Eel River Diversion: Good for Wine, Bad for Fish?
The relicensing of a hydroelectric dam project raises questions about salmon and agriculture.
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For almost 100 years, much of the Eel River’s flow has been diverted to the Russian River, which sustains a large chunk of California wine country. But with the relicensing negotiations of the hydroelectric dam project, fish advocates are arguing that the diversions hurt a once-mighty salmon population on the Eel.