eel river salmon

TABLE 2 Weekly Counts, South Fork of the Eel River and Mad River, 1948-1949 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA SALMON AND STEELHEAD RUNS 499 South Fork of the Eel River Mad River Logging, grazing and other resource exploitation activities and their accompanying environmental changes have also increased the intensity of flood and drought. Wilson calculated that Dos Rios would have reduced the 35-foot (11 m) flood crest of the 1964 flood at Fort Seward by less than a foot (0.3 m). The Eel River watershed lies within the Oregon and Northern California Coastal freshwater ecoregion, which is characterized by temperate coniferous forests consisting largely of Douglas fir and western hemlock. The river can be closed to fishing in some years after October 1 if flows are insufficient for migrating salmon and steelhead. Eel River fall Chinook salmon historically began mass migrations from the estuary into the lower river in late summer, but now they enter months later as a result of what the ERRP calls … Dam releases are now timed to mimic natural flows in the Eel River system. At Cape Horn Dam, the majority of the water is diverted through a tunnel and hydroelectric plant, and then to the headwaters of the Russian River in Potter Valley and is known as the Potter Valley Project. They are Cyclostomes (Circle mouths), a primitive fish-like creature, and are not related to eels. This proposal would re-open the main stem of the Eel River to spawning runs of salmon and steelhead by removing Scott Dam, while maintaining electric generation and water deliveries to … [14] After the Christmas flood of 1964, chinook salmon populations plunged to less than 10,000 per year. Times are changing in the world of salmon assessment on the Eel River as technology provides more accurate counts than people can, with sonar in the river and drones in the sky. Below the dam the river flows west, re-entering Mendocino County. The river flows generally northward through the Coast Ranges west of the Sacramento Valley, emptying into the Pacific Ocean about 10 miles (16 km) downstream from Fortuna and just south of Humboldt Bay. Snaking along California’s North Coast is the Eel River, the state’s third largest watershed, which along with its tributaries, covers 3,684 square miles … A new major factor limiting Eel River Chinook salmon survival is ocean productivity in the area off northern California. [68][69] There is wilderness camping above Lake Pillsbury on both branches, the Rice Fork and Eel River, (also known as South Eel because it is south of the lake), which have plenty of swimming holes and camp sites. ", U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: South Fork Eel River, U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: North Fork Eel River, Summer water temperature conditions in the Eel River System, with reference to trout and salmon, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Eel_River_(California)&oldid=1001863037, Wild and Scenic Rivers of the United States, Articles with unsourced statements from December 2013, Articles needing additional references from December 2013, All articles needing additional references, Wikipedia articles with WorldCat-VIAF identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Middle Fork Eel River, North Fork Eel River, Van Duzen River, This page was last edited on 21 January 2021, at 19:02. [8]:51, Many of the people who settled in this region were prospectors from the Gold Rush who did not manage to find gold. Water would have been diverted from English Ridge north to Dos Rios and through a 40-mile (64 km) tunnel to the offstream Glenn-Colusa reservoir in the Sacramento Valley, from which the water would travel by canal to the Sacramento River. The Eel River (Cahto: Taanchow)[5] is a major river, about 196 miles (315 km) long, of northwestern California. [citation needed] The proposed reservoir would have flooded the Round Valley Indian Reservation. The Eel River system is among the most dynamic in California because of the region's unstable geology and the influence of major Pacific storms. A new proposal would re-open the main stem of the Eel to … Beginning several million years ago, tectonic forces shoved the Franciscan assemblage against the North American Plate, pushing up the Coast Ranges. In 1981 – well before Behr's moratorium expired – Secretary of the Interior Cecil Andrus granted federal protection to the Eel River system and 1,235 miles (1,988 km) of streams along the North Coast, succeeding state legislation and placing the river permanently off limits to new dams. [63]:315, Over the next several years, Reagan continued lobbying for increased protection of the Eel River system. The watershed also contains many stands of Redwoodthat are among the largest such trees in California. Are mitigations to Lake County sufficient and reasonable? This proposal would re-open the main stem of the Eel River to spawning runs of salmon and steelhead by removing Scott Dam, while maintaining electric generation and water deliveries to Mendocino and Sonoma counties. [15]:586, In the 20th century, much of the watershed area was included under