Could the dams on the upper Eel River be coming down for good? Late last week, PG&E issued a 2,000-plus-page plan to decommission and demolish its two dams on the upper stretches of the Eel River – Scott Dam and Cape Horn Dam, in Lake County and Mendocino County, respectively. These long-troubled dams were built over 100 years ago for the purpose of generating electricity, and had the side effects of rerouting water from the Eel River into the Russian River watershed. Also, they blocked fish passage into a bunch of prime habitat. The dams have long been unprofitable, PG&E has been trying to get rid of them since at least 2018. They haven’t generated any power at all since 2021. Now the utility is ready to take them down.

Related articles: 

• The Press Democrat (Santa Rosa, Calif.): PG&E releases final plan for removal of Scott and Cape Horn dams and elimination of Lake Pillsbury
• Mad River Union (Arcata, Calif.): Potter Valley Project docs now available for viewing
• Humboldt County: News release: Eel River and the Potter Valley Project