ROYAL GORGE LLC'S HEART OF STONE TOWARDS THEIR BIG BEND NEIGHBORS

Lately, the focus of attention on Royal Gorge LLC has been up at Serene Lakes and Donner Summit. First, the stunning news that Sugar Bowl had repudiated an earlier letter of intent to have a connecting lift, and to support lifts at Royal Gorge LLC's proposed "Ski Camp" caught everyone's attention, as it really seemed to pull the rug our from under downhill skiing, a major component of Royal Gorge LLC's proposed development.  Second, since February everyone has been aware that Royal Gorge LLC has been playing a well-lawyered game of hardball with Sierra Lakes County Water District (SLCWD) over a proposed ordinance, and a resolution, which have now been passed unanimously by the SLCWD board. The ordinance dealt with priority of service, and insured that those who own already entitled lots in the subdivision, and who have helped pay down a bond, and who have paid stand-by fees won't be shut out from water by those who might come later and try to "buy" their way in.  The second item, a resolution that was passed, basically formalized the district's ongoing practice of not lowering the lakes more than 3 feet below dam level; this resolution is aimed at protecting the water supply, ensuring compliance with bypass requirements in the state permit, and safeguarding ecological, aesthetic, and recreational values. 

Word has been drifting upriver lately, though--and that's up the South Yuba River, the one Royal Gorge LLC hopes to dump 1000 more units worth of treated effluent down, that all is not well in River City. To be more specific, all is not well in Big Bend, near Royal Gorge LLC's Rainbow Lodge. 

Rainbow Lodge, a historic old road house on scenic Highway 40, about 10 miles below Donner Summit,  is situated in an idyllic setting- large boulders, sparkling water--it's the kind of place in which nostalgic ads are filmed. The rocky setting, nestled on the banks of the South Yuba, also has the advantage of ready access to springs that bubble down the hills, and flow into the South Yuba River. 

When the Rainbow Lodge was first built, springs that run down to the South Yuba were captured, and diverted for the use of Rainbow Lodge, and also for the use of the immediate cabins clustered about the area.  Rainbow Lodge procured some state water rights for use at the lodge; apparently later they expanded those rights, but the history is not clear. The cabin owners and Rainbow Lodge had what may be characterized as an uneasy agreement over water, which became more difficult around 1988, when the then owner of Royal Gorge started selling water off bulk to bottlers.  It must be noted that whatever state permits might have existed, the water was sold off without appropriate Placer County permits, a situation which has persisted until very recently under the new ownership of Royal Gorge LLC. Placer County has now noticed a negative declaration in the process towards the required conditional use permit, which is of very little account, as Royal Gorge LLC  proposes to pipe that spring water up to Donner Summit to provide water for their development-- a full Environmental Assessment will be required for that future "pipe dream." 

Back to the present situation-  to the best of my knowledge Royal Gorge LLC and those local cabin owners, who are served by the small "Rainbow Mutual Water Company" have worked things out more or less to their satisfaction-- pre-existing easements for pipes have been confirmed, base levels of water have been guaranteed, and Royal Gorge LLC has promised to try to direct all the tanker trucks rolling away full of water to exit downhill towards the Cisco ramp, instead of grinding uphill past the cabins to the east.

Large tanker trucks full of water, rolling away with what is fast becoming the Sierra Nevada's new gold- is something wrong with this picture?  Very much so, as this water is urgently needed elsewhere-- in fact it's needed by Royal Gorge LLC's other immediate neighbors at Big Bend, who are increasingly desperate for potable water.

So, is Royal Gorge LLC being a good neighbor, and helping out the cabin owners, who've had cabins in the area for a very, very long time? I think you can guess the answer already-- Royal Gorge LLC is stiffing the cabin owners, and, wait for it-- they're not even selling this water as drinking water to Nestle-Perrier, or whoever they used to sell it to-- they've entered into an agreement with a construction company working on Highway 80 to sell them the water to use to dampen down dust on the freeway.

Yes, they're wasting cold, clear, beautiful water, that if it is not allowed to nourish the South Yuba River, could at least help a neighbor make a cup of tea, or run a child's bath. Instead, they're squandering this water to wet down a dusty freeway, something recycled water would be perfectly suited for. 

It seems Royal Gorge LLC doesn't want to do the neighborly thing, but instead are doing the miserly thing.  On one hand they seem to want to wring every drop of water they can get out of SLCWD and Serene Lakes, in order to build 1000 units, but on the other hand they don't have a drop to spare for needy cabin owners, whose cabins have been around much longer than Royal Gorge LLC's dreams of wealth.  In their hard hearted pursuit of profits (gold), the owners of Royal Gorge LLC have apparently forgotten the gold that really matters-- the golden rule, "Do unto others as you would have done to yourself."

Royal Gorge and Rainbow Lodge are certainly not good places to go searchin' for a heart of gold; all a miner will find is hearts of stone.