Ever since the election on November 5, there’s been no lack of speculation about what exactly the return of Donald Trump to the White House will mean for all kinds of policies, from the economy and immigration to national security and international relations. But there’s no uncertainty about the consequences for the environment – it won’t be pretty….

The history of Friends of the River stretches back 51 years. That’s the same history timeline as the California Wild & Scenic Rivers Act.

Important histories deserve historians — and a written history. So, as we face a dark and challenging next four years, it’s perhaps important that our website now contains an 89-page referenced memo…

YOUR VOICE IS NEEDED: In December and January, the State Water Resources Control Board is soliciting public feedback on the best way to protect fish and wildlife, water quality, and the ecological health of the San Francisco Bay-Delta estuary and the Central Valley rivers that feed it. The Board is also considering a “Voluntary Agreements” (VAs) proposal from the Newsom administration and big water districts that would allow even more water to be diverted. The VA approach means ecosystem collapse and species extinction…

Given the results of the November election, California’s role as a safety net is once again critical. So, it was disappointing to see the state move forward with proposed long-term operations of the State Water Project that will continue to jeopardize the existence of numerous native fish species. That’s why Friends of the River and other organizations filed a lawsuit against the Department of Water Resources on November 27 over the highly flawed Final Environmental Impact Report for long-term SWP operations of the SWP for its failure to comply with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).

Every year during the holiday period I reflect upon the wondrous experience I had with my family along the Lower American Parkway, seeing the returning and spawning Fall-run Chinook and being able to appreciate the semi-wild river that flows through Sacramento and its suburbs…

A huge thank you to everyone who attended the Rendezvous by the River! It was an unforgettable evening filled with laughter, great music, and delicious food, all set against the stunning backdrop of the American River at Camp Lotus. Diane Wilkinson Catering served up a mouthwatering feast, delighting guests with her flavorful creations and The Street Wheelers rocked the night away, keeping everyone on their feet with an incredible mix of tunes that brought energy and fun to the event.

Read the article to learn how much we fundraised…

As Halloween approaches, one’s thoughts naturally return to movies with a disturbing supernatural theme — perhaps Night of the Living Dead and its zombie apocalypse spawn. Here at Friends of the River, of course, we have struggled with the animated corpses of dead dams walking. Among them are the distinctly creepy proposed Auburn and Temperance Flat dams and the Shasta Dam raise, and though we have knocked them down, it is not clear that they will not rise again. It is, after all, what zombies do.

Recently, a prominent U.S. politician apparently expressed his strong belief in his ability to reanimate the creepiest zombie the U.S. west has ever “planned”…

From the Sierra Nevada to the Pacific, California’s rivers are on the move, shaping ecosystems and communities alike. This round up of river news will take you on a journey through these dynamic waters, bringing you the latest updates from across the state.

There’s an unusual amount of news on California dams this month (some good news, or at least an opportunity for “I told you so” commentary), so put on your reading glasses and buckle up! But first let us start with a brief history....

It’s hard to believe that it could happen in the year 2024, but earlier this month the City of Bakersfield turned off the Kern River, causing a massive fish die off. The river shutoff was ostensibly to do maintenance in the river channel and save the water for future supply needs.

“People who care about their rivers would never do this,” said attorney Adam Keats, who represents Bring Back the Kern, one of the local groups working to restore the river...

On Monday, September 16, the State Water Resources Control Board “denied without prejudice” the water quality certification for the Sites Reservoir...

Friends of the River (“FOR”) and Tuolumne River Trust (“TRT”) worked together forty years ago to secure Wild and Scenic designation for the Tuolumne River. This July, the two non-profits collaborated again on behalf of the Tuolumne River...

After years in the making, the process to decide whether to issue a water rights permit for one of California’s biggest water boondoggles has begun. In August, the first hearings for the proposed Sites Reservoir were held by the State Water Resources Control Board’s Administrative Hearings Office. These proceedings, will ultimately determine whether or not the proposed reservoir is granted a water right, and, if so, under what operational conditions...

The hijacking of the process to update Endangered Species Act (ESA) protections happened twice, the first time by President Trump, the second time by Governor Newsom. But nobody’s laughing the second time around. Instead, Friends of the River and its allies are working to prevent a replay and ensure that new, stronger ESA regulations are ultimately adopted.

