New Whitewater Reaches Await as Eel River Dam Removal Advances
Two obsolete dams on Northwestern California’s Eel River are slated for removal as soon as 2028, and American Whitewater is engaged in the process to secure long-term public river access, river safety measures, and protection of the river’s Wild and Scenic values. This project represents the next major chapter in restoring free-flowing whitewater rivers of the West.
The Eel is California’s third-largest river and once Scott and Cape Horn Dams come out, it will become the longest free-flowing river in the state. For more than a century, dams and diversions have altered flows and contributed to severe declines in native fish—including Chinook and coho salmon, steelhead, lamprey, and green sturgeon. Dam removal will set the stage for ecological recovery and open new whitewater opportunities on reaches no one alive today has seen in their natural condition.
To help shape this future, American Whitewater recently intervened in the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s license-surrender proceeding for the Potter Valley Project, which includes the two dams and a tunnel that diverts Eel River water to the powerhouse in the adjacent Russian River watershed. Participating in the regulatory proceeding allows us to advocate directly for comprehensive recreation planning, public river access on the Eel River and its Rice Fork, safe boatable passage through former dam sites, and the protection of Wild and Scenic River values. (FERC wants to hear from you too! Read more here and submit comments by December 19.)
The Potter Valley Project, owned by Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E), has not produced electricity since 2020 and was a money‑losing operation even when it did. Located adjacent to the Bartlett Springs Fault Zone—one of Northern California’s significant active fault systems—the dams pose elevated seismic risk. The company is surrendering its hydropower license because the project is uneconomic, nonoperational, and seismically unsafe.
Removing the dams will restore fish passage, improve water quality, reestablish natural river processes, and reveal whitewater reaches buried beneath reservoirs and impacted by diversions. Throughout this process, we support meaningful Tribal coordination and stewardship to help guide the future of these restored reaches.
Separate but on a parallel track to dam removal is a proposal for the New Eel–Russian Facility, a continuation of reduced Eel River diversions to support agriculture in the Russian River watershed. American Whitewater is also engaged to ensure that recreation, flows, and river safety are fully considered as this proposal evolves.
This effort builds on American Whitewater’s long history of working on major dam-removal projects across the country, including the Elwha, White Salmon, Tuckaseege, and Sullivan Creek. Our recent work on the Klamath River—the largest dam removal ever undertaken—sharpened our strategy and toolkit for engaging in complex dam removal efforts.
The Eel River is poised for a historic transformation, and American Whitewater is helping ensure that its restoration to a free-flowing river supports a recovering fishery, healthy ecosystems, and a river that everyone can access and enjoy.