CalTrout News
Submit a comment about the future of dams on the Eel River.
The Eel River needs our help. Two dams (Cape Horn and Scott) on the upper mainstem of the river, known as the Potter Valley Project, block fish access to important high elevation habitat. Volitional passage of salmon and steelhead to prime upstream spawning and rearing habitat is a necessary step to recovery of salmonid abundance in the Eel River.
The Potter Valley Project is now up for re-licensing through the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), which is a great opportunity for stakeholders (that means us!) to submit comments on how we want this process to go.
Specifically, we are disappointed that FERC failed to include decommissioning in their scoping notice as an alternative for detailed study. They claimed that the Eel River dams are “a viable, safe, and clean renewable source of power and consumptive water to the region.” We do not agree. Dam decommissioning and removal needs to be an alternative fully analyzed in the FERC process. Therefore, we recommended studying options for partial or complete removal, e.g., lowering Scott Dam or replacing Cape Horn dam with a different diversion facility or seasonal dam.
Deadline: FERC requires comments be submitted by August 4th; you can do it online or through the mail (see below for address and sample). *Include docket # P-77-285 in your comment.* Please feel free to use our sample letter below, or use our language in this post to help write your comment. Reach out to us if you’d like more information.
We remain hopeful for a collaborative resolution of the proceeding given the close relationships, goodwill, and talent that can be assembled by stakeholders.
The time is now to take major steps towards rehabilitation of our inland fisheries to support our anadromous fish populations in California, which includes opening up additional fish habitat beyond existing fish barriers, i.e., dams. The Eel River represents California’s best opportunity to restore wild fish abundance, and we need your help to fulfill this vision. Make your voice heard, submit your comments today.
Submit online or mail comments to:
Kimberly Bose, Secretary
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
888 First Street, NE
Washington, DC 20426
*Include docket # P-77-285 in your comment*
Sample comment:
Dear Secretary Bose,
I have several concerns about relicensing the Cape Horn and Scott Dams on the upper mainstem Eel River. FERC should reissue the Scoping Document to include decommissioning and dam removal as an alternative for detailed study in the Environmental Impact Study. This project entails significant and lasting environmental effects on the Eel River, and does not match what the Scoping Document describes as a “viable, safe, and clean renewable source of power and consumptive water to the region.” Scott Dam and Cape Horn Dam block fish access to important high elevation habitat. To recover Eel River fisheries, the best options for fish passage (including the option to remove the obstacles) need to be studied.
Sincerely,
(your name)
9 Comments
Dear Secretary Bose,
I have several concerns about relicensing the Cape Horn and Scott Dams on the upper mainstem Eel River. FERC should reissue the Scoping Document to include decommissioning and dam removal as an alternative for detailed study in the Environmental Impact Study. This project entails significant and lasting environmental effects on the Eel River, and does not match what the Scoping Document describes as a “viable, safe, and clean renewable source of power and consumptive water to the region.” Scott Dam and Cape Horn Dam block fish access to important high elevation habitat. To recover Eel River fisheries, the best options for fish passage (including the option to remove the obstacles) need to be studied.
Sincerely,
Hi Preston, FERC requires comments to be submitted directly to them though. Here’s the link to do so: https://ferc.gov/docs-filing/ecomment.asp. It will take you through the process. Then just copy and paste this same message here. Above their comment section, there’s a section to write the docket number so they know which project you’re referring to. It’s docket # P-77-285.
Thanks for your support!
Dear Secretary Bose,
I have several concerns about relicensing the Cape Horn and Scott Dams on the upper mainstem Eel River. FERC should reissue the Scoping Document to include decommissioning and dam removal as an alternative for detailed study in the Environmental Impact Study. This project entails significant and lasting environmental effects on the Eel River, and does not match what the Scoping Document describes as a “viable, safe, and clean renewable source of power and consumptive water to the region.” Scott Dam and Cape Horn Dam block fish access to important high elevation habitat. To recover Eel River fisheries, the best options for fish passage (including the option to remove the obstacles) need to be studied.
Sincerely,
Alyssa Young
Hi Alyssa, thanks for showing your support! FERC requires comments to be submitted directly to them though. Here’s the link to do so: https://ferc.gov/docs-filing/ecomment.asp. It will take you through the process. Then just copy and paste this same message here. Above their comment section, there’s a section to write the docket number so they know which project you’re referring to. It’s docket # P-77-285.