This year is the end of the 118th Congress’s two-year-long existence, and they usually save the best (or worst) for last. The Congress is likely to finish up early to go campaigning, but a lame-duck session could also be in the works. Here’s a few things we are keeping an eye on...

Exciting things are happening on the Lower Kern River. After more than half a century of being dewatered in most years, there’s a serious chance of getting the lower river flowing again.

Friends of the River mourns the passing of Lloyd Carter, 76, who played a key role in exposing the environmental catastrophe at Kesterson National Wildlife Refuge...

The Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) supplies electricity to much of northern California. It also has a somewhat diminishing large fleet of hydroelectric dams in the north state.

It’s also been going broke a lot, first because of the ill-advised energy deregulation under Governor Gray Davis some two decades ago, and second because in recent years its equipment has been burning down whole national forests and small mountain communities.

So, to raise some cash, PG&E proposed to create a subsidiary…

California makes its state water right decisions in the CalEPA building in Sacramento, the home of the State Water Resources Control Board. In a water-rights proceeding, you get to speak “on the record” to the Board or it Administrative Hearing Office by “protesting” the new or modified right. In the last year, FOR has protested the water rights of two major water projects…

The proposed Delta Tunnel has reached the water rights stage, and Friends of the River, alongside many partner organizations, submitted two formal “protests” of the Tunnel water rights applications…

Didn’t we just win some significant victories defending the state and tribal role (and our influence) to ensure that federal projects, licenses, and permits meet state/tribal clean water standards?… Nevada Irrigation District is taking another swing at state Clean Water Act Authority…

Threats to the California Wild and Scenic Rivers Act and McCloud River, illegal dam projects on state parks, and a small win for you…

This month we’ve created a compiled edition of Currents (CA water policy news), to keep you in the loop on recent happenings that affect California Rivers. Read on for updates about this water year, the California State Legislature, PG&E’s efforts to spin off its hydropower assets, and Sites Reservoir.

It’s silly season in the California legislature. It’s the time for spot bills (bills introduced with the intention of being amended later) to materialize — and some are pretty ugly. One of those is ACA 2, the Water Resiliency Act of 2024, introduced by Assemblyman Juan Alanis (R-Modesto). This bill would give billions of dollars per year to a water project slush fund…

U.S. Congressmen Valadao and McCarthy’s latest effort to drown more of the McCloud River under Shasta Reservoir was enshrined in the House-passed Energy & Water Appropriations bill (H.R. 4394). Luckily, the U.S. Senate version did not do so. There was some indication that California’s Senators played a positive role. This is critical since they will need to continue to do so even though the odds favor them being in the minority party next year — and the previous President may return…

I confess. It’s hard to keep up with the state of play in the nationwide and California efforts to defend Clean Water section 401, which gives states and some tribes authority to ensure that federal actions meet state and tribal water quality standards…

Governors Brown and Newsom have made no secret of their strong support for the construction of another west-side off-stream reservoir to park Sacramento River water. Such a giant reservoir would exist in the seismically prone valleys of the Coast Range west of the Central Valley…

The California State Water Resources Control Board (Water Board or Board) recently released its Draft Staff Report for the Phase II Update of the Bay-Delta Water Quality Control Plan (Bay-Delta Plan or Plan). This report, and the process to update the Bay-Delta Plan, will have critical implications for the health of California rivers and ecosystems. Unfortunately, the Staff Report outlines several options that will fail to protect the Delta and its tributary rivers…

Republican California Governor Ronald Reagan signed the legislation creating the California wild & scenic river system in 1972. In 1989, California Governor George Deukmejian (the Duke), also a Republican, signed legislation providing similar protection for the McCloud River under the state Wild & Scenic Rivers Act. Current House Republicans are working to dismantle these protections…

H.R. 4821, the Interior Appropriations bill, proposes to substitute what should be a scientific conclusion — that the Central Valley Improvement Act (CVPIA) is “complete” — for a Congressional “expert” political opinion. Among CVPIA’s goals were the doubling of natural stocks of salmonid fish…