Our purpose is to raise public awareness and encourage public participation in the ongoing efforts to save our rivers and the fish that depend on them. The Klamath and the Delta are not the only California waterways where fish populations have dramatically declined due to mismanagement and abuse. There are many other examples. Here are just a few.

To read about the river of interest, click on the link to the river or scroll down the page:

• American
• Butte Creek
• Eel
• San Joaquin
• Trinity
• Tuolumne
• Yuba

The American River once supported 2 runs of Chinook salmon: spring, fall and winter,  Spring run chinook and steelhead are now extinct there and the fall run of steelhead is severely depressed.  The fall chinook run was about 187,000 fish in 2000.  In the past two years, the fall run averaged about 5,000 to 6,000 fish per year.  This indicates a 97% decline since 2000.  The winter steelhead run is about 1,000 to 2,000 returning adults.  The remaining wild salmon and steelhead runs on the American River have been nearly destroyed.  Fish kills in the delta and Klamath River are famous but few people know about fish kills on the American.  In 2001, 87,600 Chinook salmon, 67% of the run, died before they could spawn.  35,400 died in 2002 and 58,600 died in 2003.  River advocates and fishery biologists blamed these fish kills on bad water management by the Bureau of Reclamation and on the lack of flow and temperature controls for water released from Folsom Reservoir.

In 2005, after years of fish kills and foot-dragging, the Bureau finally agreed to support a flow management standard developed by the Sacramento Valley Water Forum. The standard would create better instream conditions by raising minimum flows and controlling water temperatures so that salmon, steelhead, and other fish can survive. Contrary to the agreement, the Bureau has made very little progress in implementing the standard.  The Bureau continues to release far too much water from Folsom Reservoir from June through August for agricultural irrigation south of the Delta. In many years, this causes the water supply to get depleted before the salmon and steelhead migrations begin. When this happens, remaining water is mostly warm water.  The Bureau frequently lowers the flows below those set by the standard during critical spawning and rearing periods in order to conserve the water supply which they themselves depleted. The water they release to support the fish runs is too little and too warm, creating deadly conditions for salmon and steelhead. These practices have devastated natural reproduction on the river below Nimbus Dam and caused fish kills like those described above. A large portion of the steelhead and salmon runs are supported by production from the Nimbus Salmon and Steelhead Hatchery, a mitigation hatchery. Production problems, lack of sufficient funding and other constraints have lead to the failure of the hatchery to fully mitigate for the damage caused by operation of the Folsom-Nimbus project.

The Bureau has obligations under the Central Valley Project Improvement Act to protect, enhance, and restore wild fish populations, and to achieve a reasonable balance among competing demands for water, including the survival of wild fish. We believe the Bureau has failed to meet their obligations. Instead of helping to protect or restore the American River’s wild fish runs, they have nearly destroyed them. For more information go to: http://www.sarariverwatch.org/

Butte Creek is a 140 mile-long tributary of the Sacramento River. It once supported such large runs of spring-run Chinook salmon that locals reported seeing thousands of them crowding on top of each other as they migrated to their spawning grounds. Runs declined drastically over the last few decades due to dams, water diversions, high water temperatures, pollution, sedimentation, and habitat loss. Declines were so drastic that in 1979, only 10 salmon returned to spawn.  Butte Creek’s salmon runs were on the brink of extinction.

Fortunately, that didn’t happen. Butte Creek became part of the Anadromous Fish Restoration Program (AFRP) established after the Central Valley Project Improvement Act (CVPIA) became law in 1992. Collaborative efforts got underway to restore Butte Creek’s spring runs of Chinook salmon. Several projects were completed including stream monitoring, fish screens at diversions, fish ladders at dams, habitat acquisition and restoration, and removal of 6 small irrigation dams. The efforts paid off.  Butte Creek’s spring run is now the largest in California. It has averaged 10,000 returning fish per year over the last 12 years. Central valley spring run Chinook are listed as threatened under the Federal Endangered Species Act. Butte Creek restoration plays an especially vital role for survival and recovery of these endangered fish because it is one of only three streams with genetically pure spring-run Chinook salmon.

There have been setbacks. The 2002 Klamath fish kill is famous but few people know about the Butte Creek fish kills of 2002 and 2003. Over 7,000 fish died before spawning in 2002 when low, warm water conditions below Centerville Dam triggered a disease outbreak. An even worse fish kill took place in 2003 when 11,200 spring run adults died before spawning. NOAA Fisheries estimated that 80% to 90% of the salmon above the Centerville powerhouse in the low flow section that year died before they could spawn. This was the largest die-off of federally listed salmon in U.S. history. The lethal water conditions were caused by operation of the DeSabla-Centerville hydroelectric project. PG&E operates the project under licensing authority of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). The 2003 die-off prompted NOAA Fisheries to ask FERC to enter into formal ESA consultations, and to take several steps to avoid or minimize any future fish kills. FERC refused to enter into consultations and did not implement the steps requested by NOAA. We must conclude that FERC does not place much (if any) priority on the survival or recovery of endangered salmon.

Other problems remain. Flow releases from Centerville dam are too low, limiting available spawning habitat below the dam. Higher flows would increase spawning habitat, relieve crowding, increase egg and fry survival, and enable a larger population. USFW recommended higher flows because this would help the survival and recovery of endangered spring-run Chinook salmon. They wrote that the benefits should outweigh the slight reduction in hydropower generation. FERC did not follow the recommendation. The Centerville and other diversion canals are not screened, causing many fish to be entrained and trapped. This is highly detrimental to their survival and recovery. Adequate screening would eliminate the problem. Butte Creek’s salmon and steelhead are severely impeded at Centerville Dam from migrating upstream to their historic spawning grounds. Contrary to state law, this dam has no fish ladder. USFW wrote that removal of Centerville dam would greatly increase the amount of habitat available to endangered salmon and steelhead. The small amount of electricity generated by the DeSabla-Centerville hydroelectric project could easily be replaced by other sources. We believe removal is the best option and that the benefits would far outweigh the costs.

FERC is in the process of re-licensing PG&E’s operation of the DeSabla-Centerville hydroelectric project. Recommendations for ways to mitigate the damage caused by the project were provided to FERC by US Fish & Wildlife Service, National Marine Fishery Service, CA Dept of Fish & Game, Friends of Butte Creek, and others.  FERC’s Environmental Assessment (EA) issued in December, 2008 included almost none of the recommended mitigations.  Relicensing is scheduled for completion in October, 2009. Public support and may be needed to help persuade FERC to provide more and better mitigation for damages caused by operation of the project. For more information, go to www.buttecreek.org

The Eel River once supported salmon and steelhead runs that exceeded a half million fish. Compare Eel River historic population estimates with estimates done in 2002: Chinook salmon: 175,000 fish to fewer than 1,000. Steelhead: 255,000 fish to fewer than 1,000. Coho salmon: 70,000 fish to fewer than 100. These declines are all well over 99%. And, the Eel River’s salmon and steelhead runs are probably in even worse shape now than they were in 2002. Water diversions at the Potter Valley Hydroelectric Project (PVP) and destructive land use practices have nearly annihilated these runs and driven them to the brink of extinction. Now, the Eel’s Chinook salmon, Coho salmon, and steelhead populations are all listed as threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act.

The PVP operates two antiquated dams and a diversion tunnel. These have significantly altered the natural flow regime of the river and have siphoned off enormous amounts of its water into the Russian River. The dams block hundreds of miles of prime salmon spawning and rearing habitat. The dams and diversions cause reduced flows which warm and slacken the water and contribute to growth of toxic algae. Such conditions can kill migratory fish. These fish need adequate flows of clean, cold water to survive. Reduced flows degrade and limit critical habitat, degrade water quality, contribute to high water temperatures and depleted dissolved oxygen, impede upstream and downstream migration, and inhibit flushing of sediment from spawning gravels. Reduced flows also provide competitive advantages to the Sacramento pikeminnow, a non-native species which displaces and preys upon juvenile salmon and steelhead. The PVP has done enormous damage to the Eel River’s salmon and steelhead populations.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has written that decommissioning the project and eliminating the out-of-basin diversion would have the greatest benefit, of all potential alternatives, to the Eel River’s salmon and steelhead populations. The National Marine Fisheries Service has written that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission should study the feasibility and develop a schedule for decommissioning and removing the project. We fully support this recommendation and believe that such a feasibility study is urgently needed. It needs to account for impacts on the Russian River and include ways to align supply with demand in order to achieve the goal of water supply self sufficiency within the Russian River basin. We agree with USFW and NMFS that removal of the project and its diversions would play a vital role in helping the Eel River’s salmon and steelhead populations survive and recover. For more information go to http://www.eelriver.org/

The San Joaquin River was once one of the most productive salmon spawning rivers in California and supported runs of hundreds of thousands of spring-run Chinook salmon. These were among largest runs on the Pacific Coast. So many salmon migrated up the San Joaquin River during the spawning season that some people who lived near the present site of Friant Dam compared the noise to a waterfall.  Since the completion of Friant Dam in the 1940s, the Federal Bureau of Reclamation has used the Dam to divert almost all the San Joaquin's natural flow for irrigation. Nearly 95 percent of the flow has been diverted causing over 60 miles of the river to run dry. The reduced flows have concentrated agricultural runoff contaminated with pesticides and other toxic chemicals. These effects have destroyed the once legendary salmon runs, have polluted the water in the Bay-Delta estuary, and have degraded water quality for millions of Californians. Destruction of the San Joaquin River exemplifies unbalanced and misguided water management policies, and the tragic consequences of such policies.

Many people had written off the San Joaquin River and its once-legendary salmon runs as lost forever. However, in 1988, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and a broad coalition of fishing and conservation groups filed suit in U.S. district court in an effort to bring the river and its native fisheries back to life. In 2004, after 16 years of litigation, the coalition achieved a landmark victory. Judge Lawrence Karlton of the U.S. District Court in Sacramento ruled that the operation of Friant Dam violates one of California's most important fishery protection statutes, Section 5937 of the California Fish and Game Code. The law states: "the owner of any dam shall allow sufficient water to pass over, around or through the dam, to keep in good condition any fish that may be planted or exist below the dam." He ruled that Bureau of Reclamation and other federal agencies had failed to adequately assess the impacts of water contracts on endangered salmon and other fish and wildlife. He found that the government’s conduct had been “arbitrary and capricious", and that the Bureau had operated the Friant Project in violation of California law for 55 years.

This ruling resulted in the historic San Joaquin River restoration settlement, including a plan to restore salmon and steelhead to the river. Federal legislation was required to authorize and fund the settlement.  Senators Feinstein and Boxer introduced the bill in 2006 and again in 2007, but funding challenges required further revisions. They reintroduced the bill in 2009. Both houses of Congress voted to pass the bill in March, 2009. It was signed into law by the President as part of the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009. This is a major victory for those who fought so long and so hard to restore the San Joaquin! For more information, go to http://www.nrdc.org/water/conservation/sanjoaquin.asp

