Dam Gone, Salmon Back: How Lincoln Cracked the Conservation Code

For more than 80 years, the Hemphill Diversion Dam sat in Auburn Ravine near Lincoln, doing what dams do best: blocking things. In this case, it was blocking salmon from accessing six miles of prime spawning habitat upstream. Year after year, the number of fall run Chinook salmon trying to return to the stream dwindled. The story looked like so many others in California—ecological loss, human infrastructure winning, fish populations fading into memory.

Then something shifted. In October 2022, the Nevada Irrigation District, which owned the dam, partnered with local conservationists to remove it. And here’s where it gets interesting: this wasn’t a zero-sum game where someone had to lose. Farmers still got their water. The nearby Turkey Creek Golf Course still got its water. The installation of a fish screen during the removal made sure of that. All that changed was that one obstacle—a concrete barrier that had outlived its usefulness—was gone.

The results speak louder than any policy debate. The latest surveys show 42 fall run Chinook salmon and four redds, or spawning nests, now in that previously blocked stretch of Auburn Ravine. Not a massive number, sure, but it’s a trend line pointing up instead of down. More importantly, it’s proof that restoration doesn’t have to mean sacrifice. Get out of the way, install smart infrastructure, and nature does the heavy lifting itself.

The Friends of Auburn Ravine are calling this“little experiment”a potential model for the state—and they might be onto something. California’s rivers are crisscrossed with old dams and diversions, many built decades ago for purposes that no longer make sense or have better alternatives now. If Lincoln shows that you can remove barriers, restore habitat, maintain water for agriculture, and watch salmon populations rebound all at once, that’s not just good news for fish. It’s a blueprint that could reshape how we think about water, conservation, and shared resources in the region.

The investment will also bring about 250 jobs, another reminder that environmental restoration and economic benefit don’t have to be on opposite sides of the ledger.