Rivers Group Demands Removal of Matilija Dam

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 group American Rivers declared the river as endangered Monday and hopes to spur agencies in Sacramento and Washington to allocate money to tear down Matilija Dam near Ojai.

The dam and other alterations to the river have contributed to the disappearance locally of the steelhead trout, an endangered species. It also has blocked sand from reaching beaches.

With the decaying gray edifice as a backdrop, a coalition of surfers, business leaders, fishermen and environmentalists held a press conference in conjunction with American Rivers to identify 13 of the nation’s most imperiled waterways. This year, they ranked the Ventura River third. The Lower Snake River in Idaho topped the list and the north fork of the Feather River near Oroville, the only other California stream, ranked ninth.

“The Matilija Dam has outlived its usefulness. It’s a silt tub,” said Jim Edmondson, conservation director for California Trout Inc. “Gov. Davis, President Clinton, tear down this dam, tear down this public nuisance.”

In Ventura County, where the dam was built to serve farmers and growing young cities just after World War II, it is difficult to find anyone who supports Matilija Dam anymore.

The 190-foot structure filled up with mud and rock years ago, rendering it virtually useless for water storage for irrigation. It holds back about 6 million cubic yards of silt--enough to cover 3,000 football fields with a foot of sand.

“There’s 50 years’ worth of beach trapped behind this dam, enough sand to widen all the south Ventura County beaches by 30 feet,” said Paul Jenkin of the Surfrider Foundation.

The dam is cracking because the concrete used to build it was improperly mixed. State seismic safety officials keep a close eye on it, but it does not appear to be in danger of collapse. The top 30 feet of the dam have been removed because of decay.