salmon – Enviro Updates

SuzanneJune 28, 2025July 1, 2025Water, WildlifeEel River, endangered species, Lake Pillsbury, PG&E, Russian River, salmon, Scott Dam, water diversion

A to-be-drained lake, a PG&E plan, and the promise and peril of California’s next big dam removal

Amie Windsor, PRESS DEMOCRAT

LAKE PILLSBURY — A cool May breeze lapped across the surface of this reservoir in remote Lake County, where a couple made their way out in a boat across otherwise serene waters, taking advantage of the brightest bit of afternoon sun.

This man-made retreat, four square miles of water impounded by a dam across the upper Eel River, feels durable. It’s filled with hungry trout and black bullhead, prey for the sharp-eyed bald eagles, egrets and herons that hunt these waters.

To many of its visitors, and the several hundred people who live along its 31-mile shoreline deep within the sprawling Mendocino National Forest, Lake Pillsbury is the region’s heartbeat.

But Scott Dam, at the foot of Lake Pillsbury, and another, smaller dam on the river 12 miles downstream, have also become a headache for Pacific Gas & Electric Co., which owns both dams.

And that’s creating a controversy that’s drawn interest from everyone from those who live on Lake Pillsbury, to North Bay communities whose water supplies are linked to both dams, to federal agencies now under control of President Donald Trump.

SuzanneJune 23, 2025June 23, 2025WaterEel River, PG&E, Potter Valley diversion, Round Valley Indian Tribe, Russian River, salmon, salmon habitat

Op-Ed: A two-basin deal is the only solution

Joe Parker, PRESS DEMOCRAT

The Two-Basin Solution shares water resources and restores fisheries, benefiting the Eel and Russian rivers.

Our ancestors have hunted, gathered and fished in the upper Eel River watershed for millennia. They lived in harmony with the river and its surrounding ecosystem, intuitively understanding the intertwined nature of the cycles of the river and the cycles of life itself. Their knowledge of the river has been handed down over time, each successive generation adding to that knowledge and passing on to the next the sacred obligation to protect and preserve the river.

No other sovereign has this connection to the upper Eel watershed. This has been, and will always be, our river. We are the Round Valley Indian Tribes.

In the early 20th century, without our consent, the Potter Valley Project dammed our river and started diverting significant portions to generate electricity, after which the water was made available, at no cost, to users in the Russian River watershed. All the while, our community endured the loss of a critical part of our economy and culture: the decimated Eel River salmon fishery.

These impacts are not limited to a degraded fishery and economic hardship, but also significantly severed our spiritual and cultural connection to the river, leading to a diminished quality of life for members of the Round Valley Indian Tribes, while Eel River water flowed free of charge to benefit Russian River users. Quite simply, the Potter Valley Project dams and the water supply they generated have benefited others while we have paid the costs. This can no longer stand.

SuzanneApril 7, 2025April 14, 2025Water, Wildlifeendangered species, groundwater, salmon, salmon habitat, water supply, well ordinance

Op-Ed: Still time to settle county well ordinance dispute

Don McEnhill & Sean Bothwell, PRESS DEMOCRAT

It’s time to urge the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors to act with responsibility and foresight by resolving the ongoing dispute over the county’s well permitting ordinance. The stakes couldn’t be higher for the future of our environment, economy and way of life.

The people of Sonoma County rely on our elected officials to create policy that is not only transparent and fact-based but also ensures the long-term health of our precious resources, including our salmon populations.

Our organizations, Russian Riverkeeper and California Coastkeeper Alliance, are in court challenging an amended well ordinance passed in 2023. We’re suing because we believe the ordinance violates the Public Trust Doctrine and the California Environmental Quality Act.

The Sonoma County Superior Court agreed and ruled that the county must revise the ordinance to reflect the facts on the ground. Instead of taking the time to protect our resources and comply with state law, the county has decided to continue to waste taxpayer money fighting a legal battle. It’s time for the county to come to the table and work toward a solution that genuinely benefits everyone.

SuzanneApril 1, 2025April 4, 2025Water, Wildlifeendangered species, groundwater, salmon, stream dewatering, streams, well ordinance

Sonoma County Board of Supervisors moves to appeal ruling that county’s well ordinance violated environmental law

Emma Murphy, PRESS DEMOCRAT

The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors will appeal a superior court judge’s ruling that the county violated state environmental law when revising a controversial ordinance governing wells and groundwater use.

