Feds Float Late-Stage Idea to Keep Eel River Dams as Removal Plan Moves Forward
Cape Horn Dam in Potter Valley [Photo by Sarah Reith]
The Trump administration has introduced a potential alternative to the planned removal of Scott Dam and Cape Horn Dam—suggesting that a Southern California water agency might purchase and continue operating the facilities–despite the interested agency being located roughly 600 miles away in Southern California.
The idea was raised publicly by U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, who said the Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District had expressed interest in acquiring the project. In a post on X, Rollins stated, “Last year, PG&E filed to surrender its license and begin decommissioning the Potter Valley Project, removing the Scott and Cape Horn Dams because of @GavinNewsom‘s policy of putting fish over people.”
The proposal would run counter to Pacific Gas and Electric Co.’s current plan to decommission the aging Potter Valley hydroelectric project, a process already under review by federal regulators. PG&E has stated the project is no longer economically viable as a power source, and many tribes, environmental groups, and state leaders support dam removal as a way to restore salmon runs in the Eel River.
The idea has also drawn sharp criticism from some local stakeholders. In a statement, Friends of the Eel River questioned both the feasibility and the value of the project.
“Why anyone would be interested in paying money for a failed, money-losing, and risky project is beyond me, let alone a water district nearly 600 miles away from the dams,” said Alicia Hamann. “The project simply isn’t worth investing in.”
The group pointed to concerns including seismic risks at Scott Dam, the project’s lack of power generation since 2021, and the regulatory hurdles any new operator would face. They also noted that the dams block fish passage for threatened salmon and steelhead populations.
At the same time, the proposal is raising alarm among some elected officials. U.S. Rep. Jared Huffman, who helped broker the current decommissioning agreement, questioned the implications of the administration’s comments.
“I think we need to remember that the tweet came from the Secretary of Agriculture. This was not some random, low-level operative, or some MAGA influencer,” Huffman said in an interview with the Times Standard. “You have to take this seriously…you should be very alarmed.”
Friends of the Eel River added that regional stakeholders have already reached an agreement supporting dam removal while maintaining some seasonal water diversions, arguing that continuing on that path would better serve both local communities and ecosystem recovery.
However, the Trump administration is not alone in opposing the project’s closure. The diversion from the Eel River into the Russian River supplies communities and agriculture downstream, and concerns about losing that water have fueled opposition in some areas.
According to the Chron, the water district identified in Rollins’ statement confirmed it is in the early stages of exploring options but has not submitted a formal proposal. PG&E said it has received no offer and indicated it may be too late for a sale, as the decommissioning process is already in motion. Any new operator would likely face a lengthy federal permitting process.
Meanwhile, a newly formed entity—the Eel-Russian Project Authority—is already working on a plan to continue some water diversions after the dams are removed, albeit at reduced levels.
Observers quoted in the Chronicle’s reporting expressed skepticism about the feasibility and timing of the idea, noting both the lack of concrete details and the advanced stage of the dam removal process.
This summary only scratches the surface of the reporting. For full context, sourcing, and additional perspectives, read the original article by Kurtis Alexander at the San Francisco Chronicle.
Earlier:
- An Expired License, a Mysterious Applicant, and a Threat to Sue: What Else Can We Expect as the Fight to Control the Waters of the Eel River Continues?
- ‘Everyone knew it was coming’: Eel River Waters Continue to Be Diverted as PG&E Granted Annual License for the Potter Valley Project
- Fish Fight: Two New Developments in the Ongoing Damming of the Eel Via the Potter Valley Hydropower Project
- Two New Decisions on the Potter Valley Diversion from the Eel River
- PG&E Signals That It Will Speed Up Removing Dam Which Helps Divert Water From the Eel River to the Russian River
- PG&E Plans to Remove Both Potter Valley Project Dams—Mendo, Humboldt, Lake and Sonoma Fight
- PG&E Proposes Reducing Russian River Flow and Transferring Potter Valley Project to Subsidiary
- New Proposal Over Eel River Water Diversion Plan Leaves Some Stakeholders Out
- Final Draft Surrender Application and Decommissioning Plan for the Potter Valley Project Available for Viewing
- Humboldt Approves Agreement as End of Potter Valley Project Nears
- Dam, a Deal! Humboldt Approves Historic Potter Valley Project Pact
- Trump Administration Enters Fight Over Potter Valley Project, Eel River Water
Join the discussion! For rules visit: https://kymkemp.com/commenting-rules
Comments system how-to: https://wpdiscuz.com/community/postid/10599/
Simply more insanity from Trump sycophants. Shameful ass kissing.
