has been in the works for over a year and a half, according to county staff. It spells out how water will continue to be diverted from the Eel River south to Mendocino, Sonoma and Marin counties for irrigation. Humboldt County has for over a century opposed these water diversions because it leaves less water for downstream uses.
Supervisor Mike Wilson said he'd like to let the river flow naturally, but鈥�
"We are humans on this planet, and it turns out we need to move a bit of water around here and there, whether it's for domestic or other uses," he said.
Hank Seeman with the county public works department said future water diversions will better meet the needs of fish species.
鈥淭he proposed criteria would result in a reduction of the annual volume of diversions compared to historical volumes, and the vast majority of the diversions would occur in the winter and early spring during the wet season, when the flows are highest in the Eel River," said Seeman.
The agreement also transfers the water rights from the utility PG&E to the Round Valley Indian Tribes. The tribes will use the money from selling the water to fund restoration projects on the Eel river.
PG&E has been planning on dismantling these dams for years, which aren't used to generate power anymore. The Eel-Russian Project Authority will take over water diversion operations, and will build a new pumping facility to pull water from the Eel River and send it south.
The agreement states that a maximum of 30% of water from the Eel River will be diverted in the winter, and 20% during all other seasons. That percentage ramps down if water flows on the river drop below certain levels.
Some county supervisors expressed some reservations about the agreement. Supervisor Rex Bohn said that the potential for increased diversions in the future is worrying.
"When the straw is there, it'll be used. There's going to be a valve, and we can't out-vote the people from the South," he said.
But, they unanimously agreed to sign it, saying it was the best chance the county had to get the dams removed.
The removal of the two dams on the Eel River isn鈥檛 expected to start until at least 2028.
