What’s this ugly dam stuff anyhow? I’ve hiked from the Cross Creek to the Rindge Dam on several occasions and never found it ugly. It’s a nice piece of engineering which has withstood the test of time. Maybe someday there’ll be dam seeds they can plant. There is some prep. work that needs to be done before the dam is blown. The perpetual sand bar that blocks the lagoon access to the ocean must be removed if fish are to eagerly swim up the creek to spawn.
This can be done by building a breakwater system similar to the one that shelters the small boat anchorages in Marina del Rey. This would be positioned so that the ocean currents are re-directed to remove the sandbar. Also, Steelhead trout have a well developed sense of smell which they use to guide them back to the stream where they were born. They may have second thoughts when they encounter the smell of Tapia’s treated sewage discharge into the creek.
These fish should be test swum in the Tapia water to see how they tolerate it. If the test fails then Tapia must clean up its act before the dam is blown and the fish are expected to frolic and, if they frolic, I’m sure bait and tackle shops will flourish. The other way to avoid a wall of silt raging down the canyon upon blowing the dam is to release the 85 years of silt buildup gradually by drilling holes equipped with sluice gates through the base of the dam.
Since concrete crystals knit tighter with age, this will require carbide or diamond tipped drills. The silt would be released only when the water flow in the creek is strong enough to take it to the ocean where it can replenish the beaches. This way the creek bed is cleared, the fish can spawn, the historic dam remains, and the cost will be minimized.
Jack Singleton