… To many of its visitors, and the several hundred people who
live along its 31-mile shoreline deep within the sprawling
Mendocino National Forest, Lake Pillsbury is the region’s
heartbeat. But Scott Dam, at the foot of Lake Pillsbury, and
another, smaller dam on the river 12 miles downstream, have
also become a headache for Pacific Gas & Electric Co., which
owns both dams. And that’s creating a controversy that’s drawn
interest from everyone from those who live on Lake Pillsbury,
to North Bay communities whose water supplies are linked to
both dams, to federal agencies now under control of President
Donald Trump. … PG&E is on track to decommission
those dams, and under a historic agreement reached earlier this
year, both are being slated to be torn down in what would be
the nation’s next big dam removal project, freeing up the
headwaters of California’s third longest river to help revive
its troubled salmon and steelhead trout runs.
… For more than a century, hydroelectric dams have diverted
water through the valley from the northward flowing Eel River’s
watershed to the southerly Russian River’s east fork, where the
two wind within a mile of each other near the Lake County
border. The local ecology, economy and culture have adapted
accordingly. Now that the alteration is no longer
profitable, Pacific Gas & Electric is looking to undo the
diversion by removing the dams, with potentially devastating
ramifications for the communities that have grown to depend on
the water they store and divert. … A coalition of
considerable political force has aligned behind PG&E’s
effort to relinquish its license for the Potter Valley
Project. Environmental nonprofits, tribal
representatives and elected officials, including Rep. Jared
Huffman, have endorsed the removal of Scott Dam, citing seismic
risk, fish habitat restoration and historical justice for the
Round Valley Indian Tribes as core motivations.
The vastly different viewpoints around whether or not the
Potter Valley Project should be decommissioned — and dismantled
— took center stage at a special event in Lakeport at the end
of May. The Lake County Chamber of Commerce hosted the Lake
Pillsbury and Potter Valley Project town hall on the evening of
Wednesday, May 28, at the Soper Reese Theater in Lakeport. The
Potter Valley Project includes the Potter Valley powerhouse,
Cape Horn Dam and Van Arsdale Reservoir, Scott Dam and Lake
Pillsbury. Pacific Gas and Electric Co. has operated the
project for decades but in 2019 the corporation abandoned its
license for the hydroelectric facility after determining it was
“uneconomic” for its customers to maintain. The negotiations
about the future of the project, and in particular Lake
Pillsbury — located in northern Lake County — have seen Lake
County largely sidelined by larger regional and political
interests.
… The Inland Water & Power Commission had an all-boards’
meeting on May 29. Since the IWPC is composed of different
boards, this was an opportunity for all the boards to hear the
same update. My takeaways are: PG&E is going to take down
the dams. A coalition has formed to build a New Eel
Russian Facility (NERF) that will divert water during
high water times from the Eel River to the Russian River. The
current projection is that the NERF will cost $40 million to
build and $10 million annually to operate. The process will
take years, and people/groups in both basins have agreed to
this plan. Storage of water on the Russian River side is
critical to making it all work, and a feasibility study by the
United States Army Corps of Engineers is beginning to study the
raising of Coyote Dam. That will be a very expensive and long
process. There has been a lot of work done by very dedicated
people, coalitions have been formed from entities from both
basins, and continuing to work through the issues is the only
realistic path forward to keep water flowing in both
directions. –Written by John Haschak, chair of the Mendocino County
Board of Supervisors.
With the Mendocino coast a popular tourist destination, many
Northern Californians are aware of the water scarcity that
caused thousands of gallons of water to be trucked in from
Ukiah during the drought of 2021-2022. But inland regions in
the county suffered dry wells and severe water rationing in
that same drought. More of the same is ahead according to
the final report prepared by the county’s Drought Task Force, a
committee formed to fulfill the state’s 2021-22 mandate that
every county must draft and submit a drought resilience plan.
Mendocino County’s committee included several county
departments, major public water suppliers, such as the cities
of Ukiah, Willits, and Fort Bragg, the Ukiah Valley Water
Authority, eleven tribal groups, the State Water Resources
Control Board, special water districts, and others. The task
force chaired two public meetings, one in Ukiah and one in Fort
Bragg, and created a survey on the group’s website.
A Town Hall convened Thursday aimed at protecting a vital water
resource that has, and could again, prove critical to fighting
wildfires, but also to sustain the economy and enhance
recreational opportunities for an isolated, yet popular
destination point for longtime residents. The Lake County
Chamber of Commerce hosted the event at the Soper Reese
Theater, Thursday. Master of Ceremonies was Amanda Martin,
Chief Economic Officer of the Chamber. Martin said the
presentation was to promote awareness and to educate the
community on the critical issue of a potential removal of
Scotts Dam from the Potter Valley Project. … Should the
dam be torn down, Lake County Treasurer estimated there could
be a loss of $850,000 in tax revenue. Additionally, property
values of $40 million could depreciate. … Meanwhile the
decommissioning of Scotts Dam is estimated at $500 million and
probably more, by the time the work is completed, based on a
study by The Eel River Power Authority.
*IMPORTANT* In anticipation of high demand, the Foundation will be allocating tickets via a lottery method with a maximum of 3 entrants per organization. To enter, please thoroughly review the tour details below so you’re fully aware of the time and financial commitments, then complete this entry form.
Entrants selected via the ticket lottery will be contacted beginning on June 12 with an opportunity to register for the tour. Tickets will be released in batches over time, so you may not hear right away.
This special, first-ever Foundation water tour will not be offered every year! Join us as we examine water issues along the 263-mile Klamath River, from its spring-fed headwaters in south-central Oregon to its redwood-lined estuary on the Pacific Ocean in California.
Running Y Resort
5500 Running Y Rd
Klamath Falls, OR 97601
