Friends of the Eel River

by Nadananda
November 18, 2002


FOER has taken on the effort to remove two antiquated PG&E dams that are part of their Potter Valley Hydroelectric Project. This project produces a very small amount of electricity, and it is well known that this is really a water-delivery system in the guise of a power plant.

The first dam, 50-foot high Cape Horn that forms the Van Arsdale Reservoir, was completed in 1908 and quickly filled with silt. With the help of extenders, misnamed ?floodgates,? the dam creates a bay for the tunnel that removes up to half of the water produced in the headwaters of the main stem of the Eel River. The power plant is at the foot of the mile-long tunnel in Potter Valley, where the water is released into the east branch of the Russian River. The second dam, 130-foot high Scott Dam that forms Lake Pillsbury, was completed in 1925 and captures winter runoff that is released during the spring, summer, and fall months.

For most of its 94 years of life, this project has held the Eel River in a continuous drought condition. While 340 cubic feet per second of water (cfs) is released to the Russian River, only 5 cfs is allowed to escape to the Eel River. Before 1983, only 2 cfs were allowed into the Eel River. These amounts are extremely small and are not enough water for the once-prolific and famous salmonid fishery to survive and thrive. During the past two winters, just over 1,000 salmonid arrived at the Cape Horn fish-counting station where more than 500,000 used to run. As with the Klamath, the Eel is in the grips of farmers and developers to the south.

After spending a concentrated six months and more as a study group, we decided to take on the effort to remove the two antiquated PG&E dams. Careful consideration led us to believe that the only way we could fight Goliath was through the legal process, using the Public Trust Doctrine, the Clean Water Act, the Endangered Species Act, and other legislation. Over the past eight years FOER has been taking the appropriate steps necessary to use legal action to restore natural water flows to the Eel River, to remove the two antiquated dams, and to close the tunnel. To that end, we hired well-known attorney Stephan Volker to guide us through the legal process. As of this writing, we are waiting for the final Biological Opinion of the National Marine Fisheries Service on a plan submitted to and approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission from PG&E and the Potter Valley Irrigation District. It is due on November 27, 2002, the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. Since the NMFS has already said they would give a ?jeopardy? ruling on the plan (in other words, there is not enough water for fish to survive and they will die under this plan) PG&E asked for a 30-day extension to give- them time to try to work out a deal since a jeopardy ruling could cause the plant to be shut down. We are about to see many of the same situations found in the Klamath situation repeated on the Eel. We feel confident with our many supporters backing us that we will be able to persevere and win this effort.

On other notes:
This year we put on the Eel River Summit at Dean Creek Resort on the South Fork Eel River. It was well attended, and its main purpose, to have a discussion with experts and knowledgeable people, was achieved. We have been asked for a repeat performance, which we are contemplating doing as a series of meetings in 2003.

We also enjoy getting out on the Eel River in a variety of boats during various parts of the year. One of the most beautiful runs is a four-day adventure through the Eel River Canyon, famous for its diverse geology. It is truly awesome and fun! Day runs start on all branches when the rains come. We will be running two four-day Eel River Canyon commercial trips the weeks before and after Easter 2003, which is during the school spring breaks. Updates will be posted on our website and in our magazine. Register early to hold a space for you and your loved ones and friends.
Our giant fish puppets continue to appear in the most unlikely places ? in the Russian River Festival in Healdsburg, looking for Eel River water; and winning first place in the Fortuna Rodeo Parade.

You can find out more about our work in our news magazine, The Eel River Reporter, which we produce three times a year with a printing run of 50,000. The Fall/Winter 2002 edition is on the press as I write and will soon be mailed to members and distributed professionally from San Francisco to the Oregon border. It will also be posted on our website, hopefully by the time you read this article.
For more information contact us at: FOER, PO Box 2305, Redway, CA, 95560 or online at www.eelriver.org


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