The Butte County Board of Supervisors will consider on Tuesday if they will provide financial support for the Paradise Irrigation District (PID) to improve the section of the Skyway that crossed over Magalia Dam.
According to Paradise Irrigation District Manager Kevin Phillips, the PID is in the design phase of a project to address seepage issues identified by the Division of Safety of Dams.
“The Division of Safety of Dams has required us to keep it at a reduced elevation. With the original design of the dam we could store approximately 2,500 acre-feet of water behind it. The Division of Safety of Dams now requires we keep it at a level where we can store 800 acre-feet behind it,” Phillips said.
The PID is seeking a partnership with Butte County to contribute $350,000 for the design work needed to widen the portion of Skyway that runs over the dam.
“Additional capacity or widening of the road, there’s additional design work that needs to be done. So really the letter is basically saying if we get to a point to construct and fix the dam, the county would then reimburse us for the portion of the design that is just for the widening of the road,” Phillips said.
Local residents expressed support for the road expansion, noting its importance during evacuations and bad weather.
