Agricultural land in the fertile Eel River Valley gets irrigated during dry months via wells that draw from the alluvial aquifer. | File photo by Andrew Goff.

PREVIOUSLY

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Statement from Friends of the Eel River:

Friends of the Eel River (FOER) has moved to appeal the Humboldt Superior Court’s September ruling denying our claim that Humboldt County has a duty under the Public Trust doctrine to consider the impacts of groundwater pumping on salmon holding in the lower Eel River.

Friends of the Eel River’s Executive Director, Alicia Hamann, explained the move. “We all understand that we need to use less water in drought years. This case asks whether we all share those responsibilities.”

The case was initially filed October 27, 2022, spurred by preceding years of dry conditions and a lack of any regulation of groundwater use, leading to the lower Eel River near Fortuna going completely dry in both 2014 and 2021. In the ruling issued September 28 of 2025, the Superior Court appeared to misconstrue the continuous nature of the public trust doctrine. 

“The Superior Court basically said the County need only consider public trust impacts in some way, at some point in the year – but not when Eel River salmon are most vulnerable to lowered streamflows, as they clearly are in late summer of dry years,” Hamann noted. “The public trust doctrine must apply year round if it is to mean anything.”

Friends of the Eel River is tasked with seeking recovery for the Wild and Scenic Eel River, its fisheries, and communities. The Eel’s native fish serve a crucial role in maintaining a healthy ecosystem, but also healthy Tribal cultures and regional economies. Hamann concludes, “We have stood up for the Eel and its native fish for 30 years, and will continue to do so, even against great obstacles and strong opposition.”

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