Board approves water diversion agreement to accompany Potter Valley dam decommissioning

The Humboldt County Board of Supervisors voted 5-0 to approve a proposed water diversion agreement related to Pacific Gas and Electric Co.'s decommissioning of the Potter Valley Hydroelectric Project and the construction and operation of a new Eel–Russian diversion facility.

The agreement, described to the board by Hank Seaman, Public Works deputy director, sets coequal goals of improving conditions on the Eel River to support naturally reproducing, self-sustaining fish populations and maintaining continued, constrained diversions to support water supply reliability and water quality in the Russian River basin. “Pacific Gas and Electric is preparing to decommission the Potter Valley hydroelectric project, which is located on the Upper Eel River,” Seaman said during the staff presentation.

County staff told supervisors the agreement was negotiated by a coalition of public agencies, tribes and conservation organizations and is intended to be offered to PG&E as part of the company’s license-surrender and decommissioning process with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). The document would support PG&E’s removal of Scott and Cape Horn dams and the transfer of necessary lands and water-right interests to entities that will implement a “run-of-river” diversion (no new storage dams).

Key provisions and why they matter

- Limits on diversion and river protections: The…