Supporting sustainable food, power, and water for over 100 years

Pump Station Diversion Chosen for Potter Valley Project

"After months of committee meetings and analyses across a wide spectrum of interest groups, a new joint powers authority decided unanimously on March 19 to pursue a pump station that would divert water from the Eel River into the Russian River during high flows."
Read the full article by Sarah Reith at mendofever.com.

Jacobs Engineering Group groundwater and geophysical study

One of the steps of this study will require the use of a small drone with a sonar buoy that will fly over Potter Valley in a grid pattern performing an electromagnetic mapping survey of the subsurface geology. The flight is not expected to be long in duration and is planned for July 17-20, 2023. The information we gain from this study will help us determine the extent of our ground water basin and capability for storage.

Potter Valley Project Timeline

Enjoy this useful timeline and chronicle of the Potter Valley Project from the Mendocino Inland Water and Power Commission. It gives historical context and also includes information about how the water is used for various stakeholders.

To stay up to date on current license news, sign up for email updates with the Russian River Water Forum.

Letters and News

Water customer Lura Smith sent this letter about the Potter Valley Project March 23, 2022, covering the history of the project as well as pointing out some possible improvements around the PVP and Eel River drainage that could benefit both fish and power production.

Congressman Huffman sent a letter to FERC referencing the Potter Valley Project on February 16, 2022.

The Mendocino County Inland Water & Power Commission sent a letter regarding Coyote Dam on March 10, 2022.

Water Rates for 2022

PVID Update March 1, 2022

Welcome 2022. 2021 proved to be the most challenging water season I have seen in over 30 years. PVID and you the customer, survived, to some degree, having received only 25% of our normal amount of water delivery. Working together we made the best of an unprecedented drought situation, thank you everyone.

2022 storage of water in Lake Pillsbury is now over double of what it was this date in 2021. The paper work and filings have been made for early closure of the top gates at Scott Dam for the first week in March rather than in April. This will allow for additional storage should it occur.

I expect no reduction in the amount of our PG&E Contract water this year. That does not mean there won’t be a curtailment of water available to PVID from our appropriative right from the East Branch Russian River.

If Lake Mendocino does not receive a sufficient level of storage this Spring, the SWRCB may again impose curtailments of the upper East Branch Russian River flows. The cut-off date for curtailments in 2021 was 1949. PVID’S appropriative right is registered as 1950. This led to a 50% reduction of our available water for the 2021 season. The total reduction of water to Potter Valley water customers in 2021 was 75% of normal. I believe the worse-case scenario in 2022 will be a 50% loss in available water.

This year PVID will manage a reduction in available water by extending out the rotation schedule from our normal 12 to 14 days, to what works. Last year we were held to a maximum acre foot allotment that forced us into a maximum delivery rate that extended the schedule almost beyond being manageable! I do not expect an allotment system requirement at this time….Rain fall total at this time is 25.54 inches!

This year, our infrastructure improvement plan, if approved by the Board of Directors, will allow for the installation of pipe in approximately 1,460 feet of open ditch laterals. Maintenance projects are ongoing at Gate #75, #59, and #79 just to mention a few. We have approved the 2022 PVID budget, and are preparing for the 2021 financial audit.

PVID is still deeply involved in the Potter Valley Project FERC Licensing Proceeding. The dynamics of this hydro water project are changing constantly. Believe me when I say, PVID is fully vested in maintaining a viable water supply for Potter Valley! PG&E is required to continue operating under the current Reasonable and Prudent Alternative (RPA) procedures.

I would like to remind everyone that our water rates will increase for all of us in 2022. PVID will be paying $20.00 per acre foot and water customers will be paying $22.50 per acre foot as our contract with PG&E stipulates. These rates will stay in effect into 2025 even if PG&E is operating on a year to year license.

Just a reminder, if you purchase water from PVID, please maintain a record of each irrigation, and stay in contact with your Water Tender. A calendar works well for logging the start date & time, and the stop date & time. Please remember, we require at least a 2 hour notice with your request to have your water turned off. This policy allows the water tender time to arrange moving your water to the next waiting customer. Please provide PVID with your email address so we can send you a timely receipt for each irrigation. We will try to do that on a weekly basis from now on. Thank you

Steven Elliott,
Superintendent
Potter Valley Irrigation District

January 13, 2022: Mendocino County Water Agency updates on the Potter Valley Project and on water supply status

The featured the status of the Potter Valley Project in its January newsletter, as well as updating eveyone on the state of water in our region after a wet fall but a prediction for a dry January. Here is a quote about the importance of the Potter Valley Project to our general water supply:

Without the water from the Project, Lake Mendocino is likely go dry in four out of every ten years. The concern is not just for the far future but now. Due to failure of the electric transformer at the powerhouse, PG&E has only been diverting approximately 45 cubic feet per second (CFS) into the Russian River, a vast reduction from past years. In a normal winter, around 35,000-acre feet of water is diverted through the powerhouse. This winter, only around 7,000-acre feet of water will be delivered into Lake Mendocino if current diversion rates are not increased. This mechanical failure provides a glimpse of what the impacts to Lake Mendocino could be if there is a significant loss of water delivered from the Project.

