Potter Valley Tribe claims exclusion from dam removal discussions

The Potter Valley Tribe of Pomo people has filed a motion to intervene in dam removal proceedings.

The Potter Valley Tribe has filed a motion to intervene in plans to surrender the Potter Valley Project.

The tribe claims that members have not been included in discussions about dam removal, appearing to contradict the depiction by local politicians that dam removal has broad tribal support.

“Despite extensive measures, the Tribe currently is not party to any of the major discussions or proceedings regarding the Project,” the filing states. “The Tribe has not chosen to move for intervention in an exhaustive effort to be fairly included in the conversations that determine the divestment of the facilities and waters on their ancestral lands.”

The Potter Valley Tribe is a federally recognized tribe of Pomo people. Its original territories include the current location of the Potter Valley Project—a 100 year-old hydroelectric project diverting a small percentage of the Eel River to the Russian River through Potter Valley, designed to generate hydropower. The project, which is now owned by Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E), also provides critical water supply and storage for the region.

According to the filing, tribal members have made repeated efforts to be included in discussions about dam removal. These requests have “fallen on deaf ears,” the tribe alleges.