Over the last several months, the SYRCL Board of Directors have welcomed three new members to their ranks, and they’re giving a boost to SYRCL’s capacity in advocacy, fundraising, operations, and land management. Details
Dams and Hydro Power
Following the California Legislature’s return last week after a six-week suspension due to the COVID-19 pandemic, California environmental groups urge Governor Newsom to prioritize protecting California’s rivers, streams, and wildlife from the present and ongoing threat of federal waivers of California’s authority to issue water quality certifications for hydroelectric dams. Details
SYRCL had a busy year protecting the future of our community’s watershed. Check out these highlights from the last 12 months and how our work has impacted our watershed. Details
Looking for an excuse to get outside and enjoy this lovely January weather? A short venture to the Yuba Goldfields Trail offers an insightful look into the history of the lower Yuba. Details
“Highlights” of this indefensible budget include a series of water rate increases totaling 46% starting in 2021, a new $30 million dollar bond, and $500,000 in new spending on Centennial Dam each year until 2024. SYRCL and allies have repeatedly asked NID to stop spending on the Centennial project where legally possible—a move that is needed now more than ever. Details
In the latest in an ongoing saga of regulatory rollbacks under the Trump Administration, specifically targeting environmental protections, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission recently ruled that California does not need to provide water quality certification for the Middle Fork American Hydroelectric Project in Placer and El Dorado counties. This order effectively waives California’s authority to ensure water quality and environmental protections for hydropower operations. If this trend continues, FERC could potentially exempt licenses for over a dozen California hydropower projects from Clean Water Act protection for the next 30 to 50 years. Details
Since April 2018, SYRCL and allies have requested NID stop spending on Centennial where legally possible. This has clearly not happened and their proposed 2020 budget is fiscally irresponsible. Details
Every summer we eagerly wait for the fish count numbers to come back to us as fish climb the ladders over Daguerre Point Dam in the lower Yuba River. These numbers help us predict how many Chinook salmon we can expect to return to their spawning grounds in the 24 mile stretch of the Yuba below Englebright Dam. Details
Last week, Friends of the River scored a key legal victory for Yuba salmon and steelhead at the Ninth Circuit. The Court declared that the National Marine Fisheries Service needs to review whether two dams on the Yuba River affect threatened Chinook salmon, steelhead and green sturgeon. Details
The EPA is proposing revisions to Section 401 that would undermine California’s power to safely permit local dam and hydropower projects. Please join us in standing up for California’s right to protect the Yuba and Bear River watersheds by filing a comment here.