LAKE PILLSBURY — A five-member working group seeking to adopt a hydroelectric project soon to be abandoned by Pacific Gas & Electric Company has submitted a report proposing its plans, which include the removal of Scott Dam in northern Lake County.
The facility, called the Potter Valley Project, has been operated by PG&E since the early 20th century, but the utility last year gave notice that it would step away by 2022 when its license expires, leaving the facility’s future uncertain.
The project consists of two dams, a small hydroelectric plant and a diversion system that feeds water from the Eel River to the Russian River basin where it supports agricultural and other irrigation in Mendocino, Sonoma and Marin Counties. One of the project’s dams—Scott Dam—is located in northern Lake County and forms the reservoir Lake Pillsbury.
The working group, which refers to itself as the “Two-Basin Partnership,” brings together five agencies with various interests in the economic and ecological implications of the PVP’s future. The group members include environmental nonprofit California Trout, the County of Humboldt, the Mendocino County Inland Water and Power Commission, Sonoma County Water Agency and the Round Valley Indian Tribes.
The County of Lake and the nonprofit Friends of the Eel River were both barred from entering into the group last year despite their efforts. Redgie Collins, a spokesperson for California Trout’s membership in the group, said then that the group had decided to limit its numbers for expediency given a tight timeline for developing its proposal to adopt the PVP.
The Two-Basin Partnership’s feasibility study report details a plan to adopt the PVP that must be approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which regulates facilities like the Potter Valley Project.
Under the group’s plan as summarized in a press release, Scott Dam would be removed, draining Lake Pillsbury. The PVP’s second dam—Cape Horn Dam—would be modified to improve fish passage. Modifications to the PVP’s electric facilities and water supply system would also be undertaken. Fisheries impacted by the presence of the facilities including Scott Dam would undergo restoration work “to improve conditions for threatened and endangered native fish.” New infrastructure would be built to keep water supply to the Potter Valley area reliable. A new “special district authority” would be formed to oversee the operations of the project and generate revenue for it.
With Scott Dam removed, nearby residents would lose what some consider to be a vital recreational and economic resource: Lake Pillsbury.
The Lake Pillsbury Alliance, a group formed by some such residents, has spoken at Lake County government meetings and with this newspaper about its concerns regarding the reservoir, and its belief that those who recreate and dwell in the area consider it a unique ecosystem.
“The value of Lake Pillsbury is in the water for recreation, for dependent downstream beneficiaries, and to support the surrounding ecosystems that formed over the past 100 years since Scott Dam was built,” LPA leader Carol Cinquini writes.
According to Humboldt County Supervisor Estelle Fennell, however, “Scientific studies indicate that removal of Scott Dam is urgently needed to improve Eel River fisheries.”
“Today, the Eel River is a shadow of its former self,” said Charlie Schneider of the nonprofit Trout Unlimited, in a press release expressing support for the working group’s plan on behalf of three environmental nonprofits including California Trout and The Nature Conservancy.
“One key conclusion from the study is that the removal of Scott Dam is the best and most cost-effective way to address fish passage concerns related to the project’s current operations,” the release states.
The working group’s statement notes that more consideration will need to be given to the impacts of taking out Scott Dam.
“Although the proposed project plan submitted to FERC is a significant step in the effort to realize a two-basin solution, the process for securing a new license for the PVP is still in the early stages,” the group writes. “The Report’s Project Plan must be studied further, including analyzing the effects of removing Scott Dam on the communities around Lake Pillsbury, tribal interests, recreation and other activities on the Eel River.”
The two-basin partnership’s report was submitted to the FERC on Wednesday. If determined “feasible” and approved by FERC after a 45-day public comment period, the working group will be given authority to carry out the plan it has outlined. If the plan is not approved, PG&E may decommission the PVP.
Cost estimates for the working group’s plan are “very preliminary,” it writes. Based on initial studies, direct costs for changes to the project facilities range from $100 million to $400 million in 2020 dollars. New Potter Valley water supply infrastructure would cost from $30 million to $120 million. Annual operating costs could range from $5 million to $10 million.