Not so. The feds just announced they had been informed a socal water co was interested. More leftwing spin.
Another water theft from Norcal by LALA landers. Sounds like Trumpism.
You and they are living in a fantasy world.
What purpose does a water district 700-some miles away have up here other than to stymie an already in-progress transition? That dam was useless 50 years ago, and with the huge shrinkage going on in the wine industry, that un-used water can go back towards it’s original home.
If the aqueduct goes the distance then you should be able to add water at one end and take it out at the other end, if I’m not mistaken.
How would they even get it to the aqueduct?
Ask Trump. He seems to think we can just reroute the Columbia to California to feed water starved agriculture operations.
“Whiskey is for drinking; water is for fighting over.”
Mark Twain
The feds did not float this. They simply announced they had been informed a socal water district was interested. More yellow tds journalism by the left.Ifonically, it is the leftwingers from the south who want our water.
Malarkey. Where did these LALA Land folk get the idea it was possible? Trump. Dirty Don has a hardon for California because we don’t submit to Liddle Hands.
Country boys will survive. Keep that thought, Geoff!
riverside county is super red
sheriff Chad recounter at the helm
regarding your Guy Don
smart people getting what they want or dipshits getting what they deserve
your choice
They got the idea from the russian river interests
The reporting doesn’t show a formal federal proposal or that the administration directed the water district to pursue this. But it also isn’t passive. This didn’t come out of nowhere. The Trump administration has already intervened in the federal review and publicly opposed removing the dams, arguing it would hurt water supply and agriculture.
So when the Agriculture Secretary highlights a potential buyer and urges PG&E to take it seriously, that fits a pattern—they’ve been pushing to keep the project going, not just passing along information.
And we know who is pushing this locally from previous tweets and its largely MAGA adjacent influencers and politicians. Chris Colombe who ran a failed campaign against Huffman. Todd Lands and Sheilna Moreda who are both running for supervisor in Sonoma County. Madeline Cline in Mendo. Rich Brazil and his daughter Keely Colvelo – a conservative “reporter” and influencer. All people looking to raise their political profile with Trump and “own the libs”.
left wingers in Riverside County
who is delusional here?
just enough effort by the cons to monkey wrench others diligent efforts at the finish line, I wouldn’t expect anything less
Im referring to the sonoma marin mendocinointerests who obviously solicited the interference. Chinatown revisited. The hypocrisy of the left. I want those dams and diversions eliminated. Anyway, this is a delay tactic. Its going nowhere..
These people aren’t the left. They just have a vague liberal patter while being, like most of the so called conservatives, corporate/banking shills and stooges.
I doubt the dams will ever come down the only reason the klamath dams were removed is because the water wasn’t being diverted down south for ag and wine
Yet the Klamath dams are gone forever, and the Klamath river is coming back to life. What happened here gives dam removal more credibility.
the indians have the power to get dams removed due to leftwing political guilt
Dam good one. Now, what does India have to do with this?
American indians, idiot
That’s the price of genocide. Casinos too 😊
It was the same reason as these dams. Economicly unsustainable, Tribal interests and Salmon declines.
Politicos looking ahead to diverting water to SF/LA and Central Valley…. no snow-pack this year. Colorado River supply is a memory.
If the taps in the urban areas go dry… Yee Hah…
The structural conditions of the dam is poor at best. It’s an old dam. Upgrades and fish ladders are required which were too expensive for pg+e to do. Somehow Huffman has his fingers in this pie. He’ll do anything to keep his congressional retirement he enjoys. The dying wine industry and urban sprawl has major investments in Huff and want their money’s worth.
The easy way out is to not do anything. Nobody will know, it’ll be their secret. For sure downstream effected counties and communities will have nothing to say about it especially California department of fish and wildlife..
Huffman’s retirement is not in jeopardy. What a flaming red herring that is to toss into this argument.
Take down the dams
Any concerns Huff has about the health of the eel River is a knee jerk reaction. Yes, tear down the dam and eliminate any plans for a water diversion to the south.
We can learn how to deal with water shortages from our Mexican neighbors. Desalination, greenhouse, etc. Refreshing to see a can-do attitude!
Sure…
I danced with a woman rancher at the Moose Monday night. She’ll be sending Costco strawberries. She farms in Baja. She does love our rain.
Mojave.
Baja.
Commenters seem to love dropping opinions like this but then don’t put either enough information or links so it always seems like a political agenda rather than reality. What are you talking about?
