Office of the Secretary

For Immediate Release: October 12, 2000

Contact: Joan Moody 202/208-6416

SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR BRUCE BABBITT
PULLS DOWN FIRST SLAB OF
200-FOOT MATILIJA DAM IN CALIFORNIA

Ventura County, CA - Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt led a demonstration project today to help determine the best way to remove the looming Matilija Dam on the Ventura River in southern California. The dam is the largest ever proposed for removal.

Before climbing into a crane to pull away the first 16,000-pound slab of concrete from the face of the 200-foot dam, Babbitt noted, "My previous dam-busting journeys were called 'sledgehammer tours,' but it's time to bring on the heavy equipment." Secretary Babbitt previously has helped take down smaller dams in California and seven other states, including the Saeltzer Dam in northern California on October 6.

"The Matilija Dam is symbolic not only because it could become the largest dam to be taken down anywhere in the world, but also because it is a prime example of dams that are environmentally harmful as well as useless. This ceremony marks a new era in America," said Babbitt.

Local, state and federal officials all support removal of the aging Matilija Dam. Built in 1947 to store drinking water and agricultural water for Ojai Valley, the dam is now full of silt, provides little water or flood protection, and is crumbling. Removal of the dam would restore runs of endangered southern California steelhead in the Ventura River system, re-establish natural beach sand supplies to Ventura County's eroding beaches, and provide recreational opportunities within Matilija Wilderness of the Los Padres National Forest.

"The removal of some dams is more an act of creation than destruction," the Secretary has noted. "Here in Ventura County a local-state-federal-private partnership is working to restore a watershed and create new recreational and economic opportunities. What could be more American than restoration? It shows an optimism that the future will be better for both people and wildlife."

Babbitt joined California Assembly Member Hannah-Beth Jackson, Ventura County Board Chair Kathy Long, Ventura County Supervisor John Flynn and representatives of Secretary of Resources Mary Nichols, Rep. Elton Gallegly, Senator Barbara Boxer, and Senator Dianne Feinstein at the event.

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, an Interior Department agency, participated in a broad-based task force comprised of a number of federal agencies, state and local governments, and private and nonprofit organizations. The result was an appraisal study for the possible removal the Matilija Dam.

"This day will be historic because we are charting a new course for the department and the nation," Babbitt said. "The study of whether and how to take down such a huge structure is a new challenge for the Bureau of Reclamation. The Interior Department supervised the most intensive flurry of dam-building in world history, but with Matilija, we are proving that we can meet the changing needs of communities by building coalitions as well as we can build dams."

Babbitt said there are 75,000 dams in America six feet high and over. Some dams still meet community needs while others no longer provide water supply or flood control and endanger fish, wildlife, and related economic values.

"The citizens of this area should be extremely proud of their community spirit and aware that the efforts of their neighbors as well as local, state and federal officials put Ventura County at the forefront of a new era in America," Babbitt says.

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