The sonoma county water agency will study and complete design for fish passage enhancements at the EEL river s cape horn DAM and explore options for continued trans-basin diversions from the EEL river…

The U.S. Department of the Interior's Bureau of Reclamation awarded a $3,077,237 Project Grant under the Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration Program (CFDA 15.580) to the Sonoma County Water Agency. The grant funds a planning and design effort to improve fish passage at the Eel River's Cape Horn Dam in California. The project aims to enhance the ecological health of the Eel River by facilitating better passage of federally listed Chinook and Coho salmon and winter steelhead beyond the dam. The funded activities include facilitating a technical advisory group to review and select the best project alternative, then developing the selected alternative to a 60% design level. This planning and design work will engage a wide array of stakeholders, including tribes, environmental interests, water suppliers, governments, agriculture, and utilities. The award date is June 25, 2024, with an ultimate completion date of December 31, 2026.

The sonoma county water agency will study and complete design for fish passage enhancements at the EEL river s cape horn DAM and explore options for continued trans-basin diversions from the EEL river into the neighboring russian river. The cape horn DAM is part of the potter valley project, located in mendocino county, california, which has been diverting water from the EEL river into the russian river watershed for more than a century. The potter valley project has played a crucial role in supplying water for agriculture, consumptive use, and instream flows for aquatic ecosystems, however, native populations of federally listed chinook and coho salmon and winter steelhead in the EEL river have declined substantially. The proposed project includes facilitation of a technical advisory group to review three priority project alternatives identified through a previous assessment to select a best alternative for further design and development, and the development of the selected project to a 60% design level, to improve of the ecological health of the EEL river by allowing for better passage of fish beyond the cape horn DAM. This planning and design effort will build on and continue to engage a wide array of stakeholders, including tribes, environmental interests, water suppliers, federal, state and local governments, agriculture, and utilities.