Ventura River Ranked Among Nation’s Most Endangered

The Ventura River is among the nation’s most endangered rivers and its only hope for recovery is the removal of the Matilija Dam, according to a study released today by a conservation group.

The Ventura River is ranked third in the country, behind Oregon’s Lower Snake River and the Missouri River, on a list of 13 rivers facing the most “immediate, severe environmental degradation,” according to American Rivers’ annual report of the nation’s most threatened waterways.

The only other California river to make the list is the north fork of the Feather River above Sacramento.

American Rivers, based in Washington, D.C., concludes that the Matilija Dam is chiefly to blame for the Ventura River’s dwindling health.

Critics say the dam, built in 1947 for flood control, has outlived its usefulness. Designed to hold 5,000 acre-feet of water, the buildup of silt and mud has reduced its storage capacity to 500 acre-feet.

The nonprofit conservation group, founded in 1973 to raise awareness of North America’s river system, said the dam also prevents sand from washing downstream to replenish local beaches. Even worse, it blocks the migration of endangered southern steelhead trout to the sea, the group said.

“I think it’s a sad commentary on our environmental abilities when we can’t keep something as precious as a river environmentally strong,” said County Supervisor Kathy Long.’

Local environmentalists, coastal businesses and fishermen have long advocated tearing down the dam. But finding the $30 million to $70 million to do it has been a problem. Long and others said the new ranking might have at least one positive effect by gaining the attention of representatives in Washington, D.C., who could allocate the necessary funds.

The 16-mile river originates on the north fork of Matilija Creek in the Los Padres National Forest and winds its way to the Pacific Ocean at Ventura. Periodic flooding led to construction of the dam.

Work is already underway to tear down part of the dam. In January, the California Coastal Conservancy approved a $200,000 grant to Ventura County to pay for a portion of a project to knock off part of the aging structure, a first step to the dam’s ultimate removal.