state parks and national forest, including Six Rivers National Forest, Yolla Bolly-Middle Eel Wilderness, and Humboldt Redwoods State Park. A report issued last year by UC Davis and CalTrout estimated that nearly 75 percent of the state’s 31 salmon … Most of these areas were appropriated for agriculture and grazing land. [30] Now listed on the National Historic Register, Fernbridge is the last major crossing before the Eel arrives at the Pacific Ocean. The railroad had the ignominious distinction of being the most expensive (per mile) ever built at the time: it traversed some of the most rugged and unstable topography in California, with 30 tunnels in a 95-mile (153 km) stretch. For many years Pacific Gas & Electric Co. has operated the “Potter Valley Project,” a hydroelectric facility on the main stem of the Eel River consisting of Scott and Cape Horn dams and a tunnel diverting water into the Russian River … With no major dams to control its flow, the main Eel reached a peak of 936,000 cu ft/s (26,500 m3/s), with 200,000 cu ft/s (5,700 m3/s) from the South Fork alone. Eel River monthly mean discharge at Scotia (cfs)[7]. The floods of 1955 and 1964 brought renewed interest in building large dams on the Eel River, especially in the case of the Army Corps of Engineers, which attempted to justify the construction of Dos Rios for flood control. A popular run is from Dos Rios to Alderpoint with Class II–III rapids, taking three to four days to run, depending on how many side tributaries are explored. Humboldt Redwoods State Park leads paddle trips along that stretch of the river. The Eel River Recovery Project won a Proposition 1 grant in August 2018 through the California Coastal Conservancy to assist Tenmile Creek land owners with riparian restoration, gully erosion control and … [48] The non-native Sacramento pikeminnow is present; it competes with and preys on young salmonids. The Army Corps of Engineers and Bureau of Reclamation both sought to build dams in the Eel River system, which starting in the 1960s was targeted as a potential new source for the California State Water Project. Record flooding in 1955 and 1964, which destroyed or damaged large amounts of habitat along the Eel and its tributaries, was generally regarded as the final blow. [65]:135–137, There are also many miles of river suitable for flatwater boating in the downstream sections of both the mainstem Eel and the South Fork. Sediment deposits indicate the lake may have persisted for as many as several thousand years, which is highly unusual considering the easily eroded rock of the region and the highly unstable nature of landslide dams in general. Seeing themselves on the losing end in either scenario are the Lake Pillsbury cabin owners and lessees, who would lose the reservoir-oriented recreation that presumably drew them to the area in the first place. [10] The Middle Fork drains the greatest area of all the tributaries, but the South Fork is longer, and carries the most water because of the higher rainfall in its basin. Every year that a solution is postponed increases the likelihood of extinction. Lake Pillsbury would disappear. Then as young fish prepare for life at sea, shaded river pools and estuary shallows are essential to … Salmon canneries flourished on the lower Eel between the 1870s and the 1920s, and declined thereafter because of decreasing runs caused by overfishing and other manmade environmental changes. The Eel River water, fish and ecosystem are have faced development challenges, and sections of the river are closed to fishing to protect the juvenile steelhead. The Potter Valley Project has been argued by environmental groups to have significant impacts on the salmonid (Chinook and coho salmon and steelhead) populations of the basin. [33]:146 When exposed, this would end up becoming the "Achilles' heel of the project". [41] The dam blocked access to steelhead trout spawning grounds in the upper Eel River, causing the summer and winter runs to interbreed. Consisting of several hundred dwellings, primarily on Mendocino National Forest leaseholds but also including a scattering in private ownership, this community has very few permanent residents. Salmon and Steelhead are important to tribes, recreational and commercial fishermen and contribute to the local economy along the entire length of the Eel River. [6], The flooding was also deleterious to rail service through the Eel River canyon. The river flows 105 miles (169 km) north from Laytonville to Dyerville/Founders' Grove where it joins the Eel River… [45] Much of the anadromous fish spawning habitat in the river system was covered by sediment or blocked by debris jams. American negotiator Colonel Reddick McKee's treaty would have given the Indians a large reservation around the mouth of the Eel, but the treaties were never ratified. [25]:916[26] American settlements were made along the flat terraces of the Eel, near the confluence with the Van Duzen River and toward the mouth of the river where there was more arable land than the steep upper canyons. However, redwood groves are still most common in the drainage area of the South Fork Eel River, which lies closest to the