Ag Secretary Wants To Block Eel River Dam Removal
After the success of the Klamath River dam removals that have greatly enhanced free-flowing water and habitat for fish, a similar Eel River dam removal project will get some pushback by the Trump administration. As Trump’s Secretary of Agriculture Brooks Rollins stated in her tweet above:
“Our hope is clear: keep the Scott and Cape Horn Dams in place and working for the communities they serve. For over 100 years, these dams have provided clean hydropower and reliable water to farmers, families, and ecosystems across the Eel and Russian River basins. We want to protect the dams and support the many farmers that rely on this infrastructure. The Trump Administration is focused on real solutions to preserve these dams and keep CA farms and rural communities thriving.”
Here are some more details from the Santa Rosa Press Democrat:
That goal stands in direct opposition to PG&E’s long-held plan to decommission the century-old dams, part of Potter Valley hydroelectric project that no longer made financial sense, the utility concluded in 2019.
Six months earlier, in February 2025, a coalition of local governments, tribes and environmental groups from Sonoma, Mendocino and Humboldt counties had reached a solution designed to guided river management and Eel-Russian diversions once the dams are gone.
That project would free up the headwaters of California’s third-longest river for its ailing salmon and steelhead trout runs — while restoring long-slighted water rights for local tribes.
California Trout, which played a big part in the Klamath River dam removal, is also pushing for the Eel’s Potter Valley removals, which would greatly enhance habitat for salmon and steelhead, stating that “CalTrout seeks to outline an Eel River, basin-wide fisheries Restoration Plan. The Eel River Watershed Restoration and Conservation Program aims to take a holistic approach on restoring and conserving the Eel River watershed with a particular focus on the river corridor. To achieve this, the Program has selected a series of focal species (Chinook and coho salmon, steelhead, Pacific lamprey, and green sturgeon) as the cornerstone for restoration and conservation planning. However the Program does not ignore the interconnectedness of the ecosystem and the direct relationships the riparian corridor and upslope processes can have on the river corridor habitat.”
But the Trump administration has favored farmers over fish.
