By Glenda Anderson, THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
Sunday, November 27, 2005

For more than 80 years, a 1,600-acre triangle of land at the northwest corner of Clear Lake has been enclosed by dirt levees to keep the lake at bay and allow farmers to cultivate fertile bottom land and build houses.

Now, county, state and federal authorities want to breach 14.4 miles of substandard levees and return the land, already home to a multitude of wildlife, including egrets, heron, osprey and eagles, to its natural state.

"It would make it a mecca. It would be awesome," said Lake County Supervisor Gary Lewis, who foresees the $40 million project attracting birders, kayakers and other eco-tourists, giving the county's sagging economy a boost.

Last week, a blue heron stood majestically in a field in the project area located between Upper Lake and Nice. In a nearby pond, dozens of ducks gathered in the glow of the purple and red sunset while thousands of songbirds swooped overhead.

The breakup of the levees and restoration of creek-fed wetlands is one of the largest freshwater projects of its kind undertaken in California, marking a reversal of environmental degradation caused by humans claiming marshy land for farms and buildings.

It is part of an environmental trend in the Bay Area and statewide , reflected in the large-scale restoration of saltwater wetlands in the north San Francisco Bay with the 40,000-acre Suisun Marsh enhancement and the 10,000- acre Cargill salt ponds project. Another 325 acres are being returned to salt marsh in the Sonoma Baylands.

Lake County's plan did not begin for ecological reasons, however. It was born 12 years ago from a desire to protect residents from flooding and includes relocating approximately 20 families, many of whom object to the project.

The aging, substandard levees are sinking and have failed several times, sending floodwaters into the area and residents fleeing to higher ground three times since 1983.

The levees were built in the 1920s by farmers who took advantage of drought-driven low lake levels to wall off additional agricultural land. In the 1950s, the levees were reinforced and expanded by the Army Corps of Engineers, which is now promoting removal of the dams.

State and federal officials say it's more cost effective to move the families than to repair and maintain the levees, which would cost an estimated $2.5 million a year. Their findings mean state and federal funding is not available to fix the levees.

Funding is, however, available for ecosystem restoration projects. In addition to flood control and wildlife habitat restoration, the project is expected to improve the lake's water quality.

The wetlands would naturally filter runoff and streams that feed that section of Clear Lake, reducing mercury contamination from old mines and chemicals that promote algae overgrowth, which plagues the lake.

While the project enjoys widespread environmental and political support, strong concerns are being raised by residents of the flood plain who must be relocated.

"We are very reluctant. We have no idea what we're going to do," said Helga Christianson, whose husband's family has farmed the area since its creation in the 1920s.

"It's an idiotic idea," said rice farmer Larry O'Bryant.

He said the rice fields he's tended for more than 20 years support more wildlife than would an overgrown, seasonal wetland.

Nevertheless, they and most of the other landowners have agreed to sell if the price is right.

If they don't sell, they're likely to lose their land and homes to flooding or taxes, Lewis said.

It's not feasible for the county to shore up the levees, said Lake County Assistant Public Works Director Bob Lossius.

And the landowners, who are financially responsible for the levees' upkeep, say they can't afford it on their own.

Last year, the state Department of Water Resources billed the landowners $90,000 for repairs it made on their behalf, according to Keith Swanson, who oversees maintenance of the Lake County levees for the department.

One landowner who owns a large parcel owes $60,000, Lossius said.

The county, which already has purchased one resident's home, has received a $5.2 million state grant for the buyouts.

While it will need closer to $16 million altogether, the bigger problem involves tribal land in the project area, Lewis said.

The Robinson Rancheria Tribe of Pomo Indians is willing to let officials submerge the 38 acres it owns across Highway 20 from its Nice casino. But it wants the land's trust status transferred to another of its land holdings located about a mile from the casino along the lakeshore.

The tribe has no plans for another casino, but it doesn't want to lose out on future options, said the tribe's casino manager, Scott Sirois.

Local officials say the request is reasonable, but have run into obstacles getting the necessary Congressional approval.

Some legislators are concerned that making the switch will trigger a surge of land swapping for more desirable casino locations, Lewis said.

With help from area representatives, including Rep. Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena, Lewis is hoping the project, after 15 years in the works, will finally move forward.

Thompson's legislative director, Jonathan Birdsong, said the bill containing the change appears set for passage early next year.

Without a transfer of the trust status, the tribe won't allow its land to be flooded.

The Corps of Engineers, which has approved plans for the wetlands, has proposed building a concrete levee around the tribe's land, but neither the tribe nor the county is willing to accept what they consider an eyesore.

"If we can't get the trust transferred, it will kill the project," Lewis said.

The project, formally called the Middle Creek Flood Damage Reduction and Ecosystem Restoration Project, is part of a larger plan to enhance Lake County's ecosystem.

State Fish and Game officials want to purchase another 2,000 acres of ranch land north of the Middle Creek project. And the Lake County Land Trust already has acquired 150 acres of the 262-acre Rodman Ranch Preserve, adjacent to the Middle Creek project.

Combined, the projects would restore almost 4,000 acres of the 7,520 acres of wetlands lost or damaged in the Clear Lake Basin in the past century.

"It is one of the larger freshwater projects in the state," Lossius said.

© The Press Democrat. For copyright information view our User Agreement