California requires a "dam permit" under state law for all dams proposed for
removal. This includes little cattle wallows. Over the years, I reviewed
hundreds of such permits for environmental review. Usually, we were dealing with
the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service for biology and wetlands, but sometimes the
dams were associated with historic landscapes. When we scoped such an issue, I
sent letters to the owners directing cultural resource studies at their expense.
You can imagine how popular this made us with the ranchers.
Ron May
Legacy 106, Inc.