Editor’s note: The following is a letter to the editor. The opinions expressed in this letter are those of the writer, and do not necessarily reflect those of The Mendocino Voice. If you would like to submit a letter to the editor feel free to write to info@mendovoice.com.Â
Dear Editor:
I recently retired as superintendent of the Potter Valley Irrigation District in Mendocino County, after serving there since 1989. I own Elliott’s Christmas Trees. I am a captain with the Potter Valley Volunteer Fire Department where I have been a member for 34 years, as well as an Army veteran.
Many people south of the Eel River Potter Valley Project on the Russian River side are very unhappy with the pending removal of Scott Dam and its 77,000-acre-feet of water storage. That storage meant water for hydroelectric power generation, agriculture, domestic, and yes, supplemental fisheries habitat flow requirements.
There have been multiple reasons posited for and against removing this dam.
The pro folks say removal will save the salmon. I believe this to be emphatically false, and that removal would in fact decimate salmon. But those of us against removing the dam don’t have anyone to stand up for us, and we need a plan.
We need an elected representative to carry our case to the federal court or federal jurisdictional office such as the Secretary of the Department of Interior. We need help in maintaining our water resiliency here in Lake, Mendocino and Sonoma counties.
We need to stop, or at least stay, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission from taking further action on the PG&E License Surrender Application until all of the alternatives to Scott Dam removal have been reviewed by an independent federal oversight council or committee.
Almost everyone agrees a new diversion and volitional fish passage at VanArsdale Dam is required.
I’ve recently heard that the Army Corps of Engineers has received a new service mandate that includes managing water storage and infrastructure. Scott Dam at Lake Pillsbury would be a great place to implement creative thinking. Removing Scott Dam and the release of 20,000,000 cubic yards of additional sediment into the main stem of the Eel River would be catastrophic to salmon and steelhead fisheries for another century and beyond! Reinstituting hatcheries on the Eel River to recover fisheries makes more sense than removing Scott Dam. It worked in the past, it could work now. It might be a more cost-effective alternative and a win-win for everyone.
For historical data, click here.
Steven Elliott
Potter Valley
Person that benefits from stolen Eel River water pretends to be an expert on fish. What a ridiculous letter.
No more ridiculous than your comment.
Fair enough, but let’s remember the dams were up for sale, and no one wanted them. Steve could have ponied up to buy them, but he’d rather take handouts from the Department of Interior, apparently. PG&E is not removing the dams because of fish; PG&E doesn’t care about fish. They care about their bottom line, and the dams cost them more money than they are worth.
Salmon and trout need cold water. Removing the dams would cause the water to become warm and stagnant.
You clearly don’t understand reiver ecology or how dams changes it.
The Army Corps straightening of the Russian River in Healdburg has caused a significant drop in the water table and storage capacity in that area with worsening erosion and flooding. To now propose turning to them for good ideas is absurd.
It seems like a reservoir is warm, stagnant water to me…
Removing Scott Dam makes no sense at all. I spent a lot of good times in that area in earlier years. Fish hatcheries on the Eel have been very beneficial in the past. Like the Cedar Creek hatchery on the South Fork.
What about the impact Scott and Cape Horn dams have on flood control?
If those dams weren’t there in December of
1964 what would the river have looked like? I still have memories of crossing the river in a cable car and walking to blue slides to feed cattle then. The creeks and Eel river were unbelievable.
Scott Dam has very little impact on flood control because it is so small. It fills quickly in the winter, and then water spills over the top for most of the rest of winter. Big dams like Shasta or Orville are big enough to capture floods, but small ones don’t.
According to my fishing friends who grew up around here salmon were plentiful in the Eel at least until the late 50’s….and Scott Dam was completed in 1922. So, though Scott Dam does restrict salmon from spawning in a tiny portion of the Eel’s spawning grounds, the dam can’t be the major reason for the dwindling of the salmon population. Other probable causes are the destruction of access to many other spawning grounds by many crumbling logging roads and stopped up culverts under them; leakage of fertilizers from illegal marijuana crops; increasing populations of predators near the mouth of the river; and the introduction of pike fish, which eat baby salmon.
If the diversion of water in the summer ceases, the water table in the land down river will drop and many humans, their businesses, farms and families will be hurt.
Steven,
I agree with your goal, I hope it is not too late. The Lake and the water it holds are an amazing resource to CA. But PG&E and some uninformed believers in “let’s tear down all dams in CA” seem to have the momentum here. Sadly, the masses of folks that do not live in Lake County are fighting to tear down the dams based on bad information and false dreams of some miracle that will create fish that can breath on dry land seem to be winning this debate. It sure would be great if the Army Corps of Engineers took over the project!
It would be nice to see the fall salmon and winter run steelhead count from the Department of Fish and Wildlife for recent
years at the VanArsdale ladder . I believe it
was 2010 when there was a good fall count
I agree with this letter. I believe Lake County has been thoroughly excluded from the process…yet the water shed & lake is there. Lake Pilsbury is not only good for the environment but also beautiful. The strange part of this entire fiasco is how mute Governor of our state is about this, after all the fires & dangerous situations. It’s like the Song “Sound of Silence”
So many voices from the people to save the dam & lake. But no voices in political figures to represent us. But the power of the people is massive. We have to remember that & try to save the dam, lakes, rivers & salmon.
From what process?
The yearly Van Arsdale Fish Counts are located here:
https://eelriver.org/the-eel-river/#fishcount
Bear in mind that they do not necessarily represent overall run size or population trends. The counts at VAFS are subject to high interannual variation, most likely due to stream flow conditions with lower stream flows hindering the ability of Chinook Salmon to access the upper portions of the river, thus disproportionally affecting VAFS counts.
Thanks David
I appreciate it . Yes the river could get very low downstream in the fall before good rains.
It seems that the problems can be solved a better fish ladder can be put into Lake Pillsbury and suitable Nursery equipment. One of my thoughts is can water be put out at the spawning season from Lake Pillsbury to help the fish move Upstream. Late season spill