Nearly every year for the past decade, PG&E has requested permission from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, or FERC, to adjust diversions at the Potter Valley Project from the Eel River into the Russian River. This is because the Project has failed in nearly every way it can.
Sedimentation in the Lake Pillsbury reservoir has both reduced the storage capacity and threatens to clog the only water outlet, requiring PG&E to maintain at least 12,000 acre feet in the reservoir at all times. In 2023, PG&E rapidly enacted a dam safety mitigation and lowered the radial gates on top of Scott Dam, reducing the reservoir capacity by about 20,000 acre feet. And of course, PG&E and FERC are required to manage the project to limit harms to ESA listed species. This requires preserving additional water in the Lake Pillsbury reservoir to maintain water temperatures below Scott Dam appropriate for survival of Steelhead.
All of this compounds to make flows required by the current license “unobtainable in nearly all years” as PG&E says. So, just as in previous years, PG&E is seeking permission from FERC to reduce diversions to the Russian River in an effort to prevent a catastrophic failure and reduce existing harms to the Eel’s native fish. Of course, the best and most practical solution to the many challenges the Project faces is the removal of the Eel River dams, which PG&E claims will begin in 2028. Until that day, however, it is critical that the Project be properly managed in order to reduce harm to the Eel’s endangered fish species.
Lethargic action from FERC has already caused catastrophe in the past. In 2023, FERC did not approve of PG&E’s flow variance request until October, far past the time of year in which water temperatures rise dangerously high for juvenile salmonids. When the water released from the Project into the Eel River reaches 18° C, invasive Sacramento Pikeminnow become able to outcompete native juvenile fish. This is why it’s crucial to maintain a cold water pool – which can only be done if FERC approves these yearly flow variance requests before the hot summer season.
PG&E has done their part by submitting their request in February of this year. And now we urge FERC to do their part by approving the variance before it’s too late.