Cedar Creek Dam Removal Opens Up Habitat for Salmon
Nine miles of wild fish habitat on a South Fork Eel River tributary, blocked for more than 60 years, is now accessible once again thanks to a fish passage restoration project recently completed by California Trout, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) and partners.
Cedar Creek provides a significant portion of the cold water that flows into the Eel River’s South Fork in the summer. With the removal of an 8-foot-high dam on the creek, migratory Chinook salmon, coho salmon, steelhead and Pacific lamprey will have improved access to the creek during all their life stages.
In fact, on Dec. 7, CalTrout staff observed adult Chinook salmon already spawning above the former dam’s location.