The Eel is a river of opportunity. Seizing these opportunities can have impacts far beyond our watershed. When you support Friends of the Eel River, you are a part of precedent-setting litigation, helping shift the culture of unjust water management, and preserving habitat essential to protecting endangered species. Did you know that once the Potter … Read more
The Eel River once flowed unobstructed from its headwaters in Mendocino County to the Pacific Ocean, supporting the third largest salmon and steelhead runs in California. Over a million fish historically spawned each year within the Eel River watershed (Source: Yoshiyama & Moyle, 2010). All that has changed over the past century, with the effects … Read more
July 29, 2022 Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary Federal Energy Regulatory Commission 888 First Street, NE Washington, D.C. 20426 Re: Potter Valley Project (P-77) Decommissioning Plan and Schedule Dear Secretary Bose, On behalf of the undersigned organizations we offer these comments on the PG&E draft license surrender schedule for the Potter Valley Project, P-77 (Project). … Read more
Dear Friends, Taking time to pause and celebrate victories is often challenging, but it is so good for the soul. So, I want to take a moment to shout from my metaphoric rooftop that we saved the North Coast from being poisoned by coal!! Maintain the momentum – please make a generous gift today and … Read more
When dams are removed, a variety of experts from engineers to hydrologists and biologists develop plans to minimize negative impacts on aquatic life. When PG&E’s license for the Potter Valley Project on the Eel River expired last month, that began the decommissioning process which will ultimately lead to dam removal. Many studies have already been … Read more
KMUD: The Environment Show May 3, 2022 Every Tuesday at 7 PM Host: Tom Wheeler of EPIC Guests: Alicia Hamann, Executive Director of Friends of the Eel River and Redgie Collins, Legal & Policy Director at CalTrout. In this segment of The Environment Show, Tom gets current with efforts to remove dams in the Eel … Read more
For Immediate Release April 18, 2022 Environmental, Fishing Groups Give Notice of Intent to Sue Pacific Gas and Electric to Minimize Harms to Salmon Until Eel River Dams Are Removed Dams put federally protected salmon and steelhead at risk of extinction Eureka, California – A coalition of environmental and fishing groups has notified Pacific Gas … Read more
Aging Eel River dams headed for license surrender and decommissioning Today, PG&E’s license to operate the Potter Valley Project (PVP) expires. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) – the agency tasked with regulating hydropower projects – will now ask PG&E to surrender their license to operate the project and propose a plan to decommission it. … Read more
April 11, 2022 Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary Federal Energy Regulatory Commission 888 First Street, NE Washington, D.C. 20426 Re: Interim Protective Measures Pending Decommissioning of the Potter Valley Project (P-77) on the Eel River, California Dear Secretary Bose: The undersigned organizations share a deep concern for the Eel River’s critically imperiled fisheries, especially its salmon … Read more
Letter to the Editor: The Ukiah Daily Journal April 2, 2022 To the Editor – The Eel River’s embattled salmon and steelhead may have no better enemy than Guinness McFadden. In his March 25 letter to the Ukiah Daily Journal, the Potter Valley wine grape grower kicks up a fuss about Representative Jared Huffman’s efforts … Read more