July "Save Serene Lakes" updates:

News: (for a complete news timeline see "news timeline")

• A new non-profit, tax deductible conservation group has been formed to protect the Donner Summit area through education and advocacy.
• Royal Gorge LLC continues to look for water. The last water district board meeting was lively, with a reported 75 attendees. Other indications are that Royal Gorge LLC has been asking for South Yuba River water rights from PG&E and NID (Nevada Irrigation District), has been exploring raising both the Van Norden and the Serene Lakes dams, and knew that their request for 265 acre-feet (AF) of water, on top of the existing 115 AF usage, was more than could be drawn from the lakes.
• Publications: (for a complete list of publications see "articles")
• A Sierra Sun report of the latest water district meeting
• Articles on Butterflies, Fourth of July, RG's project manager's past water dealings, water issues, and the future of RG cross country skiing.
• An article on the development from the South Yuba River Citizens League
• An article on mother nature's response to Foster/Syme (Reality Check).
• July issue of the Donner Summit Clarion

Placer County:

• Royal Gorge LLC has not yet submitted a Notice of Project (NOP) to officially start the permit application process with the county

• RG LLC's June submittal of preliminary documents reveals that they have moved all development to Placer County, moving "Summit Camp" to the area near the intersection of Pahatsi and Soda Springs Roads.
• The same documents state that "Lake Camp" will be developed first, before Ski, Summit or Wilderness camps.

Real Facts: (taken from the July Clarion)

• Dredging was done in the past to remove aquatic vegetation, not to increase capacity or to recover lost capacity.
• With or without dredging, according to their own documents, Foster/Syme’s water usage will cause shorelines to recede more than 20 feet, will leave docks in the mud, and will leave much of the remaining lake too shallow to use.
• Serene Lakes only contains between 650 and 700 acre-feet of water, Royal Gorge’s suggestion to draw over 380 acre-feet per year would drain more than half of the water from the lakes.
• The water district’s first priority is the lakes’ health and the projected needs of current customers and lot owners.

• The water district, with the help of hydrologists and other water experts, will decide how much water is available. Foster/Syme does not decide how much water can be used.
• The Foster/Syme lands are not zoned for the condominiums, duplexes, lodges and retail space that they propose. They have the rights to run a cross country ski resort, not to build a mega-condo-land.