Pacific. It also provides both … The river cuts in a northwesterly direction across Humboldt County, past a number of small mountain communities including Fort Seward. Major centers of population on the river include Willits, Garberville, Redway, Scotia, Rio Dell, Fortuna, and Ferndale. In the hurry to be "first" in Humboldt Bay, they dragged a longboat through the sloughs on the north side of the Eel River mouth to the waters of the Bay where they were met by members of the Laura Virginia party. As Marc Reisner describes in Cadillac Desert (1986), "the feuding agencies were about to lock horns and starve over the first two dams on their priority list". Krill, an important source of food for salmon, are fewer in number and smaller in size since 2015, and this has been limiting ocean growth and survival of Eel River Chinook. Located on the North Coast allows fishing to take place on whatever river is fishing best. The annual chinook salmon run was estimated at 100,000–800,000, coho at 50,000–100,000, and steelhead may have numbered as high as 100,000–150,000. In response, they have formed a “Lake Pillsbury Alliance” which advocates for retention of the reservoir and development of alternative ways to provide fish passage. Large-scale commercial fishing began in the 1850s, with multiple canneries on the Eel River operating into the early to mid 1900s. Eel River - Fortuna, CA. After the state legislature approved both bills, the final decision fell to Reagan, who signed the Behr bill, again in favor of the conservationists. [31] The last crossing before the Pacific Ocean is at Cock Robin Island Road a few miles to the west of Fernbridge. Lampetra tridentata, Sacramento sucker, threespine stickleback, Pacific staghorn sculpin, Coastrange sculpin and prickly sculpin. [38], Aquatic mammals include beaver, muskrat, raccoon, river otter and mink. One river, three forks and diverse landscapes – that is the Eel. [37] The watershed also contains many stands of Redwood that are among the largest such trees in California. [14], Anadromous fish populations have continued to decline since the 1960s; in 2010, only 3,500 salmon and steelhead returned to the river to spawn. After the South Fork turns due north at Cummings it is mainly a class II–III, changing mostly to a class II run below Piercy. Below the South Fork the Eel flows through a wider agricultural valley, past Scotia and Rio Dell, before receiving the Van Duzen River from the east. Ten towns were obliterated with dozens of others damaged; at least 20 bridges were destroyed, and some, including Miranda and South Fork, were never rebuilt. The Eel River offers year-round fishing opportunities, with fall and winter salmon and steelhead runs being the best known. Redwood Empire Trout Unlimited is partnering with CDFW and Golden Gate Trout Unlimited on a critical Salmon and Steelhead monitoring project. This proposal would re-open the main stem of the Eel River to spawning runs of salmon and steelhead by removing Scott Dam, while maintaining electric generation and water deliveries to … Originally conceived in the late 1800s and built between 1906 and 1922, the project provides about 159,000 acre feet (0.196 km3) of additional waters for the Russian River system, for about 500,000 people in Mendocino and Sonoma Counties.[55]. FERC can’t compel the partnership to pivot to a dam-retention-plus-fish-ladders outcome, or consider that outcome at all without a willing and well-funded entity to assume responsibility for massive construction costs and liabilities including ongoing dam maintenance. The South Fork Eel River joins from the west, near Humboldt Redwoods State Park and the town of Weott. [56] Although dam operators are required to maintain certain flows below the diversion during the dry season, these flows can be cut during exceptionally dry years, preventing salmonids from reaching certain spawning streams in the Eel River basin. The Eel River mouth is located 15 miles south of Eureka. The proposal was defeated with public initiative by the early 1970s, to protect the remaining relatively wild rivers in the state. [53], The Eel River estuary is recognized for protection by the California Bays and Estuaries Policy. From Alderpoint to Eel Rock is a class I–II float during June, with many beaches suitable for camping. When the Eel is … [54], There are two hydroelectric dams on the Eel – 130-foot (40 m) Scott Dam, which forms Lake Pillsbury, and 50-foot (15 m) Cape Horn Dam, which forms Van Arsdale Reservoir just north of Potter Valley. Historical reviews analyzing trends in population status of upper Eel River Chinook salmon … [33]:147 From the beginning, these dams were heavily contested by local residents as well as by environmental groups seeking the protection of California's remaining wild rivers. In the 1960s Chinook salmon were estimated to have averaged 56,000 spawners annually in the entire Eel River basin and coho salmon averaged 14,000 spawners annually. The river valley was a major rail transport corridor (Northwestern Pacific Railroad) throughout the 20th century and also forms part of the route of Redwood Highway (US Highway 101). [32], In the 1950s, interest