This is a list of dams in California that have been removed as physical impediments to free-flowing rivers or streams. __TOC__

Removals by watershed Carmel River Owned by California American Water, the San Clemente Dam on the Carmel River was deemed unsafe in 1992 by the Department of Water Resources. It was no longer serving its use by supplying water to the Monterey Peninsula and blocked steelhead from spawning upstream. It was demolished in 2015. Similarly, the Old Carmel River Dam was demolished in 2016.

Eel River

Proposed removals

The Pacific Gas and Electric Company has operated two hydroelectric dams on the Eel River as part of the Potter Valley Project: Scott Dam and Cape Horn Dam. In 2023 the company applied to demolish the dams amid growing issues with maintenance, environmental compliance, and seismic liability. The project would drain Lake Pillsbury and Lake Van Arsdale, making the Eel the longest free-flowing river in California and restoring hundreds of miles of habitat for endangered fish.

Klamath River

After more than 20 years of advocacy from the Un-Dam the Klamath movement, the four dams on the Lower Klamath River were removed in 2023 and 2024. Three of these were in California: Iron Gate Dam, Copco Number 1 Dam, and Copco Number 2 Dam. The removals are expected to improve salmon passage. this is considered the largest dam removal project in history.

San Joaquin River

Proposed removals

Completed in 1923, O'Shaughnessy Dam is a concrete arch-gravity dam on the Tuolumne River, a tributary of the San Joaquin River, flooding Hetch Hetchy Valley within Yosemite National Park. Considered the first great environmental controversy in the United States when constructed, O'Shaughnessy Dam continues to be controversial. Environmental groups such as Restore Hetch Hetchy lobby for breaching the dam and restoring the valley, while others argue that leaving the dam in place would be the better economic and environmental decision.

San Juan Creek and Santa Ana River The Trabuco District Dam Removal Project is an initiative of the Cleveland National Forest to remove over 80 dams on four streams: San Juan Creek and its tributaries Holy Jim Creek and Trabuco Creek, as well as Silverado Creek, a tributary of the Santa Ana River. The "fish check dams" were originally built to create pools for a stocked rainbow trout fishery and to store water for conservation and fire suppression. The removals are intended to improve passage of fish and other aquatic species.