The board’s decision is the latest evolution of the county’s yearslong legal battle with environmental advocates, which has thrown the county’s ability to issue groundwater well permits into limbo.

The county is currently issuing permits for nonemergency wells under a temporary court order pausing a separate court-ordered moratorium on well permitting.

The window for issuing permits will remain in place until the court decides whether to allow the county to continue permitting during the appeals process.

Last fall, Sonoma County Superior Court Judge Bradford DeMeo ordered the county to halt nonemergency well permitting until it can complete an environmental review of the ordinance in alignment with state law. The order was in addition to his determination that the county did not properly follow the state’s environmental review process.

SuzanneFebruary 12, 2025February 17, 2025Habitats, Water, WildlifeEel River, Lake Mendocino, PG&E, Potter Valley diversion, Russian River, salmon, salmon habitat, Scott Dam, water flows, watersheds

Historic pact reached on future Eel River water flows into Russian River

Mary Callahan, PRESS DEMOCRAT

A historic agreement has been reached to manage water flow from the Eel River to the Russian River.
The deal establishes limits on diversions, focusing on fish protection.
Water rights are transferred to the Round Valley Tribes, supporting river restoration efforts.

Officials from three counties and the Round Valley Indian Tribes have reached a historic agreement that paves the way for continued diversions from the Eel River to bolster flows in the Russian River.

The agreement represents a critical development for anyone whose water comes from the Russian River.

The complex accord resulted from years of negotiations to preserve supplemental flows in the Russian River, the water lifeline for residents, ranchers and wildlife in Sonoma and Mendocino counties. The agreement also supports the restoration and fish recovery in the Eel River, which was crucial to securing support from environmental interests, tribes and Humboldt County residents.

It is, at last, the “two-basin solution” envisioned by regional stakeholders in 2019 and even earlier, when Pacific Gas & Electric first raised questions about whether to continue operating the small, aging hydroelectric plant in Potter Valley through which Eel River flows have been redirected.

The utility is now on track to decommission the plant, tear down Scott Dam, which impounds Lake Pillsbury in Lake County, and Cape Horn Dam 12 miles downstream, where Eel River water has long been diverted.

SuzanneDecember 18, 2024December 27, 2024Habitats, Water, Wildlifeaquatic life, groundwater, salmon, stream dewatering, well ordinance

Sonoma County must suspend non-emergency well drilling under court order

Emma Murphy, PRESS DEMOCRAT

It is the latest development in a lengthy legal fight between the county and environmental groups who contend heavy groundwater pumping is doing harm to streams and aquatic wildlife. The county, those groups say, must conduct deeper study of those impacts and craft stronger regulations to safeguard natural resources that belong to the public.

Sonoma County has once again suspended permitting for non-emergency well drilling, this time under the order of a Sonoma County judge.

The order follows an August ruling in which Superior Court Judge Bradford DeMeo determined the county violated state environmental law in its attempt to draft a controversial ordinance governing wells and groundwater use.

In light of that finding, the county must halt non-emergency well-permitting until it can complete an environmental review of the ordinance in alignment with state law, the court ordered.

SuzanneJuly 23, 2024July 30, 2024Agriculture/Food System, Climate Change & Energy, Forests, Habitats, Sustainable Living, Wildlifebiodiversity, California proposition, climate action, parks funding, recreation, salmon, water

A look at the $10B climate bond (Prop. 4) California voters will decide on in November

Manola Secaira, CAPRADIO

In November, California voters will decide whether to approve of a bond that would fund state climate initiatives.

Proposition 4 on Ballotpedia

Legislators announced the $10 billion bond will appear on the November ballot as Proposition 4 earlier this month. Dozens of environmental groups advocated for it, especially in light of state budget cuts made earlier in the year that impacted climate programs.
Fred Greaves for CalMatters
Big cuts, no new taxes: Gov. Newsom’s plan to fix California’s budget deficit

Many advocates are optimistic voters will approve of the bond, citing a PPIC survey published earlier this month that found 59% of California voters would likely vote “yes.”

Assembly member Lori Wilson was one of the legislators who introduced the measure. Before it came together, she said she’d been working to introduce a bond measure that would focus on agriculture. But she and other legislators eventually decided they’d see a better chance of success if they pooled their bond proposals.

