Members of the California public utilities commission have granted permission for cal-am water to permanently remove the san clemente dam from the carmel river. The 83-million dollar project will be funded through a rate increase on cal-am customers. The rate will be implemented over a 20-year-period. The removal of the dam is expected to aid salmon spawning. The work will involve digging a channel between the carmel river and san clemente creek, which will allow built-up sediment to be flushed into the portion of the river that will be by-passed by the channel. The project is expected to begin in September and be completed in 3-years.
