EXPLOSIVE: Newly-revealed 2023 seismic reports show Potter Valley dams "safe for continued use"
For years, pro-dam removal politicians such as Rep. Jared Huffman have characterized the Potter Valley Project as dangerous and "crumbling" as justification to remove water storage for 600,000 people.
Newly-revealed state reports from 2023 show that the Potter Valley dams in Northern California, slated for removal, have been deemed seismically sound by the California Department of Water Resources Division of Safety of Dams.
“From the known information and visual inspection, the dam, reservoir, and the appurtenances are judged safe for continued use,” the reports conclude.
Download the full reports:
Pro-dam removal politicians have for years characterized the Potter Valley Project as “crumbling”—justification for tearing down the century-old hydroelectric project that supplies water to 600,000 residents in a largely rural, agricultural region.
Congressman Jared Huffman, a Democrat representing the district, stated at a recent local meeting that an engineer for Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E), the utility giant that licenses the dam, told him that of all the company’s projects, “Scott Dam is the one that keeps me up at night.”
But the report states that a representative from PG&E was contacted. Both reports also quote and concur with spring 2023 evaluations in which Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E), the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), and DSOD judged the dam to be “suitable for continued safe and reliable operation.”
We reached out to Huffman’s office for comment and will update if and when he responds.
Politicians and officials have also described seismic reports as federally protected and therefore unavailable for public viewing for national security reasons, but they were accessible to the media through public records requests with only minor redactions.
Cloverdale Mayor Todd Lands says this report should provide reassurance to any “companies or government entities that might be willing to purchase the dam as a clean-energy investment for the future of the region.”
“I am hopeful that the conclusions in the seismic reports provided by the Department of Water Resources Division of Dam and Reservoir Safety can provide a better alternative,” he says. “Knowing the dams are seismically safe, I would think the financially responsible and most efficient option provided by Sonoma Water engineers to rehabilitate and build a fish ladder could be brought back to the table.”
Lands is referencing an internal report from Sonoma Water which found that keeping the dams was the best option for water security and other factors, but was axed because it would not align with unspecified NGO and government “goals.”
Finally Jared Huffman is getting caught in his web of lies about dam removals. I'll be surprised if his office replies truthfully or at all.
If Mendocino, Sonoma and Marin Counties want the Eel River water then they need to pay for the following. Raise the damn at Lake Mendocino, dredge Lake Pillsbury during dry years (it’s at least a third filled in with sediment & gravel, pay for any improvements the dams need and build a fish ladder at Scott Dam and Lake Mendocino Dam. Then I’m all for keeping the dams. Oh and put hydroelectric at Scott Dam and the Potter Valley tunnel.
Trust me, these 3 counties are continuing to grow in population and will be needing more water in the near future.