“Once we started to see the cost of inflation, just the impact that the voters were feeling, we knew there really wasn’t an appetite for multiple bonds on the ballot and there would have to be consolidation,” Wilson said.

The bond would be paid off by California’s general fund, which is supported, for the most part, by tax revenue. The state’s legislative analyst’s office says the estimated cost to repay the bond would be $400 million a year over the course of 40 years.

Supporters say the bond would provide much-needed funds to accomplish California’s ambitious environmental goals, like its commitment to conserving 6 million acres of land by 2030.

SuzanneApril 11, 2024April 17, 2024Habitats, Water, Wildlifedrought, endangered species, fisheries, habitat loss, salmon, water diversion

California’s ocean salmon fishing season closed for second year in a row

Susan Wood, NORTH BAY BUSINESS JOURNAL

California’s commercial and recreational ocean salmon fishing season is set to be closed for the second consecutive year, another blow to the state’s beleaguered industry suffering from the combined fallout of drought, climate disruption and deteriorating ocean conditions.

Already, a new request is underway for yet another federal disaster declaration to help alleviate some of the wide economic damage from the closure, affecting not just the fleet but many associated businesses that depend on the fishery, one of the state’s most lucrative.

The Pacific Fisheries Management Council, which manages and monitors West Coast salmon stocks in the ocean, endorsed the option on Wednesday of a full closure through the end of the year, mirroring recommendations made to close the fisheries in 2023.

Many fishermen, already resigned to a severely limited season if any at all due to depleted stocks, had backed the full closure.

Read more at https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/north-bay/californias-salmon-fishing-season-closed-for-second-year-in-a-row/

SuzanneJanuary 30, 2024March 1, 2024Habitats, Water, Wildlifedams, endangered species, fish hatchery, fisheries, habitat restoration, salmon

Press Release: Governor Newsom launches California’s ‘Salmon Strategy for a Hotter, Drier Future’

Office of Governor Gavin Newsom

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: To restore populations of salmon amidst hotter and drier weather exacerbated by climate change, Governor Newsom announced California’s first strategy to protect the iconic fish species for generations to come.

Governor Gavin Newsom today announced new actions and efforts already underway that California is taking to help restore California’s salmon populations.

Salmon Strategy for a Hotter, Drier Future

After 10 years of rapidly intensifying drought and more extreme weather, salmon are not doing well. Last year, with projections showing Chinook salmon population at historic lows, the salmon season was closed and the Newsom Administration requested a Federal Fishery Disaster to support impacted communities. Additionally, due to crashing salmon populations in 2023, some tribes canceled their religious and cultural harvests for the first time ever.

The strategy’s six priorities call for:

1. Removing barriers and modernizing infrastructure for salmon migration
2. Restoring habitat
3. Protecting water flows in key rivers at the right times
4. Modernizing hatcheries
5. Transforming technology and management systems
6. Strengthening partnerships

SuzanneNovember 17, 2023November 19, 2023Habitats, Water, Wildlifedams, Eel River, Lake Mendocino, Lake Pillsbury, PG&E, Potter Valley diversion, salmon, salmon habitat, steelhead

PG&E formalizes plan to take down dams on Eel River

Mary Callahan, PRESS DEMOCRAT

In a landmark moment, Pacific Gas & Electric Co. formalized its plans to tear down two more-than-century-old dams on the Eel River — removing the barrier that forms Lake Pillsbury, freeing the waters of the river and restoring the lake footprint to a more natural state.

The moves are part of a 94-page draft surrender application submitted to federal regulators and made public Friday as part of the utility’s plan to decommission its Potter Valley powerhouse and all the infrastructure that comes with it — including Scott and Cape Horn dams, sited slightly downstream.

PG&E has said work deconstructing the dams could begin as early 2028, depending on regulatory approval and environmental review of the plan.

Scott Dam, built in 1921, would come down first, either in phases or all in one season.

Pacific Gas & Electric Co. initial draft plan

The plan fulfills long-held dreams of conservationists and fishery groups to see the cold, clear headwaters of the Eel River, part of the Mendocino National Forest, reopened to migrating fish and to restore natural river flows in hopes of reversing the decline of native fish stocks.

Environmental Center of Sonoma County

Tag: salmon