Restoration of the Trinity River is in progress. Legislation allowing construction of Trinity dam passed in the 1950s with the support of tribes and local residents because they were promised that fish and wildlife wouldn't be impacted by the project. After the dam was completed in 1963, the federal government broke its promise and diverted up to 90 percent of the Trinity's annual flow to the Central Valley, resulting in a dramatic decline in salmon and steelhead populations.  The Trinity River restoration was the culmination of years of lobbying by the Yurok and Hoopa tribes, fisheries groups and environmental organizations to reverse decades of habitat destruction and water diversions by the federal government. Fishery and environmental groups helped Congressman George Miller and then US Senator Bill Bradley pass the Central Valley Project Improvement Act (CVPIA). This act compelled the restoration of the Trinity by substantially reducing diversions from the river into the Central Valley for water export and making restoration of the Trinity a goal. The restoration program is under way and the river's fisheries are improving. However, it is critical for anglers to remain vigilant given the Bureau of Reclamation’s history of trying to export more of the Trinity’s flows to agricultural interests in the Central Valley. For more information, go to http://www.trrp.net/RestorationProgram/index.htm

The Tuolumne River once supported the largest salmon run of any tributary to the San Joaquin River.  It’s been estimated that up to 130,000 fall run Chinook salmon once returned to the Tuolumne each year. The Tuolumne also supported large runs of spring-run Chinook salmon and Steelhead.  Spring run Chinook are now extinct there. Fall run Chinook have declined to just a few hundred fish in recent years. Declines have been caused by habitat blockage at Don Pedro dam, inadequate flow releases from Don Pedro dam, destruction of riparian vegetation, gravel mining, depletion of spawning gravels, instream gold dredging, and excessive water diversions causing drastically reduced flows. Diversions for urban and agricultural uses deplete the River’s natural flow by 60% on average, and up to 90% in some of the driest years. As a result, dramatic declines in salmon and steelhead populations have occurred over the past several decades.

There is hope. Some of the damage began to be reversed after a settlement agreement with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) in 1995. This led to the Lower Tuolumne Restoration Plan. This was a combined effort by state and federal agencies, Turlock and Modesto irrigation districts, and several environmental groups. The settlement led to improved flow releases from Don Pedro dam. Although further improvement is needed, this was a step in the right direction. The Restoration Plan includes spawning gravel replacement, floodplain reconstruction, rebuilding of areas damaged by gravel mining, and replacement of riparian vegetation. Land along some sections of the river has been purchased for restoration. The plan also includes a fish study program to monitor the success of habitat restoration work.

It is possible to restore salmon and steelhead runs in the Tuolumne but many challenges remain. The ongoing diversions are too excessive and should be reduced. Flow releases from Don Pedro dam are still too low. The next opportunity to improve flows will come when FERC completes relicensing for operation of the dam. That process begins in 2011 and is scheduled for completion in 2016. In the meantime, the Tuolumne’s fish runs continue to be destroyed. Problems in the San Joaquin River and the delta threaten the Tuolumne’s fish runs. Adult fish returning to the Tuolumne must survive pollution, low flows, and high water temperatures in the San Joaquin. Juvenile fish suffer high mortality as they attempt to migrate out of the San Joaquin and through the delta to the ocean. These problems must be addressed if we are to fully protect and restore the Tuolumne’s fish runs.

And, we must remain vigilant to prevent even more destruction. In 2007, for example, the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) proposed a plan to divert an additional 25 million gallons of water per day from the Tuolumne. This would have further damaged the watershed, further devastated its salmon runs, and further threatened the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. The plan was defeated largely due to opposition organized by the Tuolumne River Trust. They objected that SFPUC had overestimated water demand, had failed to identify and address the impacts of increased diversions, and had not given adequate attention to local water supplies, conservation, or recycling. They organized a grass roots campaign of letter writing, petition signing, and attendance at public meetings to oppose the plan. The California Department of Fish and Game concluded that the plan could be disastrous for fish runs and wrote a letter to SFPUC telling them so. On this issue, CDFG deserves credit for a job well done. In the face of strong opposition, SFPUC backed off. This example should remind us that although our rivers may be threatened with destruction at any time, we can stop the destruction if we are willing to stand up and say “No!” For more information, go to http://www.tuolumne.org

