The Klamath, Trinity, Eel, Russian
and Smith rivers are the major northern streams that drain this
sparsely populated, forested coastal area that stretches from San
Francisco to the Oregon border. These rivers and their
tributaries flow west to the Pacific Ocean and account for about
40 percent of the state’s total runoff.
With wet weather forecasted in the coming days, heavy rain is
expected in Del Norte County in the far northwestern part of
the state, the California Governor’s Office of Emergency
Services (Cal OES) reminds all Californians to be
prepared. In particular, flooding is possible after heavy,
consistent rainstorms; even moderate amounts of rain can cause
flash floods and general flooding. A mere six inches of
fast-moving water can knock an adult over and 12 inches of
rushing water can carry away most cars. It’s recommended that
when you see flooding, turn around. Flash floods can occur
anywhere at any time during stormy weather. Flash flooding can
also catch people off-guard and can take property off their
foundations. With flash floods comes the dangers of mudslides
and debris flows.
The water supply for the southern half of inland Mendocino
County is dependent on water from the Russian River. The West
Fork begins on Tomki Road in Redwood Valley. … For well over
100 years, the water flows of the Russian River have been
supplemented from water diverted from the Eel River via the
Potter Valley Project (PVP). … All of that is about to
drastically change, and possibly end, as Pacific Gas and
Electric, who owns the PVP, has abandoned their license to
operate the project and are moving forward with
decommissioning.
The estuaries, rivers and forests of California’s North Coast
are known worldwide for their beauty, importance to
conservation and recreational value. But a long history of
human activity has dramatically altered these delicate
ecosystems, threatening the plants, animals and human
communities that rely on them. The impacts of a changing
climate have only made matters worse. But now, we have the
unique opportunity to address these problems and rapidly
protect and restore these ecosystems in the next ten years.
… Born in North Coast rivers, salmonids like coho are
keystone species in California’s vast coastal ecosystem. But a
century of unsustainable land management practices and
overfishing have decimated their numbers.
In California’s north coast, the Eel River winds its way
through hills with shady slopes carpeted in lush ferns and
towering redwoods and sunny ridges covered in brushy chaparral.
The South Fork Eel River has been the site of extensive
research by UC Berkeley professor Dr. Mary Power that has
upended the traditional paradigm in ecology that trophic
subsidies from forested watersheds shape river food webs, but
subsidies from rivers are unimportant to forests. During
spring, floating mats of bright green algae grow on top of the
water in the river. Aquatic insects like caddisflies and
mayflies lay their eggs inside these mats, which provide
nutritious food and protection from predators to their young
when they hatch.
Today, U.S. Representative Jared Huffman (CA-02) announced new
grants for his district from the FY22 National Culvert Removal,
Replacement, and Restoration Grant Program (Culvert AOP
Program). Last Wednesday, Huffman visited the site of one of
these projects to examine how the award will be utilized and
the local impacts. … The grants have been awarded as
follows: $470,000 for the Wiyot Tribe Butte Creek
Fish Barrier Replacement Design, Humboldt County
… $5,000,000 for the Avenue of the Giants Fish
Passage, Humboldt County … $15,000,000 for the
State Route MEN-1 Fish Passage, Mendocino County…
In 1986, I resigned my position as a news reporter in Sonoma
County to engage as an activist in a subject I’d been covering:
the 1985 junk-bond takeover of the Pacific Lumber Company, in
Humboldt County, by Houston-based Maxxam Corporation. At the
time, Pacific Lumber owned the very last large groves of
ancient redwood forest still standing outside of parks, a
precious inventory of primeval life that Maxxam was now very
busy liquidating. I would try to save this forest. …
Tree-sitting was a last resort. Our Humboldt County Earth
First! group staged many such direct actions in the redwoods,
yet every grove we occupied and otherwise agitated to preserve
got cut down or severely damaged, with the exception of
Headwaters Forest. I had discovered and named 3,000-acre
Headwaters Forest in March 1987, just five months after
quitting my job. That this iconic grove still stands is nothing
short of a miracle. -Written by Greg King, an award-winning
journalist and activist credited with spearheading the
movement to protect Headwaters Forest in Humboldt
County.