The truly moronic part of using “fish over people” as a derogatory phrase is the complete lack of understanding that we have to save fish in order to save people. And bees, trees, and butterflies. It’s not an us-or-them zero sum game, it’s an all-of-us synergistic system vs. a simplified hell-hole where everything suffers.
The bigger problem with the current federal government pushing an idea like this is that it can revive the concept of building the Dos Rios dam. Then the water can get diverted South.
Shhh… Don’t give them any ideas. If that dam happens, it won’t be called “dos rios” anymore.
Yes. Uno Lake.
Maybe you are thinking of Mono Lake. The movie China Town pretty tells the story.
William Mulholland (1855–1935) was a self-taught Irish-American civil engineer who transformed Los Angeles from a semi-arid town into a major metropolis by engineering its water supply.
He served as the superintendent of the city’s Water Department and is best known for designing and supervising the construction of the Los Angeles Aqueduct, a 233-mile gravity-fed system that brought water from the Owens Valley to Southern California upon its completion in 1913.
Mulholland’s legacy is defined by two contrasting events: his monumental success in enabling LA’s growth and his role in the St.
Francis Dam disaster of 1928.
The dam he designed collapsed just hours after his inspection, killing over 450 people and ending his career in disgrace. Despite this catastrophe, the aqueduct he built remains a critical infrastructure component, and Mulholland Drive in Los Angeles is named in his honor.
Wont happen. Its an Indiian reservation
Cadillac Desert by Marc Reisner gives a great breakdown about how the LA Aqueduct was built (along with a lot of other Western water projects). It’s a great introduction into the politics of water in the West.
The Dos Rios dam would have dammed the Middle Fork of the Eel, flooding most of Round Valley. Reagan (as Governor) cancelled the constuction in 1969, mostly due to the work of Richard Wilson who fought to stop it. The River Stops Here is a book that documents the fight.
In California politics, water is worth more than gold. The Sites Reservoir evaporation project is already bonded (and would be a natural afterbay from the Dos Rios Reservoir). The Peripheral Canal went away, but the Delta Conveyance Project (tunnel) idea is still very much alive.
Water interests (especially the Westlands Water District and the LA Municipal Water District) hold HUGE sway in the California legislature. The only water in the state that isn’t being diverted South is from the Klamath and Eel rivers.
It’s only a matter of time…
River water should not be diverted anywhere. If the ag farmers has open water tanks to capture rain water this winter & spring, they would be helping out. Capture rain off their barns, etc.
That requires (relatively) simple calculations. Just remember a cubic foot of water is about 7.8 gallons. Then you need to know the average seasonal rainfall (in feet) for your location.
Say you use 78,000 gallons of water a year. Say your location gets 1ft of rain each year. You’ll need 78,000gal / 7.8gal per cubic foot = 10,000 square feet of catchment area such as a 100’x100′ roof.
Similarly, with each foot of rainfall, a water tank 6′ in diameter at the top (pi*radius*radius = square feet) would capture 3.14*3ft’*3ft*7.8=226gal.
Of course you can get a lot more water by tapping into a seasonal creek taking advantage of a large runoff land area.
State water resources board is going to be up in your Kool-Aid for tapping creeks. You can thank all the backlash from past grow-ops for some of that. I’ve seen them go after people with cattle troughs in the last few years wanting to know the source, have it permitted, and monitored for flow and quality.
A few thousand pages of water rights stuff. Have fun.
Statement of water diversions.
Quality pages.
Wording matters — notice I wrote seasonal creek, not anything year-round, no blue-line creeks for sure.. I should also have said between December and June 1st. Forbearing as it were.
Thanks for links. I know all that already. 🙂
Or both. There doesn’t have to be one source; you can use a lot of smaller sources.
Yes indeed!
That’s very idealistic and also pretty naïve. We wouldn’t have civilizations without water diversion. I mean, the Romans built aqueducts. The water supplying your house is diverted from a river. There is a lot of information on the history of civil and agricultural water use if you’re interested.
When is someone going to clean up all the rusting RR mess along the riverbank? The old derailed locos & boxcars & other RR junk? The RR what owned it when it happened should have been ordered to clean up their mess at the time but that did not happen and that company is long gone so once again the taxpayers will have t clean up the environmental mess left by the rich. Its not going to clean up itself.
!
Where will Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District be getting its funding for this project?
Who has seen the Eel go completely underground and loose surface water tension? We need the water from our river back in the river as well !! Not to mention the returning fish that would come back with raised water levels and natural creek and river flows.