McCarthy Statement on the Success Reservoir Enlargement Project

“Safely enlarging the Success Reservoir should double the flood protection for Porterville and other communities below the dam, provide for expanded storage capacity allowing for the capture of more water during wet years, and enhance recreation opportunities on and around the lake.  I am pleased the Army Corps included $200,000 in its Fiscal Year 2017 Work Plan for the SREP, which represents the first direct funding the Army Corps has applied to this project after a decade of delays. Using these funds to update the economic analysis is an important step to re-initiate and continue this project that our community has patiently waited for completion, and I am grateful for the persistence and leadership that Supervisor Ennis, Councilman Hamilton, the Tulare Board of Supervisors, the Porterville City Council, and Mr. Richard Schafer have provided to so we can move this project forward .”

Tulare County 5^th District Supervisor Mike Ennis issued the following statement:

“Since coming on the Board of Supervisors in 2006, one of my number #1 priorities has been Success Dam and raising the spillway.  Every year that we go to Washington, D.C., this project has been on our platform.  Seeing the true need for more capacity at the lake for irrigation, recreation and most importantly flood control, I watched the lake fill to capacity in 1966 and run over the spillway with no control.  By the raising the spillway, we would have been able to prevent the overflow and save the inundation of some homes downstream.  Thanks to Congressman Kevin McCarthy’s efforts over the last several years, we now have this project moving forward.”

Porterville City Councilman Cameron Hamilton issued the following statement:

“Since joining the City Council in 2002, the enlargement of Success Reservoir has been a project of tremendous significance to me, and more importantly, to the residents of Porterville due to increased flood protection, storage capacity for agriculture irrigation, and recreational opportunities.  Though the SREP was authorized in the 1999 Water Resources Development Act and the Project Construction Agreement was signed in 2003, the project was delayed fifteen difficult years as studies were conducted to determine the reservoir’s potential failure from earthquake and leakage, to ultimately conclude that its greatest risk is flood protection to the Porterville community due to lack of storage capacity.  I am thrilled that the progress is finally being made, and eagerly await this important project moving forward to construction.”

Mr. Richard L. Schafer, Tule River Association Water Master Secretary, issued the following statement:

“After 13 years of risk analysis of Success Dam, the non-Federal sponsors are pleased that the Corps has provided Federal funds, which are being matched by the local sponsors, to update the economic analysis for the SREP.  As witnessed this year, substantial additional water could have been stored with the SREP instead of installing sandbags in the spillway for irrigation storage, which allowed the additional import of Central Valley Project water into the basin. We look forward to working with the Congressman and the Army Corps to bring this project to fruition.”