grew in damming the Eel River system to provide water for Central and Southern California. A second chance for Eel River salmon and steelhead? Later, the Pacific Coast Highway would be constructed along the South Fork and along the Eel River downriver of the South Fork. In contrast, during the dry months of July through September, the river achieves nearly zero flow. Will disposal of mercury-laden sediments in the reservoir be a problem? The Northwestern Pacific Railroad tracks follow the Eel River from Outlet Creek, about 7 miles (11 km) above Dos Rios, to Fortuna. The South Fork Eel River is the largest tributary of the Eel River in north-central California in the United States. In the same year, senator Randolph Collier proposed a measure that would block dams in the Klamath and Trinity Rivers but "permitted 'planning' for dams on the Eel River. Eel River Research Examines Dams’ Effect on Salmon. For more information go to: www.tuleyome.org. Between 1857 and 1921, canning operations took an estimated 93,000 fish per year, with a peak of 600,000 fish in 1877. The annual means also experience huge variations, with a high of 12.5 million acre feet (15.4 km3), or 17,300 cu ft/s (490 m3/s), in 1983, and a low of 410,000 acre feet (0.51 km3), or 563 cu ft/s (15.9 m3/s), in 1977.[7]. After damaging floods in 1955, these dams also received support for potential flood-control benefits. [1] The river flows south through a narrow canyon in Lake County before entering Lake Pillsbury, the reservoir created by Scott Dam. [64]:175, The four forks of the Eel and their tributaries provide many opportunities for whitewater kayaking and rafting on their upper sections. The Eel River Could Save Wild Salmon – If We Can Save the River Itself July 11, 2017 June 16, 2017 The Eel River is on the brink of disaster, its ocean-going fish species threatened with … In the Eel River basin, redwoods can be found further inland than other parts of the northern California coast because of the wide lower valley of the river, which acts like a funnel conducting moist air eastwards from the coast. Although the portion south of Willits was reopened in 2006, the section between Willits and Samoa, which includes the entire Eel River portion of the tracks, is unlikely to ever be returned to service. At the small Cape Horn Dam about 15 miles (24 km) east of Willits, water is diverted from the Eel River basin through a 1-mile (1.6 km) tunnel to the Russian River, in a scheme known as the Potter Valley Project. As a priority, we need to fix lower Eel River … PG&E’s license will expire on April 14, 2022, presenting significant risks, liabilities and uncertainty to local communities and the environment. Conservationists saw this as a backdoor attempt to resurrect Dos Rios Dam and endorsed the Behr bill. U.S. Route 101 runs along the South Fork Eel River and then the lower Eel River below the South Fork. The construction of Scott Dam on the Eel River completely blocked the passage of critically endangered anadromous fish. [60]:272 Major dams proposed in the watershed included ones at English Ridge, Bell Springs and Sequoia (Alderpoint) on the main stem, and the infamous Dos Rios on the Middle Fork. [50], The Eel River forms a 7-mile (11 km) long estuary west of Fortuna, which has been identified as one of the most important and sensitive estuaries on the West Coast. The South Fork is designated from its mouth to the Section Four Creek confluence, the North Fork from its mouth to Old Gilman Ranch, and the Van Duzen River from its mouth to Dinsmore Bridge. [6] The river and its tributaries support at least 15 species of native freshwater fish. The North Fork is the most pristine of the tributaries, but is difficult to enter because of its remote location. Due to the mountainous terrain and heavy precipitation in the Eel River watershed, erosion rates are particularly high. [14] However, with better land management practices in the watershed, salmon and steelhead runs have shown signs of recovery. Below the dam the river turns north, flowing through a long isolated valley, receiving Outlet Creek from the west and then the Middle Fork Eel River from the east at Dos Rios. In early 1972, California state senator Peter H. Behr introduced a measure to create a state wild and scenic rivers system, which would protect many undeveloped North Coast rivers, including the Eel, from future damming. [14][49], The Eel River has never contained true eels, but is named for the Pacific lamprey, an eel-shaped parasite that attaches itself to other fish during its ocean life-cycle. The human population of the watershed is about 32,000 – less than 10 people per square mile (26/km2). The Middle Eel has a good run from the confluence with the Black Butte River to Coal Miners Falls, which is portaged by all but experts. SONAR technology allows us to more accurately monitor salmon which under past survey techniques might be un-detectable. Recreational Dos Rios, located at the confluence of the Middle Fork of the Eel River and the mainstem, is the put-in for a popular four-day trip through the Eel River … The Eel River watershed is located entirely in the California Coast