Informed

October 2020 Update

Potter Valley Project FERC Licensing Progress Update: October 2020

Comments on Scoping Document 3
On July 28^th, 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 27^th.

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 are from the FERC website. If you receive a download error, please try clicking the link again. You should see a download box appear to view the documents.)

Timeline for Future Actions
Within Scoping Document 3, a timeline was provided as Appendix A for a process plan and schedule for the licensing. This is a general timeline, but a good reference to review. Appendix A can be seen HERE

Initial Study Report Now Available
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. 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.

Comments on the initial study report are due November 13th and must be submitted via the FERC online comment submission portal. Comments up to 6000 characters can be submitted HERE and longer comments can be submitted HERE.

If you would like to sign up to receive updates related to any future filings connected to the Potter Valley Project, you can do so by visiting the FERC website and going to the e-subscription page. If you have not registered with FERC, you will have to register before proceeding with the e-subscription. Once registered you can sign up to receive information related to docket P-77-000, which is the Potter Valley Project.

The recent filing is one of many milestones to be accomplished in getting to the FERC licensing deadline of April 14, 2022. The process will continue to evolve, and we will all have to be engaged in shaping the final outcome.

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 the report, the Project Plan as proposed consists of several elements including:

• Removal of Scott Dam
• Lake Pillsbury Sediment Management
• Lake Pillsbury Vegetation Management
• Van Arsdale Diversion Modifications
• Cape Horn Dam Fish Passage Modifications
• Revised Operational Plan

Also, as noted on page 6-7 of the report, there are a few key points to think about. 1) the NOI Parties may modify the Proposed Project as they undertake further studies and proceed towards development of a new license application, as appropriate to advance the Shared objectives and 2) the NOI Parties will conduct detailed studies to analyze the potential effects of Scott Dam removal and address uncertainties around Scott Dam removal and water supply reliability.

The filing is just one of the beginning steps to move toward the ultimate licensing deadline of April 14, 2022. The process will continue to evolve and we will all have to continue to be engaged to work to shape the final outcome.

We encourage you to read the full feasibility study report (click link below).

As a reminder, you can view any filings related to the Potter Valley Project by visiting the FERC E-Library website and searching for “Potter Valley” or P-77 as the project number. The FERC E-Library website can be found here.