Kilarc reservoir is on the endangered list

We stopped in over at Kilarc Reservoir in eastern Shasta County for a look. It’s nice to get up out of the valley heat.

It’s a lovely picnic area and lake, maintained by PG&E, who run the electrical generation facility there. PG&E wants to abandon the project, which is one of the oldest in the county. They would demolish the reservoir, power house, and the dam on Cow Creek that feeds it.

The plan strikes us as a bit sad. This has to be one of the cleanest possible ways to make electricity. It’s been here for years, and seems to have had proportionally small impact. No hydropower comes without cost, but some projects seem to have reasonable cost/benefits, especially when already in place. Imagine the power replaced with a coal fired plant, and it offers some perspective.

On the way home, we stopped at a high country ranch we know. The owner let us pick some fruit. These apples are from trees more than 100 years old. Still productive. The people who planted that orchard 100 years ago are the same people who thought electricity made from falling water would be nice. 100 years later, they are still right about both.