The Yuba River still supports runs of wild Chinook salmon and steelhead trout. Estimates of historic (pre-gold rush) runs suggest that the Yuba once supported 10% of the total Sacramento Basin salmon and steelhead runs of 1-2 Million fish per year.  Once too numerous to count, the Yuba’s salmon and steelhead populations are now dangerously low. In recent years, spring Chinook runs have held steady at 200-300 returning adults per year. Wild Fall-run Chinook numbers have dropped to a few thousand returning adults in 2007 and 2008, compared to an average of 15,000 fish in recent decades.  Steelhead runs are also depleted with some annual estimates as low as 100 returning adults. Habitat destruction has been caused by dams, water diversions, destructive logging and clear cutting, agricultural pesticide use, and the legacy impacts of gold and gravel mining. Many of these destructive practices still continue today. These fish now spawn only in the lower Yuba. Englebright Dam, 280 feet high, completely blocks their access to 200 miles of historic spawning grounds in the South and Middle Yuba Rivers, and also a short reach of the North Yuba River. A dozen miles downstream, inadequate fish ladders at Daguerre Point Dam delay and prevent adult salmon from reaching their best available spawning grounds between the two dams. The fish ladders there are so poorly designed that salmon have difficulty finding the entrance, may leap out of them to fall onto dry land and die, or be completely blocked by debris during high flow periods. Outmigrating juveniles attempting to pass Daguerre Point Dam must pass over a 26 foot waterfall into an unnatural gauntlet of predatory fish. One of three large diversions at this dam still does not meet standard screening criteria, trapping and killing thousands of fish. Daguerre Point Dam kills many thousands of juvenile salmonids through entrainment and increased predation.

Daguerre Point and Englebright Dams, operated by the Army Corps of Engineers, have been documented as harming or killing Spring Run Chinook Salmon, Central Valley Steelhead, and Green Sturgeon. These fish are listed as threatened under the Federal Endangered Species Act (ESA). In 2006, South Yuba River Citizens League (SYRCL) and Friends of the River filed suit in federal court against the Corps of Engineers, National Marine Fisheries Service, and Yuba County Water Agency for failure to protect and recover these fish as required by law under the ESA. The purpose is to compel the federal government to put forward a real plan followed by enforceable actions that will lead to the recovery of the Yuba's uniquely wild salmon populations.

Fish passage at Daguerre Point and Englebright Dams could provide the greatest benefit at the lowest cost for restoration of anadromous fish beyond the foothills of the Sierra Nevada.  These dams were constructed in the early 1900s to capture debris from the anticipated resumption of hydraulic gold mining. Fortunately, that destructive practice never resumed. These “debris” dams have not served their intended purpose for over 60 years. Removal of Daguerre Point Dam would restore full access to 12 miles of upstream spawning and rearing habitat, and would improve the survival of juvenile fish as they migrate downriver. Fish passage at Englebright dam would restore access to up to 200 miles of ancestral salmon habitat. Ambitious efforts are under way to improve physical habitat conditions (e.g. riparian and side channels) in the lower river, and to restore wild salmon and steelhead in the upper river. For more information go to:  http://www.yubariver.org/, and    http://www.saveyubasalmon.org/

A coalition of tribal, environmental, and community groups re-initiated the Maidu Tribe’s Calling Back the Salmon ceremony in October, 2008 for the first time in 158 years. Before being decimated and displaced by the Gold Rush, the Maidu conducted this ceremony to celebrate and give thanks for the return of the salmon to their ancestral waters each fall. It will be conducted again each October in order to acknowledge and affirm the efforts of the Maidu Tribe and others to heal relationships with our land, our water and our people as preconditions for welcoming the salmon back to the upper Yuba River. All those who support these efforts will be welcome to attend. For more information go to:  www.callingbackthesalmon.org

If you want to help, please log onto www.water4fish.org and sign the on-line petition. When you sign, you send a message to your legislators and others that you demand a halt to the destruction.