Logo courtesy of Butte County

BUTTE COUNTY, CA (MPG) - Butte County officials took their concerns over the long-running Oroville Dam relicensing process to Washington, D.C., earlier this month, meeting with Federal Energy Regulatory Commission representatives as the county pushes for greater recognition of the costs associated with hosting the State Water Project facility.

County representatives met with FERC leadership and staff, including the agency’s Office of Public Participation, to discuss the county’s role in the federal relicensing process.

According to the county, FERC representatives provided guidance on how county officials and residents can participate as the process moves forward.

The county argues that Butte County has carried financial, infrastructure and public safety costs associated with Oroville Dam for more than five decades while much of the economic benefit from the water stored there goes elsewhere in California.

“For more than half a century, Butte County has shouldered the costs of hosting one of California’s most important water infrastructure projects, while the benefits have flowed south,” the county said.

Oroville Dam was completed in 1968 and serves as the primary storage reservoir for the State Water Project.

Among the impacts cited by county officials are the 2017 spillway failure, continuing road and public safety costs and the removal of approximately 41,000 acres from the county’s property tax base.

County officials also contend that recreational benefits associated with the dam have fallen short of what was envisioned when the project received its original federal license.

According to the county, recreation was recognized as a beneficial public use in the federal determination supporting the original license and formed part of the justification for the project.

“Recreation was not incidental; it was part of the project’s justification,” the county said. “Those public benefits were intended to help balance the enormous impacts of hosting this infrastructure, yet the recreation promised to the community was never fully realized.”

The California Department of Water Resources has operated the Oroville Dam facilities under annual license renewals for nearly two decades while awaiting a new long-term federal license.

The county is seeking changes before FERC issues another long-term license, which could extend for 50 years.

“Butte County cannot continue bearing disproportionate financial and public-safety burdens while the benefits of California’s backbone water infrastructure flow south,” the county said.

County officials said their meetings in Washington reinforced the need for continued participation in the federal process, particularly for communities that host major infrastructure projects.

“We are grateful to FERC’s Office of Public Participation for hearing Butte County’s story and for providing guidance on how our community should participate effectively in this process,” the county said.

The county said its concerns extend beyond Oroville Dam as California considers future decisions involving water, energy, land use and infrastructure.

“As California confronts increasingly difficult questions about water, energy, land use, and infrastructure, there must also be a conversation about how the State protects and does right by the communities asked to host the infrastructure that makes those systems possible,” the county said.

County officials summarized their position in three points: “Honor the bargain. Recognize the burden. Deliver the public benefits that were promised.”

Butte County is updating operational and socioeconomic impact reports as part of its continued participation in the FERC process.

The county is also encouraging residents to submit comments to FERC as the relicensing proceeds. Instructions for submitting comments online or by mail are available at http://ourwatertheirpower.org.