August / September 2022 Update
POTTER VALLEY PROJECT UPDATE: AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2022 Licensing Update On July 28th, FERC submitted a response to the May 20, 2022, filing for a request for rehearing, reconsideration, and/or discretionary action regarding the FERC issuance of the annual Project license to PG&E that was approved on April 21, 2022. The rehearing request was submitted by Friends of the Eel River, Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations, Institute for Fisheries Resources, Trout Unlimited, and California Trout (collectively, Petitioners) alleging that the annual license is not in compliance with the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The full text can be seen HERE. Take note of the last page, where one of the FERC Commissioners makes...
September 2021 Update
Mendocino County Inland Water and Power Commission et. al submit a request for abeyance in the schedule until May 31, 2022 for licensing the Potter Valley Project. In a letter dated September 2, 2021, the partner entities (IWPC, Sonoma Water, Cal Trout, Humboldt County and Round Valley Tribes) submitted a request to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) for an abeyance (temporary suspension) in the current schedule for the licensing as provided by FERC until May 31, 2022. Within the notice, it is stated: “In sum, the NOI Parties request an abeyance in this proceeding until May 31, 2022, so that the parties may further evaluate how...
June 2021 Update
Proposed emergency Russian River curtailment triggers Lake Mendocino is currently just more than 38% full, holding 33,950 acre feet of water, or 2,868 acre feet less than it did one month ago. An acre feet is enough water to cover an area about the size of a football field with a foot of water. If emergency regulations are approved June 15, curtailment orders would be issued for Russian River diverters only if lake storage falls below the following levels prior to the specified dates: 29,315 acre feet before July 1; 27,825 acre feet before July 15; 26,109 acre feet before August 1; 24,614 acre feet before...
April 2021 Update
On April 21, the Governor proclaimed a regional drought emergency for the Russian River watershed in Sonoma and Mendocino counties, where reservoirs are at record lows following two critically dry years and accelerated action may be needed to protect public health, safety and the environment. “California is facing the familiar reality of drought conditions, and we know the importance of acting early to anticipate and mitigate the most severe impacts where possible,” Governor Newsom said. “Climate change is intensifying both the frequency and the severity of dry periods. This ‘new normal’ gives urgency to building drought resilience in regions across the state and preparing for what may...
March 2021 Update 2
Determination on Requests for Study Modifications and New Studies March 23: Fact Sheet Released Last Week The two basin partnership released a two-page fact sheet last week titled, “A Proactive Plan for the Future of the Potter Valley Project”. The fact sheet can be seen here: FactSheet_2BPSpring2021....
Licensing Background
Initial Study Report Mendocino County Inland Water and Power Commission, Sonoma County Water Agency, California Trout, Inc., the County of Humboldt, California, and the Round Valley Indian Tribes (together, NOI Parties) submitted an Initial Study Report (ISR) to FERC in mid-September 2020. The ISR describes the overall progress in implementing the study plan and schedule and the data collected, including an explanation of any variance from the study plan and schedule. The full Initial Study Report can be found HERE. File Disagreements and Requests to Amend Study Plan Stakeholders were able to file disagreements and requests to amend the study plan on November 13, 2020. MCFB submitted...
March 2021 Update
The Corps of Engineers requested a new and updated Letter of Intent for the Coyote Valley Dam study that would express the Commissioner's desire to initiate a General Investigation Study. This was a necessary step to get IWPC in the queue for Federal Fiscal Year 2022/23 funding for the study. The letter was unanimously approved by the Commissioners. [embeddoc url="http://mendoiwpc.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Letter-of-Intent-for-General-Investigation-2.2021.doc" viewer="microsoft"]...
January 2021 Update
The Partners submitted their Final Study Plan Proposal to FERC in mid-December 2020 and are awaiting FERC’s final determination. Initial Study Report Mendocino County Inland Water and Power Commission, Sonoma County Water Agency, California Trout, Inc., the County of Humboldt, California, and the Round Valley Indian Tribes (together, NOI Parties) submitted a an Initial Study Report (ISR) to FERC in mid September 2020. The ISR describes the overall progress in implementing the study plan and schedule and the data collected, including an explanation of any variance from the study plan and schedule. The full Initial Study Report can be found at: www.twobasinsolution.org/reports/...
October 2020 Update
Comments on Scoping Document 3 On July 28th, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued a Notice Soliciting Scoping Comments for the Potter Valley Project with a deadline of submitting comments by August 27th. The public scoping process is intended to support and assist FERC with the environmental review process to ensure that all pertinent issues are identified and analyzed so that the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is thorough and balanced. The EIS will be used by FERC to determine whether, and under what conditions, to issue a new license for the Project. The full text of Scoping Document 3 can be found HERE (Note: the two links above...
May 2020 Update
On May 13, 2020 the NOI parties (Mendocino County Inland Water and Power Commission, Sonoma County Water Agency, California Trout, Inc., the County of Humboldt and the Round Valley Indian Tribes) submitted the required feasibility study report for the Project to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). The Proposed Project Plan filed with FERC on May 13 is not a commitment. Between today and the April 2022 deadline there are many tasks to be completed including a series of studies that are necessary for us to understand whether the Proposed Plan will result in our Partnership’s co-equal goals of water supply reliability and fishery restoration. In...