December 17, 2021: PVID requests additional flows through Potter Valley Project

In a letter sent December 17, 2021, Potter Valley Irrigation District supported the request from the Inland Water and Power Commision and Sonoma County Water for additional flows through the Potter Valley Project to support replenishment of Lake Mendocino. With our winter rains, Lake Pillsbury is finally spilling for the first time since June 2019, and there is capacity to divert more water into storage at Lake Mendocino.

May 13, 2021: PVID Drought Allocation Plan for 2021

Effective May 12, 2021, each customer billing account and number of acres for each commodity currently being grown will be calculated. A percentage of their water use as part of the District Net Acres being irrigated will be assigned an AF/AC/YR allotment of the 9,000 AF until it is either gone or readjusted by PG&E or FERC. These figures are based on crop use data over an eleven year average including 2020. See this attached letter for the full details of the Drought Allocation Plan.

April 22, 2021: Water Management and Conservation for 2021

Water Management and Conservation for 2021 customer letter (PDF) - full text

The extremely low rainfall that we have received during the past winter and spring has put us below the previous drought of record rainfall of the 1976-1977 rainy season. Everyone south of Potter Valley is, or soon will be, under some form of mandatory water rationing. All agricultural users and municipalities are developing water conservation plans.

... As a result of limited storage in Lake Pillsbury, PVID will only receive 9,000 acre feet (AF) of water in 2021. This will be approximately a 40% reduction in the amount we normally use and less than half of our contracted amount of 19,000 AF per year.

PVID Status Update March 17, 2021

Everyone is aware that we are well below our average rainfall for this time of year. Storage level at Lake Pillsbury as of 3-17-21 is at 10.0 feet below the spill crest of Scott Dam and equals 39,000 AF. PVID has impressed upon PG&E, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), and members of the Potter Valley Drought Working Group (PVDWG), of which all agree, that weather patterns and snow pack must be analyzed closely in March and April so the gates on Scott Dam can be closed early to maximize storage. If sufficient rain does not occur to fill the lake to spill crest, that will remain a moot point. The mechanics of accomplishing this are varied and too lengthy to explain here. Needless to say, we are working on it. There will be a PVDWG meeting soon to do just that.

PVID is fully involved and vested in the PV Project Two Basin Solution. There is a myriad of studies being carried out in an attempt to establish volitional fish passage to all spawning grounds on the Eel River above Lake Pillsbury. It must also ensure that PVID has a reliable and timely water supply for agriculture. Funding continues to be a persistent issue. Even with the efforts of all of the different federal, state, local, and non-profits involved, available dollars for most of the required document fillings with FERC have been generated by Mendocino and Sonoma County with Mendocino County Inland Water & Power Commission (MCIWPC) being the driving force and clearing house for expenses. Establishing a more reliable funding source is at the top of a very long To Do List.

The dry weather since January has allowed us to finish the replacement of Busch Creek Flume. This project has been a critical, four yearlong capital improvement. Our 2021 infrastructure improvement plan as approved by the Board of Directors will allow for the installation of pipe in approximately 1,500 feet of open ditch laterals along Gibson Lane and Lateral #17. Other projects are ongoing for complete screw gate and stilling wells replacement of Gate #52 and Gate #53. We will be replacing a failed property access culvert 40 feet wide on the East Main Canal just below gate #59 and another one above gate #63. We are also preparing for the PVID 2020 financial audit.

I would like to remind everyone that our current water rates will remain the same through December 31, 2022. PVID is paying $15.00 per acre foot and water customers are paying $17.50 per acre foot as our contract with PG&E stipulates. On January 1, 2022 through December 31, 2024 the rates will increase to $20.00 for PVID and $22.50 for customers.

PVID expects the 2021 water season to continue under a dry year classification. Conservation of all water is critical! PVID will be operating on the same demand base system as we did in 2019 and 2020. This means that only the amount of water being delivered to customers at any given time will be delivered to PVID through the PV Project. The East Branch Russian River flow may drop to 25 CFS or less. I mention this because the customer rotation schedule, normally 12 to 14 days, may extend out to 19 or 20. Every effort will be made to keep the rotation schedule as short as possible.

Just a reminder, while PVID records every irrigation, it is recommended if you purchase water from PVID, that you maintain your own record of each irrigation. A calendar works well for logging the start date & time, and the stop date & time. Please remember, we require at least a two-hour prior notice of your request to have your water turned off. This policy allows the water tender time to arrange moving your water to the next waiting customer. Please stay in contact with the Water Tender. We need more rain! As of 3-17-21 our total rain fall of 18 inches is well below the average.

Steven Elliott,
Superintendent
Potter Valley Irrigation District

MCFB statement on PG&E's intent to abandon Potter Valley Project relicensing - January 25, 2019

We want you to know that Mendocino County Farm Bureau is very active in the numerous issues related to the Potter Valley Project and will continue to keep you updated.

Please share this information so we can keep the community well informed. It is times like this that your membership is essential to our united voice!

Today at approximately 12:15 PM, we received the following notice from PG&E via email:

Today PG&E submitted a letter to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) providing our "Notice of Withdrawal of Notice Of Intent to File License Application and Pre-Application Document" for the Potter Valley Project. As a result, PG&E will expeditiously cease all activities related to the relicensing of the Project. Our decision to cease Project relicensing will also result in the stoppage of our efforts to sell the Project via the Request for Offers (RFO) process.

This action is being taken to ensure limited available funds are deployed to the highest priority activities. We recognize the gravity of this action, but believe it is appropriate given PG&E's current circumstances.

Although the timing is unclear at this point, we anticipate that PG&E's action will result in FERC initiating its Orphan Project process. In accordance with the Orphan process, FERC will provide interested parties the opportunity to submit an application for a new Project license. We believe this path will allow interested parties more time to prepare for the acquisition of the Project and the ability to submit a License Application on their own terms rather than assuming PG&E’s current application. If the Orphan process does not result in the issuance of a new Project License, it is expected FERC will order PG&E to prepare and submit a Surrender Application and Decommissioning Plan.

PG&E will continue to own and operate the Project in accordance with the terms and conditions of the current Project license and all laws, rules, and regulations governing the operation of the Project until a new license is issued or the Project is decommissioned. PG&E also intends to support the Orphan process through provision of work products and information developed to date in the relicensing process to those who apply to FERC for a new Project license.

PG&E recognizes that many stakeholders have invested significant effort in the relicensing process and we are very appreciative. We apologize for any challenges or inconvenience this action might cause.

What this means??????????

Although it is unclear at this time what the ramifications are from this latest decision, Mendocino County Farm Bureau is in contact with appropriate entities to determine what the next steps in the process may look like for the re-licensing and sale of the Potter Valley Project.

However, some take-aways from the letter above include:

The fact that this action will provide interested parties, such as, Mendocino County Inland Water and Power Commission additional time to organize and consider the submittal of a Request for Offers (RFO) past the current February 1st deadline.

Also, PG&E will, "continue to own and operate the Project in accordance with terms and conditions of the current Project license and all laws, rules, and regulations governing the operation of the Project until a new license is issued or the Project is decommissioned."

The objective of maintaining the Project under local control has not changed with this new information. Mendocino County Farm Bureau will continue to be involved in this issue and work on education and outreach opportunities for our membership and the general public. We know that this latest development is concerning, but until additional information is provided, we need to move forward with supporting the Project and the related water supply.

Donations

MCFB will continue to actively promote the preservation of local control over the Potter Valley Water Project. We are taking donations to assist this effort. If you would like to contribute; please make the check out to MCFB Water Education & Outreach Fund. Or you can donate with a credit card by clicking the button below, please specify the purpose of the donation towards the Water Education & Outreach Fund.

Current Lake Storage

PG&E Announces plans to sell the Potter Valley Project

PG&E Official Notice of Potter Valley Project Sale, May 10, 2018

Potter Valley Project Relicensing

In order to continue operating Lake Pillsbury, Scott Dam, and Van Arsdale Dam, along with the diversion that runs the Potter Valley Project 9.4 MW hydropower plant and provides water to the Potter Valley Irrigation district past 2022, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) must obtain a new FERC license. At the current time PG&E is not proposing to add capacity or make any major modifications to the Project or its operation. The initial documents have been submitted and the process is underway. The Potter Valley Project is a critical water resource for Potter Valley.

A new group has formed, Water Solutions, that is closely following the relicensing process and the impacts of it on the Eel River and Russian River watersheds. You can sign up with them to get email updates with news about the relicensing, including updates on public comment periods.

On January 10, 2018, at 6pm in the Potter Valley School multipurpose room, the PVID Board will be hosting a public presentation detailing the project, the relicensing process, and how you can help. There will be opportunities for questions, and refreshments will be provided.

Documents relating to the process, including presentations shown at the March 2017 public meeting, can be found at http://www.pge.com/pottervalley. You can also find instructions there to be notified by email of FERC activity on this project, and this overview of the project that includes many historical and contextual images of the Project.

Scoping Document #2, which lists issues to be considered in the Environmental Impact Report, is now available. Read more on the Potter Valley Project Relicensing page.