"Sooner or later Searsville Dam must come down, and the whole San Francisquito Creek watershed can be treated as the ecological treasure that it is."
- Pete McCloskey, former U.S. Congressman and co-author of the Endangered Species Act; Stanford University Law School alumnus
RECENT NEWS:
January 2017: Hewlett Foundation gives $50 million for dam removal
The first three projects to receive grant funding are the Matilija Dam in Ventura, California; a series of dams and obstructions in Oregon's Rogue River basin; and the Nelson Dam on the Naches River in Yakima, Washington.
Not on the current list is the dam on Corte Madera Creek that created Searsville Lake, a private lake owned by Stanford University in the Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve.
Opponents of that dam say its removal would improve the health of the San Francisquito Creek watershed, including restoring a route for steelhead trout to swim upstream and spawn.
Among those opponents is Matt Stoecker, director of Beyond Searsville Dam, who called the Open Rivers Fund progressive and collaborative "where the dam owner supports transitioning away from an obsolete dam and towards less harmful options. ... When Stanford is ready to move forward with Searsville Dam removal, multiple funds and grant programs like this are poised to support them."
In a 2015 report, Stanford said that while it valued keeping the 65-foot-tall, 275-foot-wide dam up for flood control, it would consider steps to allow passage of fish.
Read more at: http://www.almanacnews.com/print/story/2017/01/04/hewlett-foundation-gives-50-million-for-dam-removal
July 2015: Local environmental groups seek injunction ordering Stanford to provide lifeline to endangered steelhead trout during drought
The requested measures include allowing bypass flows to support water levels downstream, as required by State and Federal law, which has never been implemented by Stanford.
In past years, Stanford University has degraded fish habitat in San Francisquito Creek and its watershed by diverting significant volumes of water to irrigate its golf course and other campus landscaping. The 125-year old Searsville Dam blocks native salmonids from accessing high-quality habitat upstream in the Portola Valley area, and continues to degrade fish habitat downstream of the dam.
June 2015: Stanford study confirms mass extinction event; urges swift action to restore habitat and stop resource exploitation for financial gain
![Stanford University Woods Institute; Science Advances Journal / June 19, 2015[...] Even under our assumptions, which would tend to minimize evidence of an incipient mass extinction, the average rate of vertebrate species loss over the last cent…](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/536bbb04e4b029a75390f942/1434748937404-U3VNI6844ZYHSF5KE0ZA/image-asset.png)
![Stanford University identifies two ways to send water through, or around, the damPalo Alto Online / May 4, 2015The alternatives would also allow the university to continue to use water from the creeks. [...] "This recommendation creates a new p…](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/536bbb04e4b029a75390f942/1431574711580-RR4WELD0XVA7MAM34VLA/image-asset.png)
![Stanford dam blamed for diverting water from creek SFGATE / April 9, 2014Built in 1892 and choked nearly to the brim with sediment, the [Searsville Dam] blocks the migration of one of the bay's last remaining populations of native steelhead tro…](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/536bbb04e4b029a75390f942/1410634541019-4QK1UEAB7RSXFYLXHOV5/image-asset.png)
“If we are to leave our children a better world, we must take steps now to create a sustainable environment. So it is critical that we model sustainable citizenship on our own campus.”
“Our treatment of animals will someday be considered barbarous. There cannot be perfect civilisation until man realises that the rights of every living creature are as sacred as his own.”
“Stanford’s behavior shames us all.”
“[T]he acceleration of this natural, more gradual, summer flow recession or the abrupt truncation of flows caused by the [Searsville] Diversion increases the likelihood of [steelhead] stranding. Furthermore, the presence of the Dam prevents steelhead from moving upstream.”
“While we will always honor Stanford’s history, we must not be afraid to outgrow old ideas. We must embrace the responsibility inherent in the founders’ words, and ensure that their University—our University—will continue to be one of the world’s great centers of learning and research.”
“Do it now, please. Do the right thing.”
“There is no pattern of use to suggest that the [Searsville] Diversion is operated according to water year type (i.e., higher diversions during wet years and less during dry years).”
“I hope that Stanford can commit to the removal of Searsville Dam and the restoration of the original wetlands in the area. I expect that the original wetlands supported just as many bats and other species of special concern as the current wetlands do.”
“How disappointing that Stanford has prioritized water for a golf course over protecting endangered fish. It is an outrageous situation at this point— Stanford has known about the issues for years and delayed meaningful actions to restore the watershed. Time to step up.”
“This dam is nonsensical. It eliminates habitat for threatened species, imposes significant risk to downstream residents (and thus probably should, and eventually will, be deemed a public nuisance if not taken down), while providing little to no benefit. It’s time for Stanford to take this dam down. If it doesn’t it will end-up not only on the wrong side of history but also in legal battle after legal battle. Stanford should turn what is now a dramatic stain on its environmental reputation into bright spot by taking this dam down and leading the fight to preserve this resource.”
“A special thanks to Matt Stoecker for his documentary film, “DamNation”. I hope that his efforts along with yours and everyone concerned will have a “ripple” effect which will result in action being taken to restore all the streams that support Earth’s ecosystems. ”
“I believe an institution of Stanford’s caliber should reconsider their position on this matter as it has great environmental benefit with so few drawbacks. Anadromous fish are endangered, and Stanford is removing habitat in order to water their golf course. I think this shows misplaced priorities.”
“Stanford has one of the most important dam-removal and ecosystem-restoration opportunities in the country, and can position itself as a leader in environmental stewardship and make huge progress in achieving its stated goal of being a more sustainable campus. Stanford has got to clean up their own backyard before people will take their sustainability and environmental message seriously. You are what you do, not what you say.”