Trump administration proposes plan to halt California river dam removal

The Trump administration took a surprising turn Tuesday in the dispute over Northern California’s Eel River, offering a possible plan to block the removal of two dams in the watershed, but it remains to be seen how serious that plan is.

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins said in a social media post that she is in contact with water agencies in Southern California that are interested in purchasing and continuing to operate Scott Dam in Lake County and Cape Horn Dam in Mendocino County.

Such a move would go against longstanding plans by the dam’s owner, Pacific Gas & Electric Company, to remove the facility as part of the retirement of the century-old Potter Valley Hydroelectric Project.

While PG&E argues that the Potter Valley project is not worth keeping because the complex no longer produces cost-effective energy, many people, including Gov. Gavin Newsom as well as tribes and environmentalists, support demolition as a way to restore the Eel River and the salmon that run there.

But the hydroelectric project’s lasting value is moving that water from the Eel River to the Russian River. Some towns and villages in the Russian River basin, including many in the wine industry, oppose the project and its dam closure because they don’t want to lose their water supplies.

Opponents are listening sympathetically to Rollins, who has previously criticized and vowed to oppose dam removal plans. But Rollins has now offered a different course of action, albeit with few details.

“Last week, we were contacted by the Elsinore Valley Water District, a legitimate buyer who expressed strong interest in purchasing the project from PG&E,” Rollins wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “This will allow @POTUS and @SecretaryBurgum to maintain both (dams) while restarting/expanding reliable hydropower. I hope @PGE4Me takes them seriously!”

The U.S. Department of Agriculture did not respond to The Chronicle’s questions about the Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District and why the Riverside County Department of Agriculture is interested in operating the Potter Valley project.

However, the district confirmed by phone to the Chronicle that it is considering new water supply options, including the Eel River. District officials did not elaborate on how water from a river so far away could be used. The Eel River is not connected to state water projects or other intrastate pipelines that carry water over long distances.

“We are in the early stages of gathering information and understanding the opportunity,” said district spokeswoman Sylvia Ornelas.

The Waterworks Agency supplies supplies to approximately 160,000 people, mainly households and businesses. Approximately three-quarters of the district’s water is imported.

PG&E said in a statement to the Chronicle that it had no plans to change hands on the project, but said it met with the school district earlier this year and has been in contact with the Department of Agriculture.

PG&E spokeswoman Megan McFarland said, “PG&E has not received any proposals from the Elsinore Valley Water District, but we will consider any proposals we receive.”

At the same time, PG&E said it is too late for the company to sell the hydropower project or for another party to take over the project, as the decommissioning process is underway. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is currently considering PG&E’s $350 million decommissioning plan. Another party could seek to take over parts of the project without operating the hydropower operations, but would have to go through the lengthy process of reapplying for permits with FERC and demonstrating the financial and technical basis for future use.

Already, as part of the project’s decommissioning plan, a new water authority called the Eel-Russia Project Authority has been established and will continue to deliver some water between the Eel and Russia rivers even after the hydropower plant and its dam are gone. (Authorities have no plans to generate electricity). The agency’s future diversions are likely to be less frequent and more expensive than previous water deliveries, but they are helping to quell opposition to the removal of the Potter Valley project.

The Sonoma County Water Authority, which serves cities in Sonoma and Marin counties, is one of the agencies benefiting from Eel River’s supply and is now helping the new authority operate.

After the Potter Valley project closed, some were surprised to hear that Secretary Rollins was proposing a new buyer, especially that the Eel Russia Project Authority promised to continue exporting at least some of the Eel River’s water to cities and farms.

“We already have post-dam water security arrangements in place,” said Matt Clifford, California state director for Trout Unlimited, which advocates for Eel River restoration and helped develop future water supply agreements. “It’s a little disconcerting that some people are trying to come here now.”

Some questioned the seriousness of the potential sale.

“I don’t understand why anyone would be interested in paying for a failing, money-losing, dangerous project, let alone a water district nearly 900 miles away from the dam,” said Alicia Hamman, executive director of Friends of the Eel River, which supports dam removal. “This project is not worth investing in.”

Janet Pauli, board chair of Mendocino County’s Potter Valley Irrigation District, which supplies water to vineyards and other farms and expects to lose a lot with the loss of the Eel River diversion, said she had little to say about the potential plans raised by Rollins.

“There’s not enough information,” she said. “As far as we know, there are no proposals.”

The Potter Valley Irrigation District is working with the Eel Russia Project Authority to continue Eel River exports.

Rollins did not explain the value of having Southern California’s water authority run the Northern California project, but her social media posts framed the move as part of a broader effort to protect farmers. She accused Mr. Newsom of policies that prioritize “fish over people.”

“Such a deal would ensure reliable water for 750,000 Californians and hundreds of hard-working farmers who rely on (this project) for irrigation,” Rollins wrote. “Putting people and agriculture first”