Completed removals Dam Height Year removed Location Watercourse Watershed Roy's Dam 2020 San Geronimo Creek Tomales Bay Rogers Dam 1983 Point Reyes Station Tributary to Olema Creek North Debris Dam 2002 Tributary to Los Angeles River Los Angeles River Trancas Debris Dam 2002 Tributary to Trancas Creek Trancas Creek HJFD1 2018 Orange County Holy Jim Creek San Juan Creek HJFD2 2018 Orange County HJFD3 2019 Orange County HJFD4 2019 Orange County HJFD5 2019 Orange County HJFD6 2014 Orange County HJFD7 2014 Orange County HJFD8 2014 Orange County HJFD9 2014 Orange County HJFD10 2014 Orange County HJFD11 2018 Orange County HJFD15 2017 Orange County HJFD16 2017 Orange County HJFD17 2017 Orange County HJFD18 2017 Orange County HJFD19 2017 Orange County HJFD21 2018 Orange County HJFD22 2018 Orange County HJFD23 2018 Orange County HJFD25 2018 Orange County HJFD26 2018 Orange County HJFD29 2018 Orange County HJFD30 2018 Orange County HJFD31 2018 Orange County HJFD32 2018 Orange County HJFD33 2018 Orange County HJFD34 2018 Orange County HJFD34.1/35 2018 Orange County HJFD37 2018 Orange County HJFD40 2018 Orange County HJFD41 2018 Orange County SJFD1 2018 Orange County San Juan Creek SJFD2 2018 Orange County SJFD3 2018 Orange County SJFD4 2018 Orange County SJFD5 2018 Orange County SJFD6 2018 Orange County SJFD7 2018 Orange County SJFD9 2018 Orange County SJFD10 2018 Orange County SJFD11 2018 Orange County SJFD12 2019 Orange County SJFD13 2019 Orange County SJFD14 2019 Orange County SJFD15 2019 Orange County SJFD17 2019 Orange County SJFD18 2019 Orange County SJFD19 2019 Orange County SJFD20 2019 Orange County SJFD21 2019 Orange County SJFD22 2019 Orange County SJFD23 2019 Orange County SJFD24 2019 Orange County SJFD25 2019 Orange County SJFD26 2019 Orange County SJFD27 2019 Orange County SJFD28 2018 Orange County SJFD29 2018 Orange County SJFD30 2018 Orange County SJFD31 2018 Orange County TCFD7 2014 Orange County Trabuco Creek TCFD9 2014 Orange County TCFD10 2014 Orange County TCFD11 2014 Orange County TCFD11 2018 Orange County SCFD4 2019 Orange County Silverado Creek Santa Ana River SCFD5 2019 Orange County SCFD7 2017 Orange County SCFD8 2017 Orange County SCFD10 2017 Orange County SCFD12 2017 Orange County Glenbrook Gulch Dam 2010 Mendocino County Glenbrook Gulch Albion River Unknown 2014 Irmulco Olds Creek Noyo River D.B. Fields/Johnson Dam 1946 Mendocino County Rice Creek Big River McGowan Dam 1998 Butte Creek Butte Creek Western Canal East Dam 1998 Western Canal Main Dam 1998 McPherrin Dam 1998 Biggs Old Carmel River Dam 2016 Monterey Carmel River Carmel River San Clemente Dam 2015 Monterey County Pennington Creek Dam 2018 San Luis Obispo Pennington Creek Morro Bay Upper Dam (Lost Man Dam) 1989 Lost Man Creek Redwood Creek Sweasey Dam 1970 Arcata Mad River Mad River East Mill Creek Barrier 2008 Humboldt County East Mill Creek Mattole River Cahill Dam 2013 Santa Cruz Branciforte Creek Monterey Bay Tucker Road Ford 2006 Los Gatos Soquel Creek Monterey Bay Crocker Creek Dam 2002 Cloverdale Crocker Creek Russian River Camp Meeker Dam 2009 Occidental Dutch Bill Creek Fife Creek Check Dam 2010 Guerneville Fife Creek Dempster Vineyard Dam 2018 Forestville Green Valley Creek Iron Horse Dam 2019 Sonoma County Mumford Dam 2003 Redwood Valley West Fork Russian River Shasta River Water Association Diversion Dam 2009 Shasta County Nelson Creek Sacramento River Wildcat Dam 2009 Anderson North Fork Battle Creek Double U Fish Ranch Dam 2023 Modoc County Howards Gulch Beale Dam 2020 Beale Air Force Base Dry Creek Dream Lake Dam 2011 Lassen Volcanic National Park Hot Springs Creek McCormick-Saeltzer Dam 2000 Redding Clear Creek Hammer Diversion Dam 2014 Red Bluff South Fork Cottonwood Creek Percolation Dam 2009 Solano County Putah Creek Swim Dam #1 2001 Sunol Alameda Creek San Francisco Bay Swim Dam #2 2001 Sunol Sunol Dam 2006 Sunol Niles Dam 2006 Union City Bear Creek Dam #3 2012 Woodside Bear Creek Columbine Dam 2021 Santa Clara Flint Creek