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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The State Water Resources Control Board is planning a series of scoping meetings next week as part of its work to prepare environmental documents for the proposed decommissioning of the Potter Valley Project.
The project, located in Lake and Mendocino counties, consists of the Scott Dam and the Cape Horn Dam, both of which are located on the upper main stem of the Eel River, as well as the Potter Valley powerhouse, the 80,000-acre-foot Lake Pillsbury in Lake County, the Van Arsdale Reservoir, a fish passage structure and salmon and steelhead counting station at the Cape Horn Dam, and and 5,600 acres of land.
Pacific Gas and Electric, which has owned the project since 1930, filed the final surrender application and decommissioning plan for the project with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, or FERC, in July.
That’s part of the process that PG&E is following in its effort to remove the dams.
FERC has not yet responded to PG&E’s final license surrender application.
At the same time, the State Water Resources Control Board is preparing an environmental impact report, or EIR, for the project’s proposed surrender and decommissioning.
The State Water Board has planned several public scoping meetings during which it will take public input.
The meetings will take place as follows:
• 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 15, in-person only, Ukiah Valley Conference Center, Cabernet 1 and 2 Rooms, 200 South School St., Ukiah.
• 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 15, in-person only, North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board Office, DCJ Hearing Room, 5550 Skylane Boulevard, Suite A, Santa Rosa.
• 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 17, in-person and virtual, CalEPA Building, Byron Sher Auditorium, 1001 I St., second floor, Sacramento. To attend via Zoom: https://waterboards.zoom.us/j/86984608826; call-in number: +1 669 444 9171 US; meeting ID: 869 8460 8826.
The State Water Board said it is seeking comments from trustee agencies, responsible agencies, tribes, and interested persons concerning the scope and content of the environmental information to be included in the EIR.
Comments concerning the scope and content of the environmental information to be included in the EIR for the proposed project that are not provided at a scoping meeting are due by 4 p.m. Monday, Nov. 3.
Title your comments as “Potter Valley NOP Comments” and send them to
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- Written by: LAKE COUNTY NEWS REPORTS
Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday announced two new state symbols, signing legislation establishing the bigberry manzanita as the state shrub and the giant garter snake as the state snake.
“Our state symbols celebrate California's uniqueness, especially our distinctive ecosystems. California is a global biodiversity hotspot, with both the highest total number of species and the highest number of endemic species in the United States — including our new state shrub and snake,” Newsom said.
Bigberry manzanita
AB 581, by Assemblymember Steve Bennett (D-Ventura), designates the bigberry manzanita (Arctostaphylos glauca) as the official state shrub.
The bigberry manzanita, a shrub almost exclusively native to California, possesses unique abilities and traits that make it highly adaptable to wildfire-prone land, including rapid regeneration after fire exposure and fire-triggered seed germination.
The plant’s extensive root system helps resist soil erosion, yet thrives in dry, nutrient-poor soils — a useful tool to prevent mud or landslides, especially in wildfire burn scars.
Giant garter snake
SB 765 by Senator Roger Niello (R-Fair Oaks) establishes the giant garter snake (Thamnophis gigas) as the state snake.
A description of the snake provided by U.S. Fish and Wildlife said its coloration is “olive to brown with a cream, yellow or orange stripe running down its back, and two light colored stripes running along each side.”
The population of the giant garter snake has declined by more than 90% in the last century — it was listed as threatened under the California Endangered Species Act in 1971, and the Federal Endangered Species Act in 1993.
This species is endemic to California, found only in the Central Valley.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife reported that the giant garter snake’s current range extends from Butte and Glenn counties in the northern Sacramento Valley to Fresno County in the south. They are found in natural waterways and agriculture wetlands such as canals and rice fields.
Officials said only about 5% of the giant garter snake’s historical wetland habitat acreage remains available to it.
- Details
- Written by: LAKE COUNTY NEWS REPORTS
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