Rindge Dam Demolition

By Mike Salko

Dams are frequently harmful; They destroy habitats, typically ones full of native plants and biodiversity, they prevent sediment flow, further harming the habitats of native plants, and they often prevent fish migration patterns. Rindge Dam is especially harmful. Rindge Dam has all of these issues without providing a single person water or power. Rindge Dam’s basin has become entirely filled with sediment, and has remained that was since the 1950s. More importantly, Rindge Dam is directly in the migration path of many of California’s endangered trout.

Despite this, Rindge Dam was beloved by many. Though declared off limits in 2014, Rindge Dam functioned as a haven for thrill seekers. Prior to the Palisades fires, the pool below the waterfall from the dam reached depths of over 100 feet, making it the perfect venue for cliff jumps from the many ledges and rocks overlooking the pool.

After roughly 75 years of being filled with sediment, Rindge Dam is to be destroyed by the Army Corps of Engineers in 2025.