There was a large turnout for Wednesday Night’s Scotts Flat Dam Spillway public workshop. The meeting was scheduled, in response to complaints about NID closing the spillway in August, due to growing illegal activity. NID Deputy General Manager Greg Jones says there were a lot of good and constructive suggestions about finding a way to re-open the gate at least during daytime hours. That included better monitoring of activity, through developing a network of local trail users…

click to listen to Greg Jones

Security guards and video surveillance were also suggested. Bear Yuba Land Trust Executive Director Marty Coleman-Hunt, who attended the meeting, says one idea she likes is constructing a type of tunnel fence from the gate and across the spillway, to prevent illegal jumping, the type of fence that you see on some freeway overpasses. Jones says a community ad hoc group is being formed that will hold another public meeting with an NID committee that consists of two board members. Coleman-Hunt agrees that a community watch concept could help reduce problems…

click to listen to Marty Coleman-Hunt

Coleman-Hunt says signs should also be posted, threatening possible prosecution regarding such things as jumping into the lake from the spillway, camping and campfires, vandalism, and excessive trash. She says there’s currently no signage.