Protecting Spawning Salmon in Butte Creek

This case study by Earthjustice details the efforts to protect spring-run Chinook salmon in Butte Creek, California, from the impacts of hydroelectric power generation operated by Pacific Gas & Energy (PG&E) under a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) license.

• Butte Creek contains the largest remaining wild population of spring-run Chinook salmon in the Central Valley, a species listed as threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act in 1999. The species is believed to be extinct in the southern portion of its range within the San Joaquin River system.
• Water diversions by Pacific Gas & Energy (PG&E) for electricity generation have reduced the deep, cold pools necessary for salmon survival during summer. This resulted in massive fish kills in 2002 and 2003, and a decline in returning adult spring-run Chinook from nearly 17,000 in 2005 to 2,561 in 2009.
• The DeSabla-Centerville hydroelectric project controls the water temperature and flow levels for approximately ten miles of holding and spawning habitat. Specifically, the Centerville Head Dam, located 300 yards below the DeSabla Powerhouse, almost entirely blocks salmon from accessing the upper watershed; PG&E's 2007 license application proposed no mitigation for this habitat loss.
• Earthjustice has used the threat of lawsuits against FERC and PG&E for the illegal "taking" of protected fish to encourage the agencies to provide adequate water for spawners. Additionally, a drought in California resulted in no water diversions in 2014.

APA

Earthjustice (2004). Protecting Spawning Salmon in Butte Creek. https://earthjustice.org/case/butte-creek-ferc-consultation

Chicago

Earthjustice. Protecting Spawning Salmon in Butte Creek. 2004. https://earthjustice.org/case/butte-creek-ferc-consultation.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Earthjustice |title=Protecting Spawning Salmon in Butte Creek |date=6 October 2004 |url=https://earthjustice.org/case/butte-creek-ferc-consultation |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{earthjustice2004protecting, author = {{Earthjustice}}, title = {{Protecting Spawning Salmon in Butte Creek}}, institution = {Earthjustice}, year = {2004}, month = oct, url = {https://earthjustice.org/case/butte-creek-ferc-consultation}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }