Road along Pit River closed in August 2011.....

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

BRIEF ROAD CLOSURES ON PIT RIVER canyon ROAD AUGUST 9 FOR PAVING
PG&E is Making Recreational and Access Improvements

BURNEY, Calif. – Pit River Canyon Road will be closed to through traffic for up to a two hours on Tuesday, Aug. 9 while Pacific Gas and Electric Company’s (PG&E) contractor paves two short sections. Motorists may drive up to flaggers at the paving points from either end of the road during paving.
The contractor will pave near Rock Creek Bridge and later at the Powder Spur River Access site, starting at about 7 a.m. and finishing by about 6 p.m. Both sites are west of the Lake Britton Dam (Pit 3 Dam) along Pit River Canyon Road.
Paving at the Powder Spur River Access will provide paved access to a parking area.
Signs advising motorist of the temporary road closure will be posted at both ends of Pit River Canyon Road at Five Corners and at the Pit 5 Dam.
PG&E is making recreational improvements along Pit River Canyon Road between the Lake Britton Dam (Pit 3 Dam) and the Pit 4 powerhouse in eastern Shasta County.
Except for the paving on Aug. 9, Pit River Canyon Road remains open to through traffic. There is plenty of new and existing parking is available along the route. Motorists may encounter slow moving trucks on the road and momentary delays at active construction sites.
In recent years PG&E made improvements to the Pit River Canyon Road to make it safer and to provide better recreational access to the river by building new turnouts, shoulder embankments, retaining walls, culverts and fords. Other improvements included replacing two bridges over Screwdriver Creek and Underground Creek, and reshaping earthen piles leftover from original tunnel construction.
The work is being conducted in accordance with conditions of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) license for the Pit 3, 4, and 5 Hydroelectric Project issued in 2007. The license conditions were collaboratively developed during the relicensing process, in consultation with federal and state resource agencies, non-governmental organizations and public stakeholders.


Jason F.R. Vann
Senior License Coordinator
Power Generation - Hydro Licensing

Pacific Gas and Electric Company
245 Market Street - Rm. 1123A
San Francisco, California 94105

[huntindog]

Having just returned from the area i can say the new parking spots are going to be nice to have: they will be a great area to stage the rescue crews for the people who hurt themselves in the pit river. Fishing that creek is tougher than ever and less fisherpeople will get to enjoy the creek. The hardier ones will enjoy great fishing...if you thought wading was tough before it is only worse.. (or better for those of us that dont mind)...this river is not for people who are uncomfortable wading (now moreso than ever)....i took 3 unexpected swims in one day last week and that has never happened to me before (maybe i am just getting older)..and oh yah..the fishing was good.

[EricO]

Hey HuntinDog,

I agree. I was up at Pit 4 camping a month ago with a buddy. The catch phrase that weekend was, "we want our river back".

Pit 4- Unfishable as very little pocket water exists anymore.
Pit 5- Unfishable. I think last year I fished it at 200 cfs. And now it's running at....checking Dreamflows now....493 cfs. What a joke. I ALWAYS got dunked at
Pit 5. Now I would be taking my life into my own hands.

I want my river back. Ya, that paving is really going to help. And if paving brings more people that just means someone is going to get hurt. I've been fishing the Pit for quite a few years now....sad to see what's transpired at such an exemplary river.

Eric