Your editorial from Feb. 14, “Out, out damned Dam,” welcomes Senator Pavley to the State Parks and Recreation Commission. Her presence may turn out to be welcome pressure on State Parks to avoid their penchant to spend taxpayer dollars foolishly, lavishly and wastefully.
As to the specific Rindge Dam project to tear it down, Senator Pavley is advised the dam qualifies for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. To be fully informed about this engineering marvel of the Santa Monica Mountains Recreation Area, she should obtain a copy of the report to the Army Corps of Engineers Report 04-72 by Statistical Research, Inc., Tucson AZ June 2005 (Contract No. DACWO9-03-0-0005).
Decades ago, reasons were presented to government and fish representatives to save the dam, besides it being a historical landmark, rather than destroying this asset of taxpayers. Two of several reasons are:
-Use the dam as a massive trap of pollution runoff or sewer breaks in the 100-square-mile upper watershed, thus protecting down stream animals, people, properties and Surfrider Beach.
-The aquifer behind the dam holds 10 million gallons of water. Pump it out to tanks above the old Honor Camp site, for convenient access to pumpers fighting the periodic fires coming down this historic fire corridor or in residential areas north or south of the tunnel.
The total cost of this 40-plus year project is unknown to me, but must be in the millions of dollars when adding all the federal, state and local agency contracting and personnel costs.
Ronald L. Rindge