The Tuolumne River is on the verge of ecological collapse. Historically, the River hosted well over 100,000 salmon, but in 2020 only 1,000 returned to spawn. And it’s not just about fish. Before dams were constructed to divert water to farms and urban areas, salmon transported millions of pounds of nutrients from the ocean to upland habitats, where they fueled the food web and fertilized forests and meadows. Absent those nutrients, the Tuolumne’s salmon-based ecosystem is in a state of crisis.

The main cause of the River’s demise is inadequate instream flows. In an average year, only 21% of the Tuolumne’s unimpaired flow reaches the San Joaquin River. During the recent drought, unimpaired flow averaged just 12% for five straight years. Meanwhile, more than three years’ worth of water remained impounded behind SFPUC dams, and all that water (and much more) had to be “dumped” back into the River two years later to prevent flooding downstream. The Tuolumne experienced one exceptionally good year at the expense of five terrible years.

Revive the Tuolumne aims to reverse this negative trend and restore the River. Our Let it Flow campaign advocates for higher instream flows through federal licensing of dams and by supporting the State Water Board’s update of the Bay Delta Water Quality Control Plan . Our Use It Wisely campaign promotes water conservation and alternative water supplies to reduce reliance on Tuolumne River water so that more can be made available for environmental purposes.