In May 2025, the final iteration of the Battle Creek Salmon and Steelhead Restoration Project launched. The launch follows years of delay and changing priorities in the wake of Pacific Gas & Electric Company’s (PG&E) 2018 decision not to seek a new license to operate the Battle Creek Hydroelectric Project.
In a parallel process, May 2025 also marked the start of the clock for PG&E to formally divest itself of the Battle Creek Hydroelectric Project.
Battle Creek is a waterway in Shasta and Tehama counties in northeast California. It is fed by snowmelt and springs on the west side of Mount Lassen. Its cold water runs constantly throughout the summer. This makes it excellent habitat for salmon and steelhead. But access for these fish to the habitat was largely blocked in the past by dams that are part of PG&E’s Battle Creek Hydroelectric Project.
The Battle Creek Hydroelectric Project is the physical infrastructure in and around the creek, such as dams, canals, pipes, and powerhouses, that PG&E uses to generate electricity.
The Battle Creek Restoration Project began with a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), published and signed in 1999, outlining plans to restore habitat in Battle Creek. The parties to the MOU included the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (BOR), the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI), the U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS), the California Department of Fish & Wildlife (CDFW), and PG&E. Over two decades, only part of the plans has been implemented.
The Battle Creek Restoration Project was designed to restore viable habitats for fish in the North Fork and South Fork of Battle Creek, as well as their tributaries. As initially conceived, the Restoration Project planned to leave in place large parts of PG&E’s Battle Creek Hydroelectric Project. Since 1999, the Battle Creek Restoration Project has removed some dams and other facilities. The Battle Creek Restoration Project has also retrofitted some remaining dams with fish ladders and fish screens so fish could swim past them.
Now that PG&E has decided to discontinue operation of the Battle Creek Hydroelectric Project, the future of PG&E’s infrastructure is unclear. Therefore the MOU parties decided to limit further actions in the Battle Creek Restoration Project. What will occur now is the removal of PG&E infrastructure that was already planned, a phase the MOU parties call “Phase 2 No Regrets.”
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), which licenses hydroelectric projects, has allowed PG&E to pare down the list of actions that the Battle Creek Restoration Project will undertake. FERC approved PG&E’s Amended Application for Phase 2 of the Restoration Project on May 21, 2025. PG&E now has three years to remove South Diversion Dam, Soap Creek Feeder Diversion Dam, Lower Ripley Creek Feeder Diversion Dam, and Coleman Diversion Dam.
When Phase 2 is complete, the South Fork of Battle Creek will once again be free-flowing. There will be some continuing import of water from the North Fork of the Battle Creek. This will support the interim operation of the South Powerhouse until PG&E decommissions the entire Battle Creek Hydroelectric Project. (Image 3 – schematic).
Also in May 2025, FERC gave PG&E three years to file a License Surrender Application. This future document will divulge PG&E’s proposal for what it will do with its infrastructure that is not covered under the Battle Creek Restoration Program.
In a related action, PG&E began the removal of Inskip Dam on the South Fork of Battle Creek in late May 2025. This removal is set to be completed by the end of summer. The removal comes after the failure of Inskip Dam in 2022 and PG&E’s subsequent decision not to restore the dam to service (Image 2).
Background on the Battle Creek Hydroelectric Project:
The infrastructure was among the earliest hydropower systems built in California. The Northern California Power Company established the infrastructure to turn Mount Lassen’s west-facing rivers into electrons to provide power for the Iron Mountain Copper Smelter in Redding (Image 1). The construction of four powerhouses and a maze of diversion dams and canals took place between 1901 and 1911. PG&E acquired the system in 1919. PG&E made further additions over time. In 1980, the Volta 2 powerhouse came online as the final piece of the Hydroelectric Project.
The Federal Power Act was ratified in 1920. This legislation formed an agency known as the Federal Power Commission, now known as FERC. The Battle Creek Project was first licensed in 1932. The current 50-year FERC license expires in 2026.
For the moment, the removal of Inskip Diversion Dam offers a tangible sign of hope. One day, in the relatively near future, the final phase of dam removal on Battle Creek restoration will begin.
Image 1
Title sheet – Battle Creek Hydroelectric System, Battle Creek & Tributaries, Drawing from Survey. Credit: Library of Congress
Image 2
Pumps and pipeline used to dewater a portion of South Fork Battle Creek so crews can safely remove Inskip Diversion Dam. Credit: Ken Robison
Image 3
Schematic of PG&E Battle Creek Hydropower Project. Structures highlighted in yellow will be removed upon completion of Phase 2. Structures highlighted in green and pink were completed under Phase 1A and Phase 1B. Credit: FERC, 5/21/25 Order Amending License and Approving New Phase 2 of Restoration Plan