The San Clemente Dam in Monterey County, California has been removed, aka destroyed. It was built in 1921 and was intended to serve the Monterey Peninsula. I am one of the folks around town that are very unhappy with what happened to the dam. But it is done and gone. This post is intended to just be a simple record of passing.

The reasons for the removal of the dam are complex and politically charged. The main excuses given were that sediment had built up and was dangerous, the dam was near a fault line, and steelhead trout and red-legged frogs were endangered.

The California American Water company has been in charge of the dam and did nothing to remove the sediment.

All I can say is that I hope someone actually counts the trout and frogs now that the dam is gone. After 92 years, I presume the fish and frogs have been pining away, waiting for this day. The humans left behind on the Monterey Peninsula have to try and find water by building a very expensive and experimental desalination plant.

Cal Am is a subsidiary of American Water Works Company, Inc. NYSE: AWK, which is headquartered in Voorhees, New Jersey. As a Utility company goes, it might be a good investment for the long haul. But I’m not recommending it. As you can tell, I voted to convert to public ownership of the water system in Monterey, but that initiative failed.

Maybe I’ll go out to dinner tonight and eat trout or frog legs. Presumably they will be discounted.

“It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.” by J.K.Rowling