Thank you CT for supporting long-term solutions and not short-term band-aids like trap and truck or fish ladders. The only way to truly recover wild fisheries and restore water quality to the Eel is by removing the dams and their polluted reservoirs. Climate change will make the reservoirs even more lethal as they fill in with sediment, warm up, and further degrade the health of the lower river. Artificial fish passage to the upper watershed doesn’t mean much if the lower river dies at the same time. Dam removal is the only viable solution moving forward.
Please consider learning more about this issue before submitting your comments. Removing the Scott Dam will destroy a beautiful lake, Lake Pillsbury, that thousands of people enjoy every year. It will have devastating effect on local communities and wildlife that rely on the lake waters. Please read and try to understand the true effects of your proposal. There are many reasons for Eel River salmon decrease, and the dam is not the main one.
“4-Reel Fishin’ Do not release caught Squawfish”
http://www.willitsnews.com/article/NR/20160614/NEWS/160619997
“Fate of flows in Russian and Eel rivers rests in big fight over small hydroelectric project”:http://www.pressdemocrat.com/news/6841074-181/fate-of-russian-and-eel?artslide=13;
“Consider the consequences” http://www.ukiahdailyjournal.com/article/NP/20170716/LOCAL1/170719929
“LAKE PILLSBURY” http://konoctitrails.com/trails/mnf-lake-pillsbury/
Comment submitted!
The Lake Pillsbury Dam PG&E project relicense review board needs to thoroughly research what the needs are for Salmon & Steelhead propagation. It needs to include a review as to what our CDFW, CAL HSRG, http://cahatcheryreview.com/ are doing and what is being done in comparison to what the Oregon DFW is doing to help river fishery propagation for Salmon & Steelhead. Not go by the recommendations of special interest groups.
Wikipedia shows 58 dams in Oregon 14 are Corps of Engineers
ODFW has 33 listed hatchery Management locations
11 ODFW ladders & counting stations
For Salmon & steelhead management only.
To The Point: Our Oregonian neighbors to the north are not creating scenic rivers to help the fish habitat. They have way more water, less population, more logging, and a cleaner state than we do. With way more in-field sportsmen use stewardship unfortunately then California will ever have.
I contacted Mark Clifford with ‘mark.clifford@wildlife.ca.gov’ 916 764 2526 who is in our states hatchery operations center he was not even sure if the ladder was or was not in operation at the Van Arsdale site, but it is and does have activity, Please see link- http://www.pgecurrents.com/2011/03/23/big-chinook-salmon-count-rises-thanks-to-pge-protection/
I invited him to come take a look at what was here to see if it’s viable to implement a more active fishery for the Eel river basin. He advised that modern hatchery practices are making real progress in our native Salmon species restoration & sport fishing propagation then 20 to 30 years ago.
Resources for the fish: We have cold water at the base of the Scott’s dam, Hatcheries need cold oxygenated water for healthy growth of fry & smolts. A warm, low water flow due to unpredictable winter months let alone a multi-year drought will do nothing for our southernmost Eel river fish habitat. Note: The dam could produce its own electricity for a hatchery facility operations. There is the huge area that once was the LP lumber mill just sitting vacant at the moment or people cultivating on it. It sits upstream of the Cape Horn/Van Arsdale dam/ladder location. Creating lots of resources untapped to build up the Northern California Salmon / Steelhead Population other than returning the river back to its pre 1920’s status.
In my opinion If you are a group that demands untouched scenic river locations, Return all the land back to Native Americans our original stewards of the land, get rid of the illegal crop growers, get rid of the healthy growing herd of Tule Elk we transplanted in the late 70’s, get rid of the other fish species we transplanted good and bad, remove the nesting Eagles & Osprey, remove flood control, remove reserve water storage for Mendocino & Sonoma county, Don’t manage the forest or fight the wild fires to protect the forest or our homes, camp grounds, mom & pop owned resorts & stores that have all evolved around the creation that is now “The Lake Pillsbury basin” now it’s restored properly to the wild pre 1920’s, and then we all are on the same page.
Please Note: National Forest service formed in 1905, Stoney Creek National forest inducted 1907 then renamed Mendocino National Forest 1932, Eel River Power Company sends hydroelectric power to Ukiah valley 1906, The Lake was created in 1921 and a new National Forest ECO system was born.
Just a quick addendum to my previous post:
I am a sportsman and have been visiting the Lake Pillsbury basin for 40 years and also visit our states to the North to fish as well. Since we cannot control the heavy influx of human population in California on our natural resources since the 1920’s we need to help out with modern management for our fisheries as well as water reserves.
We had less than 5 million people in all of California in the 1920’s 2016 it was almost 40 million documented ?? That is a lot of stress on our natural environment it seems like we need to help out more than ever, instead of return it to a point as if no one was living here???