C ALIFORNIA Ventura River T HREAT: DAM Summary The Risk Matilija Dam not only stands in the way of The Matilija Dam is a 200-foot high concrete the Ventura River’s endangered southern steel- arched structure that is owned by the Ventura head; it also prevents much-needed sand and County Flood Control District. It was built in sediment from flowing downstream and 1947 as part of the river’s flood control system replenishing popular southern California surf- and to provide water for the Ojai Valley. The ing beaches. While it is easy to find wide- dam lacks fish passage, so southern steelhead spread support for removing the dam, it will are blocked from approximately 50 percent of be harder to find money to complete the task. their historical spawning and rearing habitat. Federal, state, and local authorities must agree The fish were listed as endangered under the that removing the dam is a top priority and federal Endangered Species Act in 1997. must work together to find the necessary Because a massive amount of silt has built funds. up behind the structure, Matilija Dam no longer provides flood control benefits and pro- The River vides only minimal water storage capacity. The mainstem of the Ventura River flows The reservoir, which originally held 7,000 approximately 16 miles from the confluence acre-feet of water, now holds only 500 acre- of Matilija Creek and North Fork Matilija feet — and the storage capacity continues to Creek (located within the Los Padres National decrease. An estimated 5 million to 7 million Forest) to the Pacific Ocean near the City of cubic yards of sediment is backed up behind Ventura. The 228 square mile watershed the dam — which is enough to cover 3,000 encompasses both steep mountain and coastal football fields with one foot of sand. The plain ecosystems. removal and disposal of the sediment is likely Approximately 5,000 adult steelhead once to be the greatest cost associated with remov- returned every year to the Ventura River ing the dam and restoring the river. watershed. These runs have now been reduced The sediment trapped behind the dam has to less than 100. California’s steelhead restora- resulted in major erosion problems for the tion plan indicates that historically the Ventu- beaches of Ventura. Sand and sediment no ra River probably had one of the largest runs longer travel downstream to replenish the of steelhead in southern California — and that MATILIJA DAM (RIGHT) restoring the Ventura runs will be critical for BLOCKS ENDANGERED STEEL- steelhead recovery in the region. Scientists HEAD FROM IMPORTANT consider the southern steelhead a genetically HABITAT. THE DAM ALSO PRE- distinct fish species, the parent of all steel- VENTS SAND FROM FLOWING head on the Pacific Coast. DOWNSTREAM TO REPLENISH The Ventura River at one time also replen- POPULAR BEACHES. THIS IS ished the beaches of Ventura County with its CAUSING SHORELINE flow of sand and sediment. Each year, the EROSION (NEXT PAGE). river supplied over 250,000 cubic yards of sed- iment to the beaches, which are popular with surfers and vacationers. The overall health of the Ventura River has been improving recently, thanks to restoration activities such as a $27 million upgrade to a sewage treatment plant and several river and wetlands restoration projects. However, the Matilija Dam stands in the way of the river’s ongoing recovery. 12 ◆ America’s Most Endangered Rivers of 2000 coastal area. Not only does this affect the For More ecosystem, but it hurts tourism in Ventura — Information a county where an estimated $50 million is WWW.AMERICANRIVERS.ORG spent on coastal tourism annually — and AMERICAN RIVERS’ RIVERS threatens the sport of surfing at these world- UNPLUGGED CAMPAIGN renowned beaches. WWW.WEST.NET/~SRFRDRVC/ SURFRIDER FOUNDATION, What Can Be Done VENTURA COUNTY CHAPTER Removal of the dam, combined with installa- FRIENDSOFTHERIVER.ORG tion of fish passage at the Robles Diversion FRIENDS OF THE RIVER Dam located downstream, would open approx- WWW.CALTROUT.ORG/ imately 30 miles of habitat to endangered CAL TROUT steelhead. Dam removal would also reduce WWW.RAIN.ORG/~EDC/ beach erosion problems and would open up ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENSE public access to the Matilija Wilderness for CENTER outdoor education and recreation — providing WWW.SOCALSTEELHEAD.ORG/ much-needed access to open spaces in crowd- SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA STEELHEAD RECOVERY ed southern California and generating green COALITION tourism dollars for the area. In June 1999, Ventura County officials agreed to support the removal of Matilija Dam subject to studies underway, as for the nation as well. The removal of Matilija did other local, state, Dam provides a unique opportunity to dis- and federal public offi- mantle an ill-conceived project that no longer cials and agencies. In makes sense. Lack of money should not July 1999, the Bureau of thwart the restoration of this national trea- Reclamation agreed to sure. study the cost and feasibility of removing the dam. This study, scheduled for completion in Personal Contacts spring 2000, should provide a much more Elizabeth Maclin, American Rivers: 202- accurate cost for removing the structure. Past 347-7550, [email protected] studies have put the removal cost anywhere from $30 million to $82 million. Mark Capelli, Friends of the Ventura The US Geological Survey also initiated River: 805-682-5240, [email protected] studies to evaluate beach nourishment poten- Paul Jenkin, Surfrider Foundation, Ventura tial and impacts to sensitive species such as County Chapter: 805-648-7255, the southern steelhead and federally endan- [email protected] gered tidewater goby. Congress has authorized Steve Evans, Friends of the River: 916-442- the US Army Corps of Engineers to initiate 3155, [email protected] studies in cooperation with the Bureau of Jim Edmondson, Cal Trout: 818-865-2888, Reclamation to facilitate the removal of [email protected] Matilija Dam. A preliminary demonstration project by the County of Ventura to test Russ Baggerly, Environmental Coalition removal techniques is scheduled for the fall of Ventura County: 805-646-0767, of 2000. [email protected] Despite this forward movement in the John Buse, Environmental Defense Center: effort to remove the Matilija Dam, a big obsta- 805-643-6147, [email protected] cle still stands in the way — the money to complete the project. National, state, and local entities must continue to forge ahead with this task and restore these valuable resources not only for southern California, but Ventura River ◆ 13.