Blog: PG&E requests extension for Eel River Dam decommissioning plan, delays expected
On Thursday, June 6 the Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) informed federal regulators that it would like a 6-month extension to submit its Final License Surrender Application and plan to decommission two Eel River dams that block access to hundreds of miles of prime salmon habitat. … In announcing the delay, PG&E expressed support for the still vague proposal for the New Eel-Russian Facility and stated that its six-month delay was to allow proponents of that proposal to have more time to work out the details. The proposal would build a dam-free diversion facility to continue transfer of some Eel River water to the Russian River. As proposed, the diversion facility would be constructed concurrently with dam removal and managed by the newly formed Eel Russian Project Authority. … The Eel River was once one of the most productive salmon producing rivers in the state with runs of up to a million fish in good years supporting robust tribal, recreational, and commercial fisheries. But a number of factors have degraded habitat and reduced populations to a fraction of their historic numbers, resulting in the listing of many native fish populations as Threatened or Endangered. Experts agree that dam removal would be beneficial in efforts to recover Chinook salmon and steelhead.