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Sonoma council directs WAC representative to back statement of interest on proposed Eel–Russian facility
Summary
On Oct. 15, Sonoma City Council voted 4–0 to direct its Water Advisory Committee representative to support a joint "statement of interest" on the proposed new Eel–Russian River facility and associated diversion agreement, citing a desire to protect reliable supplies and proportionate cost‑sharing for local water contractors.
Sonoma City Council voted unanimously Oct. 15 to direct its Water Advisory Committee representative to support a joint statement of interest on the proposed new Eel–Russian River facility and associated water diversion agreement.
The council's direction follows a presentation from the city's Public Works Director that summarized the Potter Valley Project's decommissioning by PG&E, the century‑long history of the diversion that routes Eel River flows into Lake Mendocino and the Russian River system, and the contractors' effort to memorialize priorities for reliability, equitable cost‑sharing and transparency. "We want everyone to act equitably as far as cost sharing goes and proportionate to benefit," the Public Works Director said when describing the draft statement of interest.
The presentation said the Potter Valley Project is being decommissioned through a process overseen by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) after PG&E applied in July for decommissioning. The city noted that the technical advisory committee (TAC) voted unanimously on Oct. 6 to recommend the statement of interest be forwarded to the Water Agency Committee (WAC) for consideration in early November.
Council members asked specifically whether North County communities such as Cloverdale and agricultural users would lose access or be disproportionately affected. The City Manager and staff said users north of Lake Sonoma tend to rely more heavily on the diversion and that any reduction in diversions could have a greater impact on those users than on cities that also draw from Lake Sonoma and groundwater.
At public comment, Julian Mackey said the decommissioning could reduce deliveries (he cited a drop from "40,000" to "30,000," noting he did not know the exact unit) and described ecological benefits if the Eel River is returned to a free‑flowing condition for salmon habitat. "In the end, this project will save ratepayers more money because it's costing so much money to maintain this broken dam as it is," Mackey said.
Councilor action: a council member moved to direct the city's WAC representative to vote in support of the statement of interest; the motion was seconded and carried by roll call, 4–0 (Council member Dean: Aye; Council member Gurney: Yes; Council member Low: Aye; Vice Mayor Wallander: Yes).
Staff told the council that the statement of interest is intended as a non‑regulatory, memorialized representation of contractors' priorities to guide Sonoma County Water Agency and other parties during the complex, multi‑agency decommissioning and potential replacement‑diversion design process. The presentation noted contractors and Sonoma Water have invested in Russian River restoration work and that contractors have contributed in excess of $50,000,000 to those watershed efforts.
Next steps: the WAC is scheduled to consider the statement in early November; staff said the city will return to update its statement as the process evolves.
