The Klamath, Trinity, Eel, Russian
and Smith rivers are the major northern streams that drain this
sparsely populated, forested coastal area that stretches from San
Francisco to the Oregon border. These rivers and their
tributaries flow west to the Pacific Ocean and account for about
40 percent of the state’s total runoff.
Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) is set to commence
the removal of the Eel River Dam, a move that has sparked mixed
reactions among local communities. While some believe the
project will aid in the restoration of native fish populations,
others are worried about its potential impact on water supplies
for the Russian River Basin. … The deconstruction work,
part of the Potter Valley Hydroelectric Project originally
built over a century ago, is expected to take several years due
to the project’s scale and seasonal work constraints.
The California Department of Water Resources announced Thursday
there will be changes to the Feather River flows on Friday and
Saturday. Officials say that the reduction in flows is in order
to facilitate maintenance work at the O’Neill Forebay. On
Friday at 11 a.m., the Feather River releases will decrease to
1,000 cubic feet per second (cfs) through the City of Oroville.
By 1 p.m., flows from the Thermalito Afterbay River Outlet will
be reduced to 3,000 cfs, resulting in a total Feather River
release of 4,000 cfs downstream.
… Removing the Scott Dam, alongside the removal of the
smaller Cape Horn Dam downstream, both on the picturesque Eel
River, is part of PG&E’s plan to retire a century-old
hydroelectric operation known as the Potter Valley Project,
which the company says has gotten too expensive to run.
… Downstream communities along the Eel River as well as
environmental groups and tribes have cheered dam removal as a
way to restore the river’s natural flows. Long-declining salmon
and steelhead runs stand to benefit from the
restoration. At the same time, the plan has raised
concerns about power and water supplies in Northern California.
… Much less talked about is the fate of Lake Pillsbury.
In the past week, Northern California’s century-old Potter
Valley Project crossed a major threshold toward dismantling. On
July 25, PG&E submitted its formal plan to federal
regulators to tear down the two-dam system that has rerouted
Eel River water into the Russian River for over a century. Just
days earlier, the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors became
one of seven required signatories to a water diversion
agreement, paving the way for a replacement system called the
New Eel-Russian Facility, or NERF. Together, the two
developments mark a historic shift: The original infrastructure
is on its way out, and the future of interbasin water sharing
is up for grabs.
Pacific Gas & Electric Co. submitted a request to federal
regulators Friday to tear down an aging hydroelectric project
in Mendocino and Lake counties, a $530 million
demolition that would include removal of two dams on the
Eel River. The Potter Valley Project, according to PG&E, is
no longer financially fit for power generation. However, the
project’s greatest asset has become the water it provides, and
the beneficiaries of that water, which include cities and towns
in Sonoma and Marin counties as well as the region’s celebrated
grape-growing industry, have been on edge about losing
supplies. … Under PG&E’s proposal, a new agency run
by local communities would take over some of the existing
project facilities and continue water shipments. The agency,
though, wouldn’t be able to ship as much water and would likely
charge more for it.
The various and competing interests surrounding the Potter
Valley Project have now come together in an agreement that
Humboldt County has signed onto. … Approved by Humboldt’s
Board of Supervisors at its July 22 meeting, the agreement
charts the removal of Scott Dam and Cape Horn Dam, as well as
the continuation of water diversion through a new facility
built and operated by a new joint powers authority (JPA).
PG&E now operates the Potter Valley Project (PVP) but is
getting out of it and will submit a decommissioning plan to the
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission by July 29. … The
agreement supports a transfer of PG&E’s water rights to the
Round Valley Tribe, which will lease the rights to the new JPA.
In addition to lease payments, the JPA will make separate
payments into an Eel River Restoration Fund.
The Eel River Pikeminnow Fishing Derby is back again, after
over 500 fish were caught in the 2024 derby. The derby is put
on by a collaboration of groups working to restore native
fishes in the Eel River. From now through August 31st, anyone
with a fishing license (or if under 16 years of age, no license
is necessary) can go and catch pikeminnow on the Eel for a
chance to win up to $500, with $2,500 in cash prizes! There is
no entry fee. Data from your catches can help managers aid in
the conservation of our native fishes. Pikeminnow were
introduced to the Eel River via Pillsbury Reservoir in the late
1970’s. Since then, they have spread to all the forks of the
Eel and are remarkably prolific. … The waters open to
fishing for the derby are: the South Fork Eel River downstream
of the Humboldt County line to the confluence with the
mainstem, the mainstem Eel from Dos Rios to the mouth of the
Van Duzen, and the Van Duzen from Grizzly Creek to the mouth of
the Van Duzen.
California is chock full of rivers and creeks, yet the state’s network of stream gauges has significant gaps that limit real-time tracking of how much water is flowing downstream, information that is vital for flood protection, forecasting water supplies and knowing what the future might bring.
That network of stream gauges got a big boost Sept. 30 with the signing of SB 19. Authored by Sen. Bill Dodd (D-Napa), the law requires the state to develop a stream gauge deployment plan, focusing on reactivating existing gauges that have been offline for lack of funding and other reasons. Nearly half of California’s stream gauges are dormant.
The Eel River supports one of California’s largest wild salmon
and steelhead runs in a watershed that hosts the world’s largest
surviving stands of ancient redwoods.
The Eel flows generally northward from Northern California’s
Mendocino National Forest to the Pacific, a few miles south of
Eureka. The river and its tributaries drain
more than 3,500 square miles, the state’s
third-largest watershed.
For over a century, the Klamath River Basin along the Oregon and
California border has faced complex water management disputes. As
relayed in this 2012, 60-minute public television documentary
narrated by actress Frances Fisher, the water interests range
from the Tribes near the river, to energy producer PacifiCorp,
farmers, municipalities, commercial fishermen, environmentalists
– all bearing legitimate arguments for how to manage the water.
After years of fighting, a groundbreaking compromise may soon
settle the battles with two epic agreements that hold the promise
of peace and fish for the watershed. View an excerpt from the
documentary here.
This 25-minute documentary-style DVD, developed in partnership
with the California Department of Water Resources, provides an
excellent overview of climate change and how it is already
affecting California. The DVD also explains what scientists
anticipate in the future related to sea level rise and
precipitation/runoff changes and explores the efforts that are
underway to plan and adapt to climate.
A new look for our most popular product! And it’s the perfect
gift for the water wonk in your life.
Our 24×36-inch California Water Map is widely known for being the
definitive poster that shows the integral role water plays in the
state. On this updated version, it is easier to see California’s
natural waterways and man-made reservoirs and aqueducts
– including federally, state and locally funded
projects – the wild and scenic rivers system, and
natural lakes. The map features beautiful photos of
California’s natural environment, rivers, water projects,
wildlife, and urban and agricultural uses and the
text focuses on key issues: water supply, water use, water
projects, the Delta, wild and scenic rivers and the Colorado
River.
