Update on Russian River Water
Forum and Potter Valley Project
1 City Council Meeting
October 24, 2023
Jennifer Burke – Santa Rosa Water Director
Potter Valley
Hydroelectric Project
• ~9.4 MW hydroelectric project owned and
operated by PG&E, In operation for more than
100 years
• Prior to 2007, 150,000 acre-feet (AF) of water
transferred from Eel River into Upper Russian
River watershed. Since 2007, average 60,000 AF
• PG&E decided not to re-license the project, going
through license surrender and decommissioning
process
• Without transfer of water, 8 out of 10 years not
enough water to meet all the needs of the upper
Russian River
• In 2 of those 8 years, Lake Mendocino predicted
to go dry
3 BPU recommended and Council supported the following:
• Support continued flow of water from the Project into the Russian • Maintain water supply reliability of the Russian River • Support the significant investments made by Sonoma Water and the water contactors in restoration
• Generally support establishment of a Regional Entity to acquire elements of the Project and water rights
• Indicate receptiveness to contributing funding proportional to the benefit received • Ensure any decisions regarding the continued flow of water from the Project are consistent with the Restructured Agreement for Water Supply • Continue to seek opportunities for meaningful input on the Russian River Water Forum and water supply resiliency projects evaluation
Council Policy Direction
Sonoma Water Grant Projects
• Sonoma Water received funding from the California Department of Water Resources Urban and Multi-benefit Drought Relief Grant Program to support water supply resiliency planning
• Creation of the Russian River Water Forum
• Potter Valley Water Supply Reliability
• Potter Valley Project Facility Assessment
5 • RRWF focus on exploring a solution to continue the diversion with the pending PVP license surrender and decommissioning • Planning Group
• Technical Staff
• Lake, Humboldt, Mendocino and Sonoma county governments • Tribal governments in Russian River and Eel River basins • Water suppliers, Environmental NGOs, Agriculture interests , Resource Conservation Districts, Public and private recreation interests Russian River Water Forum (RRWF)
RRWF Planning Group
• Initial meeting – May 17th
• Reviewed purpose of the RRWF, draft charter, overview of proposed working groups
• Second meeting – June 12th
• Reviewed charter, revied PG&E decommissioning schedule, discussed working groups and steering committee
• Third meeting – July 13th
• Summary of Water Supplies & Fisheries technical briefing, Water Rights technical briefing, and presentations on Russian River water supply resiliency efforts
• Fourth meeting – August 17th
• Overview of Proposal for Eel-Russian Facility and role of planning group
• Fifth meeting – October 5th
• Role of planning group and presentations by Lake County on impacts to Lake Pillsbury
Photo by E Salomone
PG&Es License Surrender and
Decommissioning Schedule
• November 2023 – PG&E to share draft surrender
application and decommissioning plan
• May 2024 – Final draft surrender application and
decommissioning plan
• January 2025 – Final surrender application and
decommissioning plan submitted to Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission (FERC)
• PG&E has said that its application would:
• Propose to remove Scott and Cape Horn Dams and
• End any operations, including water diversions to the Russian River,
• Unless it received a complete and credible proposal in July 2023
Proposal – New Eel-Russian Facility
• Submitted to PG&E July 31st, with an update on Aug 3rd • Project Proponents are:
• Mendocino County Inland Water & Power Commission
• Round Valley Indian Tribes
• Sonoma Water
Proposal – New Eel-Russian Facility
• Proponents requested PG&E include in the final license surrender application, if consistent with the schedule outlined, a Regional Entity that has:
• Been formed and has the legal, and is developing the financial, capacity to own, construct and operate the facility (Dec 2023)
• Selected a design that fully implements co-equal goals of fish migration and water diversions
• Agreed with PG&E on a Purchase and Sale Agreement for specific project facilities (Nov 2024 – agreement on terms)
• Received support from NMFS, CA DFW, representative governmental and non- governmental entities in Russian and Eel River basins
Proposal Submitted to PG&E
If proposal accepted, proponents would:
• Form a JPA as a Regional Entity
• Convene a table to negotiate a settlement
agreement
• Develop the financial capacity for ownership,
construction, and operation of the Facility
• Agree with PG&E on terms for a Purchase and Sale
Agreement
• Acquire and modify the PVP's water diversion
facilities and construct a New Eel-Russian Facility
Project Facilities and Design
Options
• List of various facilities and appurtenances
associated with Cape Horn Dam and Van Arsdale
Diversion to be transferred to the Regional Entity
• List of facilities and appurtenances for partial
transfer and/or where further discussion is needed
to determine whether to transfer
• Two design options for the New Eel-Russian Facility
being considered
• Control section with pump station: Modify and lower
Cape Horn Dam, and construct a pump station to divert
water
• Roughened channel with gravity supply: Remove the
concrete gravity portion of Cape Horn Dam and construct a roughened channel and weir near diversion facility
Next Steps
• Formation of Interim Regional Entity by end of year
• Agreement on terms for a purchase and sale agreement and settlement agreement • Financial Capacity
• Russian River Water Rights Holders
• Capital Funding
• Operations and Maintenance Funding
• Cost for Water Supply Reliability
• Address water right constraints
• Many water users will not have legal access to water
• 30% design options anticipated May 2024
• Sonoma Water applied for Bureau of Recreation Grant to continue design effort • RRWF Planning Group
• Continue to meet monthly
• Provide input to Project Proponents
Questions?
13 https://russianriverwaterforum.org/
Sonomawater.org/RegionalPartnership