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.
Read more at https://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/news/eel-river-diversions-russian-river/?ref=moststory