Farmers and ranchers in a rural Mendocino County valley have long opposed the planned removal of two local dams because it would reduce their summer irrigation supply. … The latest reality check came Monday, when federal energy regulators rejected the Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District’s attempt to formally join the case deciding the dams’ fate. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission determined that the Southern California water district, which has floated the possibility of buying and operating the dams itself, showed up too late. The rejection does not kill the water district’s gambit entirely, nor the hopes of the dams’ new political allies. But it captures a central problem in the world of California water politics: the dam’s defenders have plenty of newfound influence, but still no clear path to keeping the infrastructure in place. 

Other dam and reservoir news:

• SFGate: Earthquake risk sparks $3.2B rebuild of major Silicon Valley dam
• San Jose Inside (Calif.): Nearly $2B reconstruction of Anderson Dam to begin in 2027
• E&E News by Politico: Trump allies hit setback in fight to save California’s Potter Valley dams
• The Press Democrat (Santa Rosa, Calif.): Editorial: FERC makes right decision denying Southern California water agency bid