Amidst the largest remaining contiguous old-growth coastal
redwood forest in the world, just off Highway 101, Bull Creek
trickles by. This modest 41.5 square mile watershed has
incredible potential to support endangered salmonids – but the
conditions in the creek are not yet quite right for fish. Soon,
completion of a restoration project on the Hamilton Reach of
Bull Creek will change this giving existing coho populations in
the South Fork Eel River watershed the chance to migrate
through. Throughout their lifecycles, salmonids need
varied water temperatures. When they are young, they might need
warmer water, and as they grow, they seek out colder
temperatures. They need different summer and winter habitat to
thrive. Ultimately, these fish need habitat year-round that can
fulfill the full spectrum of their lifecycle needs.
Marin County water agencies are expressing cautious optimism
about a new proposal to transfer ownership of a controversial
hydropower plant that affects one of the county’s main water
suppliers. The proposal centers on the Potter Valley Project, a
110-year-old hydropower plant in Mendocino County that is
operated by Pacific Gas & Electric Co. Water diverted by the
plant feeds into the Russian River watershed, which is a key
part of Marin’s water portfolio. After PG&E announced its
intention to surrender and decommission the power facility in
2019, there has been a question of whether water diversions to
the Russian River would continue. The new proposal submitted
this month by Sonoma Water, the Mendocino County Inland Water
and Power Commission and the Round Valley Indian Tribes would
transfer parts of the facility to a new entity that would
continue Russian River water diversions.
What do nail polish, children’s foam-padded sleeping mats and
tires have in common? Not much at first glance, but all have
been identified as “priority products” under California’s Safer
Consumer Products regulations administered by the California
Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) under the state’s
Green Chemistry law. The Regulation and Its Requirements The
regulation designating motor vehicle tires containing the
chemical N-(1,3-dimethylbutyl)-N’-phenyl-p-phenylenediamine
(6PPD) as a priority product became final on July 3, 2023,
making tires containing 6PPD the seventh priority product
identified under the law.
Last week, the state Water Board heard a petition to retain
minimum water flows for the Scott River, a key Klamath
tributary. The petition was brought by the Karuk Tribe, the
Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations and the
Environmental Law Foundation. The board eventually directed
staff to reinstate the emergency regulations for both the Scott
and Shasta rivers, a major win for the petitioners who say
flows must be maintained to protect endangered salmon. The
board also directed staff to begin work on permanent regulation
for flows in the Shasta and Scott rivers. … The petition
was filed in May and centered around an expected end to
emergency drought minimums. The lapse began on Aug. 1, with
water levels in both rivers dropping below these minimums
since.
California is chock full of rivers and creeks, yet the state’s network of stream gauges has significant gaps that limit real-time tracking of how much water is flowing downstream, information that is vital for flood protection, forecasting water supplies and knowing what the future might bring.
That network of stream gauges got a big boost Sept. 30 with the signing of SB 19. Authored by Sen. Bill Dodd (D-Napa), the law requires the state to develop a stream gauge deployment plan, focusing on reactivating existing gauges that have been offline for lack of funding and other reasons. Nearly half of California’s stream gauges are dormant.
The Eel River flows from the
Mendocino National Forest to the coast a few miles south of
Eureka, traversing a topographically diverse
area of mountains, canyons and redwood forests in Northern
California. Including its tributaries, it
drains more than 3,500 square miles and is the state’s third
largest watershed.
For over a century, the Klamath River Basin along the Oregon and
California border has faced complex water management disputes. As
relayed in this 2012, 60-minute public television documentary
narrated by actress Frances Fisher, the water interests range
from the Tribes near the river, to energy producer PacifiCorp,
farmers, municipalities, commercial fishermen, environmentalists
– all bearing legitimate arguments for how to manage the water.
After years of fighting, a groundbreaking compromise may soon
settle the battles with two epic agreements that hold the promise
of peace and fish for the watershed. View an excerpt from the
documentary here.
This 25-minute documentary-style DVD, developed in partnership
with the California Department of Water Resources, provides an
excellent overview of climate change and how it is already
affecting California. The DVD also explains what scientists
anticipate in the future related to sea level rise and
precipitation/runoff changes and explores the efforts that are
underway to plan and adapt to climate.
A new look for our most popular product! And it’s the perfect
gift for the water wonk in your life.
Our 24×36 inch California Water Map is widely known for being the
definitive poster that shows the integral role water plays in the
state. On this updated version, it is easier to see California’s
natural waterways and man-made reservoirs and aqueducts
– including federally, state and locally funded
projects – the wild and scenic rivers system, and
natural lakes. The map features beautiful photos of
California’s natural environment, rivers, water projects,
wildlife, and urban and agricultural uses and the
text focuses on key issues: water supply, water use, water
projects, the Delta, wild and scenic rivers and the Colorado
River.
