LAKEPORT >> The Board of Supervisors and county administration excoriated Pacific Gas & Electric for bulldozing through a tentative plan to demolish a vital dam and whose absence can harm Lake County financially and ecologically.
At a special meeting Friday, December 8, Patrick Sullivan, treasurer/tax collector, speaking on behalf of Matthew Rothstein, chief deputy executive administrative officer, conveyed an urgent message, a letter in response to, PG&E’s (Potter Valley Project) initial Draft Surrender Application and Conceptual Decommissioning Plan, prepared last month, calling for the removal of Scott Dam.
“Unfortunately, this draft plan is defined by what it lacks, first and foremost, no concern is demonstrated for presence of property owners in the Lake Pillsbury area,” Sullivan said, standing in for Rothstein. The board drafted letter, a rebuke of PG&E’s proposal, is to be delivered to PG&E’s Tony Gigliotti, Senior Licensing Project Manager by Dec. 22. They voted 3 to 0, with Chair Jessica Pyska and District 1 Supervisor Smoke Simon absent.
Among other concerns the letter criticized PG&E for:
- Not having concern for residents and property owners in the Lake Pillsbury area The loss of personal investments and property value decommissioning would in all probability have brought, nor the Tule Elk and other animal populations that have adapted to the Lake Pillsbury-dependent, ecosystem for over 100 years
- A project with soil disturbance at this scale that is potential for catastrophic loss of cultural artifacts significant to the county’s Tribal Nations, A PG&E Draft Plan that envisions reliance on the State Historic Preservation Officer, instead of direct dialogue with Lake County Tribes.
Two means of removal of Scott Dam; proposed without detailed discussion of environmental implications or even a clear plan for disposal of 115,000 tons of debris, which PG&E must adequately mitigate since potential for environmental disaster, and also includes:
- Management of 12 million cubic yards sediment built up behind Scott Dam,
Also not discussed in detail, despite potential for serious environmental complications:
A “conceptual restoration plan:” promised by June 3, 2024. Yet no commitment made to include Lake County or Lake Pillsbury Alliance, in this planning process or gathering vigorous input from affected parties.
Little concern demonstrated for the regional loss of recreational and economic opportunity, and no alternatives for recreation to be described. Nor, a chance to study declining wildlife populations.
Sullivan also speculated PG&E is doing decommissioning voluntarily to secure public opinion in advance of their meeting with the Federal Energy Regulation Commission filing. “So, we’re working in an artificially constructed PG&E time frame,” he said. “I guess it’s an attempt at public outreach opportunity to provide feedback. It was unfortunate it was just so vague and little to address.”
District 3 Supervisor Ed Crandell, said. “We’ve mentioned climate change (in letter) and Snow Mountain (Wilderness) not providing enough snowcap, which is groundwater recharge, and so they’ll study and find why there’s no water in the streams for fish to survive.”
Added District 2 Supervisor Bruno Sabatier, “We believe based on the first 10 years of drought we’ve experienced, there will be no more water to divert, especially in drought seasons,” he said. “So, is the Eel River going to be dry until it reaches Humboldt? … Is the Russian River Fork going toward Mendocino going dry? For some reason, it doesn’t carry much logic with PG&E … and nor do they seem to feel climate change will only get more severe, because, it will have stability issues for 600,000 who rely on drinking water from Lake Pillsbury … And I fear what cost of another water storage site will be (after Scott Dam removal) rather than try to save Lake Pillsbury.”
A major goal for Scott Dam is to improve water supply and absent of bringing forward a funded project that addresses seismic safety, sediment, and address current litigation, including fish passage (through the dam) the die maybe cast noted District 4 Supervisor Michael Green. “I think it’s OK if PG&E decides to cut its losses in certain respects, but as this letter before us here says, if you’re going to do that you better not throw out the community with the dam water,” he said. “Sooner or later, we’re going to have to focus on the idea that environmental mitigation is the proper focus, but we’re not quite there yet. I don’t know and some people in the community don’t know about information being shared, some behind closed doors. For all it covers and for what it doesn’t cover, it’s important to get this letter sent today and I’ll be in support of it.”
Sullivan was interviewed in a video regarding the Potter Valley Project and potential impacts from the loss of Lake Pillsbury and decommissioning of Scott Dam, earlier in October, produced by Frank Lynch, of the Pillsbury Alliance, in a presentation to the Russian River Water Forum.
“Lake County faces an immediate loss of up to $750,000 of tax revenue a year from decommissioning,” he said. “And there’ll be a loss of up to $140 million of property values, So, if the dam is lost it’s not just tax revenue, we have that’s lost but, sales tax, occupancy tax and other entities paying for the Potter Valley Project itself. All that goes away.” Yet he qualified his answer explaining it may be too early to know the true cost of dam removal. He also pointed out, there are efforts underway to limit PG&E’s responsibility.
“Comprehensive restoration cost could exceed dam removal itself,” he said. “Looked at that way, adding fish passage (to Eel River head waters, for fish to spawn) may have been a cheaper option. If removal is not as successful as hoped, Lake County faces not just the above revenue losses, but Lake County is responsible for providing the services for its constituents for what happens to Lake Pillsbury, and it will result in a burden on Lake County from the loss of assets in the area.”