Bonde Weir 2013 Palo Alto San Francisquito Creek Lagunita Diversion Dam 2018 Palo Alto San Francisquito Creek Unnamed Small Dam #1 1998 Guadalupe River Unnamed Small Dam #2 1998 Memorial Park Dam 2015 San Mateo County Pescadero Creek Pescadero Creek Waterman Dam 2009 Boulder Creek Waterman Creek Lower Mill Creek Dam 2021 Santa Cruz Mill Creek San Vicente River Hall Wines Dam (Dry Creek Dam) 2008 Napa County Dry Creek Napa River Milliken Creek Dam 2017 Napa County Milliken Creek York Creek Diversion Structure 2004 St. Helena York Creek York Dam 2020 St. Helena Maria Ygnacio Debris Basin Dam East Branch 2019 Santa Barbara County East Branch Maria Ygnacio Creek Atascadero Creek Maria Ygnacio Aijian Barrier 2014 Santa Barbara Maria Ygnacio Creek Maria Ygnacio Debris Basin Dam Main Branch 2019 Santa Barbara County Lion Creek Diversion Dam 2014 Ojai Lion Creek Santa Clara River Horse Creek Dam 2006 Los Padres National Forest Horse Creek Santa Maria River Rodeo Grounds Berm 2008 Los Angeles County Topanga Creek Santa Monica Bay Trout Haven Dam Six Rivers National Forest Monkey Creek Smith River Benbow Dam 2016 Eureka South Fork Eel River Eel River Cedar Creek Hatchery Dam 2022 Leggett Cedar Creek Salt Creek Dam Mendocino National Forest Salt Creek Bear Valley Dam 1982 Point Reyes National Seashore Drakes Bay Lower Murphy Dam Inverness Home Bay Upper Murphy Dam Point Reyes National Seashore Home Ranch Creek Haypress Pond Dam 2003 Golden Gate National Recreation Area Tributary to Tennessee Valley Tennessee Cove Copco Number 1 Dam 2024 Siskiyou County Klamath River Klamath River Iron Gate Dam Siskiyou County Copco Number 2 Dam 2023 Siskiyou County East Weaver Creek Dam 2023 Weaverville East Weaver Creek Hostler Creek Dam 2012 Hoopa Hostler Creek Minnie Reeves Dam 2002 Douglas City Indian Creek Little Shasta River Flashboard Dam 2019 Siskiyou County Little Shasta River Araujo Dam 2007 Siskiyou County Shasta River Grenada Irrigation District Dam 2012 Siskiyou County Quinn Dam 1951 East Fork North Fork Trinity River Lone Jack Dam Todd Dam 1949 Trinity Cty. Water & Power Co. Dam 1946 East Fork Trinity River North Fork Placers Dam 1950 North Fork Trinity River Whites Gulch Upper Dam 2008 Etna Whites Gulch White Gulch Dam #1 (Whites Gulch Lower Dam) 2008 Siskiyou County Smith Dam 1949 Bonally Mining Co. Dam 1946 North Fork Salmon River Bennett-Smith Dam 1950 South Fork Salmon River Barton Dam 1950 South Fork Scott River Rooney Bros Dam 2008 Sacramento County Cosumnes River Mokelumne River Murphy Creek Dam (Sparrow Dam) 2003 Clements Murphy Creek East Panther Creek Dam 2016 Amador County East Panther Creek West Panther Creek Dam 2003 Amador County West Panther Creek Camp Nine Dam 2012 Vallecito Stanislaus River San Joaquin River Cascade Diversion Dam 2003 El Portal Merced River Dennett Dam 2018 Modesto Tuolumne River Ojai Valley Trail Ford 2011 Oak View San Antonio Creek Ventura River Arco Pond Dam Happy Isles Dam 1987 C-Lind Dam #1 1993 Three C. Picket Dam 1949 Beaver Creek Big Creek Manufacturing Dam Big Creek A-Frame Dam 2003 Brandy Creek Point Four Dam 1993 Butte Creek Henry Danninbrink Dam 1927 Canyon Creek Red Hill Mining Do. Dam 1951 Canyon Creek Lake Christopher Dam 1994 Cold Creek Unnamed dam 2002 Ferrari Creek Russell Dam (Hinkley Dam) 1922 Hayfork Creek Hessellwood Dam 1925 Hayfork Creek Big Nugget Mine Dam 1949 Horse Creek D.B. Fields Dam 1947 Indian Creek Altoona Dam 1947 Kidder Creek Clarissa V. Mining Dam 1950 Redding Creek Anderline Dam 1936 Rush Creek Unnamed Arizona Crossing 2002 Solstice Creek Moser Dam 1949 Swillup Creek Unnamed dam 2006 Ward Creek Unnamed dam 1992 Wildcat Creek Unnamed dam 1992

Planned and proposed removals Dam Height Expected year Location Watercourse Watershed Matilija Dam Ojai Matilija Creek Ventura River Rindge Dam 2025–2035 Malibu Creek State Park Malibu Creek Santa Monica Bay Scott Dam 2028 or later Lake County Eel River Eel River Cape Horn Dam Mendocino County

References

External links