How to resolve AdBlock issue? The Lake County Chamber of Commerce will host the town hall from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 28, at the Soper Reese Theater, 275 S. Main St., Lakeport.
Everyone concerned about the future of Lake Pillsbury and the decommissioning of the dams — from residents to business owners — is encouraged to attend.
Panelists will include Lake County supervisors E.J. Crandell and Bruno Sabatier; Carol Cinquini and Frank Lynch of the Lake Pillsbury Alliance; Lake Pillsbury Fire Chief Larry Thompson; Frost Pauli of the Mendocino County Farm Bureau; and Cloverdale Mayor Todd Lands.
The Potter Valley Project includes the Potter Valley powerhouse, Cape Horn Dam and Van Arsdale Reservoir, Scott Dam and Lake Pillsbury.
Pacific Gas and Electric Co., which operates the project, abandoned its license for the facility in 2019 after determining it was “uneconomic” for its customers to maintain.
In January, PGE released its final draft surrender application and decommissioning plan for the project, which it was ordered to complete after no other party filed an application to take over the project’s operation.
The company said it’s moving forward with its plans to decommission and eventually remove the dams, which in turn will require the building of another water diversion facility, which PG&E said it will not be responsible for building or operating.
The issue has been highly divisive, with Lake County’s interests largely sidelined in the process that created a “two basin solution” that emphasizes the removal of the ams.
In February, the Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to send letters to PG&E, Gov. Gavin Newsom and the Trump Administration over its concerns about the decommissioning plans.
In a letter addressed to several federal cabinet secretaries, the board said the destruction of Lake Pillsbury “would constitute an expensive and irresponsible gamble with regional water supply in an area that has repeatedly been threatened by catastrophic wildfire events” and asked for the Trump Administration’s “collective support in ensuring the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and your Federal Agencies take seriously the potential for profound human consequences.”
In its announcement about the town hall, the chamber said the decision about the project “stands to profoundly affect not only Mendocino, Sonoma and Marin counties’ water supply but also Lake County’s economy, wildlife, wildfire readiness and recreational access.”
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