Protecting Rivers & Your Clean Water
Saving Sierra Nevada rivers from misguided dam proposals
July 12, 2011 | Dams & Dam Removal, Water SupplyThe South Sutter Water District recently proposed the 350-ft Garden Bar dam on the Bear River approximately 45 miles northeast of Sacramento California. Garden Bar Reservoir would permanently flood approximately 2,500 acres in the lower Bear River, 900 of which are permanently protected public open space. At a cost of nearly half a billion dollars, South Sutter claims Garden Bar dam would reliably provide less than 100,000 acre-feet of water, enough for about 100,000 homes.
Read more »Fish and Wildlife Service urges removal of Martis Dam on Truckee River
July 8, 2011 | Dams & Dam Removal, Floods & FloodplainsPotential removal of Martis Creek Dam, located near Lake Tahoe on a tributary to the Truckee River, has drawn the attention of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). While the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers (USACE) is currently evaluating options for what to do about Martis Creek Dam, considered one of the 10 most dangerous dams in the county, the USFWS urged for dam removal so that Martis Creek can flow freely and provide habitat for threatened Lahontan cutthroat trout.
Read more »Is hydropower clean? Our take on dams
John Seebach, Senior Director, Federal River Management
June 17, 2011 | Dams & Dam Removal, Hydropower
American Rivers Hydropower Reform Initiative is one of our longest-running and best-known programs. We’ve been working with power companies and federal operators since we were founded nearly 40 years ago to try and reduce the harm to rivers from hydropower dams. As a result, we’re often asked if we see a tension between our serious concerns about climate change and our support for renewable energy on one hand and our concern about new dam construction.
Read more »Time for solutions on the lower Snake River
June 10, 2011 | Dams & Dam RemovalAny day now, Federal District Judge James A. Redden of Portland, OR is expected to issue his ruling on the 2010 Biological Opinion (BiOp) for the Columbia and Snake rivers. The BiOp, also known as the federal salmon plan, governs operations of the federal dams on the Columbia and Snake rivers and includes actions intended to address the harm the dams inflict on threatened and endangered salmon and steelhead.
Read more »Removing the Briggsville Dam: A win-win-win for dam owner, community, and the river.
Brian Graber, Director, River Restoration Program, Northeast Region
June 3, 2011 | Dams & Dam Removal
We've been talking quite a bit about 2011 being the Year of the River, and how dam removals continue across every region of the country. Today is another milestone for our rivers as we celebrate the removal of the Briggsville Dam in Clarksburg, MA.
Read more »Voices of the river: The Elwha and Dick Goin
Amy Souers Kober, Senior Director of Communications
June 2, 2011 | Dams & Dam Removal, Most Endangered Rivers
With dam removal set to begin on September 17, excitement is building as we prepare to watch the Elwha River come back to life.
Read more »Elwha Generators Power Down, River Powers Up!
Amy Souers Kober, Senior Director of Communications
June 1, 2011 | Dams & Dam Removal
Today is a significant day in the decades-long effort to restore a healthy, free-flowing Elwha River. The hydropower generators at the river's two dams are being turned off in preparation for dam removal this September.
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