The upper Eel River is joining many rivers that are being freed from past excessive anthropological influences. A gorgeous PBS documentary [2] describes a process of “restoration” for two rivers – one in Northern California and the other in France: The Klamath River and the Seine River. River Restoration, Season 4, Episode 1, 55 minutes, features “Dr. M. Sanjayan investigating the largest river restoration ever attempted in the United States.”
The upper Eel River is poised for a significant transformation, with a developing plan aimed at restoring it to the conditions of the historic Gravelly Valley. (A picture [3] from USC archives circa 1910.
The removal of dams on the Klamath River, and before that the Elwha River in Washington state, has provided a valuable testing ground for the restoration of the “new land” revealed once the waters recede.
Although dams have long been recognized for their contributions to human civilization, it is increasingly clear that they are also interwoven into the dynamic processes of river systems. Rivers are dynamic; atmospheric rivers wind across the sky, blessing the lands beneath, eroding mountains and filling the rivers with silt. The upper Eel River, which drains over 280 square miles above Lake Pillsbury in the Snowy Mountain Wilderness of Mendocino National Forest, is a river with a large variable silt load. The substantial silt load carried by the upper Eel River has largely settled in Lake Pillsbury. As the dams come down, a proactive strategy for the emerging lands, involves the swift introduction of local native seeds to enable them to put down roots to stabilize the silt.
Historically, the diversion of water from the Eel River to the Russian River benefited communities in the Santa Rosa plains. However, with the completion of Lake Sonoma in 1983, the region now enjoys robust water security, serving over 600,000 people in Sonoma and Marin Counties. This shift in economics underscores the opportune moment to prioritize the ecological recovery of the Eel River and re-evaluate future transfer possibilities. With the wild atmospheric rivers, the possibility of selectively utilizing high-flow periods with minimal ecological impact has led to the proposal for the New Eel River Project Authority. Crucially, the Round Valley Indian Tribe, possessing legal water rights through early treaties, will act as the key guardians of these new agreements, ensuring the ecological integrity of the Eel River is maintained.
The decommissioning of the Potter Valley Project, detailed in PG&E’s ‘surrender’ plan, includes a comprehensive strategy for landscape restoration after the removal of its hydroelectric infrastructure. This plan is currently undergoing public comment and has received encouraging responses from interested stakeholders. PG&E’s plans focus on just the lands that it owns, In the bigger picture there are also plans for what might be needed for the surrounding Mendocino National Forest.
Unfortunately, the Lake County Board of Supervisors and other lakeside owners have not contributed positively to a possible future with a drained Lake Pillsbury. Partly to take up the slack, non-profit environmental organizations and local tribes have taken a proactive step by organizing meetings (including Lake County groups) to identify regionally beneficial enhancements that could be implemented once PG&E completes the restoration of Gravelly Valley. A few of us in the Sierra Club Redwood Chapter Water Committee group were invited to attend one such meeting last year. It was amazing to hear the extraordinary knowledge and experience that was being brought to bear. There are herds of elk that will likely benefit. There are possibilities for educational access. How could new campgrounds fit into the restoration, and who might maintain them? While the squabbles and water politics continue, for once the economics of PG&Es giving up its Potter Valley Project seem to be enabling a better outcome for a wild and scenic Eel River.
Any queries, thoughts or tips, please email:
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Neil Hancock
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