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State Water Board Takes Action to Protect Klamath River Salmon and Steelhead
By Cindy Charles & Chris Shutes On February 4, 2025, the California State Water Board issued Water Rights Order WR 2025-0002 settling longstanding disputes regarding the diversion of water from Stanshaw Creek, a tributary of the Klamath River in Siskiyou County. The Order found waste of water, unreasonable use of water, and unreasonable method of…
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FERC Holds PG&E Accountable for 2023 Butte Canal Failure
On November 19, 2024, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued a letter to PG&E about a major canal break and two canal blockages in 2023 at PG&E’s DeSabla-Centerville Hydroelectric Project on Butte Creek. The canal break had extremely damaging environmental effects. FERC’s letter called the canal break “preventable” and deemed it a violation of…
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How A Lack of Regulatory Oversight Dried Up the Merced River – The State Water Board Needs to Protect Merced River Flows Now
The Merced River, the iconic wild and scenic river flowing out of Yosemite National Park, died in the summer of 2022 upstream of its confluence with the San Joaquin River. The river was completely dewatered from July 7 to October 7. It was dead for 3 months over a nearly 5-mile stretch. It could not…
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Good News for Fish: Clean Water Act Holds for PG&E Hydropower Projects on Yuba and Bear Rivers
The California Sportfishing Protection Alliance (CSPA) is pleased to report that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued an Order on September 5, 2023 that upholds the California State Water Board’s authority to require a “water quality certification” for new hydropower licenses for the Upper Drum-Spaulding, Lower Drum, and Deer Creek hydroelectric projects. The Order ends…
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Another CSPA Legal Victory: US Supreme Court Denies Appeal, Affirming State Regulation of Merced and Yuba Rivers
The United States Supreme Court has declined to hear an appeal regarding the California State Water Resources Control Board’s authority to set mandatory conditions in the new operating licenses for four hydroelectric projects. The appeal was filed jointly by the Merced Irrigation District (Merced ID), Yuba County Water Agency (YCWA) and the Nevada Irrigation District…
