks every few years. That’s 1/350 of the protected stretch of the river.

Individuals should realize that construction of New Exchequer Dam was completed in 1967. Twenty years later in 1987 the Wild and Scenic River Act encroached on the hydroelectric project boundary on the Merced River. HR 934 creates an increased reliability of available water for farmers to grow food for consumers.

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