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Topic: North Coast

Aquafornia news June 30, 2025 The Press Democrat (Santa Rosa, Calif.)

Promise and peril envelope California’s next big dam removal in Lake and Mendocino counties

… 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.

Other dam removal and restoration news:

  • KRCR (Redding, Calif.): Klamath River restoration revives historic fish habitats
  • Jefferson Public Radio (Ore.): Healing through whitewater: Indigenous youth paddle the newly free-flowing Klamath River
  • ICT: Yurok reclaim Klamath River land and celebrate Two-Spirit Pride
  • Environmental Coastal & Offshore: Restoration of Klamath River tributaries begins as part of historic dam-removal project
  • Carson Now (Carson City, Nev.): Marlette Lake Dam project underway near Lake Tahoe
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Aquafornia news June 18, 2025 Bohemian (Healdsburg, Calif.)

Water woes, planned dam removal threatens North Bay water security

… 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.

Other dam removal news:

  • Herald and News (Klamath Falls, Ore.): Klamath River kayakers reach Keno on First Descent​
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Aquafornia news June 9, 2025 Lake County News (Lakeport, Calif.)

Town hall presents opposing views on controversial plan to decommission Potter Valley Project

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.

Related article:

  • MendoFever (Ukiah, Calif.): Town hall in Lakeport unites voices to save Lake Pillsbury
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Aquafornia news June 6, 2025 The Mendocino Voice (Calif.)

Opinion: Dams are coming down — and a new facility is going up

… 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.

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Aquafornia news June 3, 2025 The Mendocino Voice (Calif.)

Mendocino County’s Drought Task Force submits final report to board

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.

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Aquafornia news June 2, 2025 Lake County Record-Bee (Lakeport, Calif.)

Scotts Dam removal debated at Chamber sponsored forum

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.

Other Potter Valley Project news:

  • Times Standard (Eureka, Calif.): Opposition to Potter Valley decommission, dam removal voiced​
  • Ukiah Daily Journal (Calif.): Opinion: Life after the Potter Valley Project: ‘The water will not be cheap’
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  • View Original Article
Tour September 8, 2025 - 6:00pm - September 12, 2025 - 10:30am Become a Tour Sponsor! Nick Gray

Klamath River Tour 2025
Field Trip - September 8-12

*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
View map
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