The Yuba River: Changing The Flow

Описание: Originally produced in 2020

The Yuba River watershed has been heavily altered by hydropower development, with large portions of the natural snowmelt diverted away from the river system. In this short film, longtime river advocate and American Whitewater volunteer Bob Center explores how those diversions have changed the South Yuba and why restoring some of that water is critical for the river’s future.

Filmed on the Edwards to Purdon reach of the South Yuba River, this piece looks at the balance between water use and river health. At Lake Spaulding, much of the Yuba’s snowmelt is diverted into the Bear River drainage for hydropower generation and water supply. While those uses are essential for communities and agriculture, the cumulative impact has left many stretches of the river with significantly reduced flows.

Through hydropower relicensing and river advocacy, organizations like American Whitewater are working to restore a portion of that water back to the river. The goal is simple: return enough flow to begin rebuilding a more natural spring snowmelt pattern and support healthier summer river conditions for fish, wildlife, and recreation.

Restoring even a small percentage of water to the river could help revive ecological processes and support the long term goal of reintroducing spring Chinook salmon to the Yuba River, where they historically lived before dams altered the watershed.

This film highlights the ongoing effort to find a better balance between power generation, water supply, and the living rivers that sustain ecosystems and communities throughout the Sierra Nevada.

Learn more about American Whitewater’s work to protect and restore rivers: https://www.americanwhitewater.org