Underground Legislative Watchdog "Deep Trout" Resurfaces With Good News; Says Westlands Irrigation District Out of Luck

Deep Trout — the Underground’s undercover political operative at the California State Capitol — forwarded some good news for those of us who don’t want Lake Shasta flooding miles of the Upper Sac, McCloud, and Pit Rivers.

The California State Assembly passed Joint Resolution 39 (46 to 29), which recognizes the Wintu Tribe (who deserve it):

Assembly Joint Resolution  39,  Huffman
Recalls the history of relations between the Winnemem Wintu Tribe and the federal government, which includes the relocation of exhumed remains of tribal members and of the Tribe’s community in order for the federal government to create Shasta Lake with Shasta Dam on the Tribe’s aboriginal lands. Effectively codifies the state’s recognition of the Tribe, and encourages federal officials to recognize this tribe.

What’s this got to do with raising Shasta Dam?

Plenty.

Formal state recognition of the Winnemem Wintu tribe means state funding to raise Shasta Dam is far less likely to appear than before (and it’s unlikely the Feds will foot the whole bill).

And that means the Wastelands Westlands Irrigations District — the folks who happily drained the Trinity River all those years, and the same people who want to flood miles of the Upper Sacramento, McCloud, and Pit Rivers so they can sell subsidized water to cities — finally took one in the shorts.

This doesn’t end the dam-raising issue by any means, but it’s one more roadblock in the way of a bad idea.

And yes, Undergrounders, rumor has it the legislator who introduced the bill is a fly fisherman.

See you on the river, Tom Chandler.