Crane Valley Dam Seismic Retrofit Project Update 9/8/2011

On Thursday, August 18, 2011, PG&E presented an update on the Crane Valley Dam Seismic Retrofit Project at a Town Hall Meeting hosted by Supervisor Tom Wheeler at the Pines Resort. This email summarizes the information presented at that meeting as well as updated trucking information on the schedule for importing of rock material from the Raymond Quarry during September.

Heavy rains during the winter and spring have contributed to construction delays on the project. Additionally, the Wishon Quarry is producing more waste rock material and overburden material then expected. PG&E needs to permit use of approximately 15 additional acres of United States Forest Service (USFS) property for Quarry stockpile use. Construction activities will continue throughout the permitting process.

The steps to securing permitting for the additional property are as follows:

  • Federal Energy Regulatory Commission will develop a supplemental Environmental Assessment (EA) under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
  • Department of Water Resources is reviewing the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) to take appropriate steps under California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA)
  • United States Forest Service will utilize the supplemental Environmental information to make a decision regarding the permits requested

In addition, PG&E is considering permitting the importing of an additional 50,000 cubic yards of rock as a contingency for project operations.

Updated Project Timeline
Winter 2013- Dam construction completed
Spring 2013- Quarry and site restoration completed
May 2013- Demobilization of the site

Construction Activity Will Continue During Permitting of New Quarry Area
Quarry operations and importing rock from the off-site Raymond Quarry will allow construction to continue on the downstream buttress during the permitting process for the new Quarry stockpile area.

Construction activity after permitting will include:

  • Timber clearing in permitted area
  • Upstream dredge and buttress construction
  • Core wall stiffening
  • Raise the crest road
  • Quarry and dam site restoration

Truck Traffic from Raymond Quarry August 28 – October 1
Additional rock will continue to be trucked to the dam site facilitating current construction efforts. Rock deliveries will take place Monday through Friday only. During a 10 day period beginning August 28 and ending September 13, there will be 64 truck trips per day delivering rock to the dam construction site from the Raymond Quarry. Click here to view map of truck route. For the remaining days of September, the truck traffic will be reduced to 32 truck trips per day.

Winter Lake Level and Boat Ramp Access
Bass Lake will be lowered beginning September 6 to enable foundation excavation and construction efforts. The winter lake level will be managed similar to last winter and PG&E will install boat ramp extensions at one location if necessary and feasible.

Information courtesy of www.cranevalleydam.com.

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