Risky dam above Marin County beach needs to come down, agency says
The National Park Service is advancing its plan to remove a Tennessee Valley dam that has been classified as having a high risk of failure and threatens public safety at a nearby beach. The California Coastal Commission voted unanimously Thursday to endorse the park service’s proposed project, which also includes restoring acres of wetland habitat that has been affected by the dam over the decades. … Built in the early 1960s by the former landowner to attract waterfowl for hunting, the earthen dam was one of the many artificial structures inherited by the National Park Service after the Golden Gate National Recreation Area was founded in 1972. The dam and its holding pond are accessible on the Tennessee Valley Trail and are about 900 feet from Tennessee Beach.