Ranges. These dams would have been far bigger than those of the Potter Valley Project, and would create some of the largest reservoirs in California. From 2013-14, 2016-17 were between 15,000-25,000 while 2015, & 2018-19 were between 9,000-15,000. Victoria Brandon is president of Tuleyome’s board of directors and she has lived in Lake County since 1981. [36], The Eel River watershed lies within the Oregon and Northern California Coastal freshwater ecoregion, which is characterized by temperate coniferous forests consisting largely of Douglas fir and western hemlock. Due to huge earth-flows caused by the record rain in 1964, 105 million tons of sediment were carried down the Eel River between December 21–23 as measured at Scotia – more than in the previous eight years combined. In 1998, after another large flood in the winter of 1996–1997 washed out sections of the line, the Northwestern Pacific became the first railroad to be shut down by the federal government for safety reasons. There is a 12-mile (19 km) class IV–V run between the Scott and Van Arsdale dams. The Eel River system extends into five California counties – Glenn, Humboldt, Lake, Mendocino, and Trinity. Are downstream flows sufficient to support spawning migrations this far upstream? [21] Among rivers of the contiguous United States, only the Mississippi River carries more sediment to the sea[21] (the Colorado River historically transported more than the Eel as well, but most of its sediment is now trapped by dams). [18] This soil is often known as "blue goo" because of its gray-blue texture and its tendency to slip when saturated. After the 1964 floods, much of the topography in the Eel River drainage has been permanently damaged, and landslides occur much more often, frequently damaging local road and rail infrastructure. At Fortuna, the river turns west across the coastal plain and enters the Pacific via a large estuary in central Humboldt County, about 15 miles (24 km) south of Eureka.[11]. However, the settlers also faced conflict as they pushed deeper into Native American lands. In the Mediterranean climate of its basin, almost all precipitation falls in the winter and wet season flows can be enormous, while the summer and early autumn provide only minimal precipitation, if any, allowing the sometimes mighty river to slow to a trickle. Although the effect on the total annual flow is negligible (only about 3 percent of the total flow of the Eel River) the impact is much larger during the dry season, when the Eel's already low natural flows are further reduced by diversions. About 20 miles (32 km) downstream, the North Fork Eel River – draining one of the most rugged and remote portions of the watershed – joins from the east. [27]:28 In 1884 the Eel River and Eureka Railroad began shipping lumber from the Eel River estuary to the port at Humboldt Bay, where the logs were loaded onto ships bound for San Francisco.[28]. Can alternative recreational uses such as fishing and mountain biking be developed? [19] In the western and northern portions of the Eel River watershed, soils eroded from the Franciscan assemblage are often sticky, clayey and highly unstable, creating a high risk of landslides. However, if you are looking for rainbow trout, you will want to stay above Lake Pillsbury. [61] Meanwhile, the Bureau insisted that its first priority – English Ridge – should receive the first federal funding. [33] Ronald Reagan, governor of California at the time, refused to approve the project. [70]:47, River in northern California, United States, Learn how and when to remove this template message, Admiral William Standley State Recreation Area, "The Eel River, Northwestern California: High Sediment Yields from a Dynamic Landscape", "Basic Database Searching, cahtotext database", Sediment transport and Turbidity in the Eel River Basin, "USGS Gage #11477000 on the Eel River at Scotia, CA", Summer Water Woes Require Responsible Use, "Historical Review of Eel River Anadromous Salmonids, With Emphasis on Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon and Steelhead", "Unearthing Evidence of Creatures from Deep Time: A Beginner's Fossil Guide to the Northern California Coast", Impediments to fluvial delivery to the coast, PG&E’s Potter Valley Hydroelectric Project, Eel River rail line tough to build, and tough to kill, "Lower Eel River and Eel River Delta Watershed Analysis, Scotia, California – Cumulative Watershed Effects Assessment", Evidence of ancient lake in California's Eel River emerges, Evidence of Ancient Lake in California's Eel River Emerges, Ancient Landslide Merged Trout Populations, "Eel River Fisheries Articles and Excerpts 1891-1902", "Invading species in the Eel River, California: Successes, failures, and relationships with resident species", "Ptychocheilus grandis (Sacramento pikeminnow)", "Conservation group challenges PG&E, seeks more water for Eel River", "Eel River stakeholders hear history and concerns from Russian River side of diversion", PG&E seeks reduction in releases to Eel River due to drought, "How much of Eel River Water is diverted through the Potter Valley Project? 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