At its next regular meeting Wednesday, the Ukiah City Council is expected to consider approving the contribution of another $84,000 to another local entity for ongoing work related to the Potter Valley Project.
According to a staff report on the item prepared for the May 7 meeting, the City Council will be asked to approve a “financial contribution in the amount of $84,000 to the (Mendocino County) Inland Water and Power Commission for consulting and legal services related to the Potter Valley Project, and approve a corresponding budget amendment.”
To explain the significance of the PVP to the city of Ukiah, Seth Strader, Administrative Analyst, writes that “the Potter Valley Project (owned by Pacific Gas & Electric) resulted in the diversion of Eel River water into the Russian River throughout the year. These diversions supplement Russian River flows stored in Lake Mendocino, which supplies surface water to water users in Mendocino, Sonoma, and Marin counties.”
However, Strader continues, PG&E “will not seek to re-license the PVP and is moving towards decommissioning it. If the project is decommissioned, it could disrupt or eliminate the Eel River diversions that supply water to all Russian River water users in the Russian River drainage.”
In an effort to continue the diversions in some form, Strader notes that the IWPC, along with “the Round Valley Indian Tribes and the Sonoma County Water Agency have submitted a proposal to advance a regional solution for preserving flows in the Russian River and improving Eel River fisheries. The New Eel-Russian Facility proposal submitted to PG&E would provide for the creation of a regional entity that has the legal and financial capacity to own, construct and operate a new water diversion facility near PG&E’s Cape Horn Dam on the Eel River. The design of this new facility is currently nearing 60%. This facility would allow for ongoing water diversion through the PVP’s tunnel between the Eel River and Russian River, while allowing for upstream and downstream fish migration to support larger efforts aimed at achieving naturally reproducing, self-sustaining, and harvestable native anadromous fish populations.”
In years past while discussing similar contributions to the IWPC, Sean White, the city of Ukiah’s director of water and sewer, told the City Council that “essentially the Russian River, and parts of Marin County, are reliant on that flow continuing. The project will certainly be different than what we’ve seen historically. Currently, the preferred project is the abandonment and destruction of Scott Dam, which forms Lake Pillsbury, so that will probably go away some time in the future.
“But without this project continuing in some form, this region will be in dire straits for water supply,” White continued. “This (supply) is something that we cannot do business as we’ve done in the past without.” If the water from the diversion was no longer heading to Lake Mendocino, White said the lake would “be going dry most years, and a lot of the water rights below Lake Mendocino will not have any water left.”
This agenda item is on the Consent Calendar for the May 7 meeting of the Ukiah City Council, which will begin at 5:15 p.m. and be held both in the Council Chambers at 300 Seminary Ave., and online at us06web.zoom.us/j/84232575010
Also, you may view the meeting (without participating) by clicking on the name of the meeting at: www.cityofukiah.com/meetings
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