It appears that the Trump Administration is interfering once again in the local Eel River dam removal effort. Many of you may have read articles in local papers including the SF Chronicle about a water district in Southern California that may be planning to take over the Potter Valley Project. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins sent out a tweet on April 21st claiming that a Southern California Water District–Riverside County-based Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District– had “expressed strong interest in purchasing the [Potter Valley] project from PG&E.”
The following is an article Congressman Jared Huffman wrote re: the water grab attempt.
The Redwood Chapter Water Committee next meeting is May 25 all members welcome. We are working to stay updated about what the Elsinore Water District in Riverside County has in mind. The Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District meets monthly, and the public is able to attend these meetings online to voice our opposition. We will also be trying to connect with Southern California Sierra Club members to enlist their help. We will post any new developments as they occur.
Here is some misinformation by Secretary of Agriculture Rollins that Free the Eel Coalition has identified:
-PG&E is not removing the dams at the request of Gavin Newsom, the company is removing them because they are no longer operable/profitable.
-When the period for project to transfer to a new owner was open, PG&E did not receive any offers likely due to the liability associated with the aging, unprofitable project.
-This project is not a reliable hydropower project, which is why PG&E is seeking removal - it has been nearly 5 years since the project has generated power
-Secretary Rollins' efforts undermine the Two Basin Solution, an effort that provides long term water security for farming and fishing communities.
Additional information:
- As far as we know, there is no actual offer from Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District to acquire the project.
- The Eel is not connected to the State Water Project and no pipelines exist that could transfer Eel River water down to SoCal.