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Russian River Weekly Update 3/3/25

Lake Mendocino South Boat Ramp parking lot, February 2025 by D. Edelman
Lake Mendocino South Boat Ramp parking lot, February 2025 by D. Edelman

Reservoir Storage & Operations:

Water supply information provided by Sonoma Water (find more water storage info here).

Graph of Lake Mendocino storage from 2018 to 2025, showing acre-feet over time, with predicted data reaching 87,314 acre-feet by March 3, 2025.
Graph showing Lake Pillsbury storage and target scenarios in acre-feet from 2018-2025. Includes target lines A, B, and C.
Graph of Lake Sonoma storage over years (2018-2025), showing acre-feet levels with noted deviations and projections.

PG&E Public Draft Surrender Application and Decommissioning Plan

PG&E’s Final Draft Surrender Application and Conceptual Decommissioning Plan and Application for Non-Project Use of Project Lands for the Potter Valley Hydroelectric Project (FERC Project No. 77) is available for review and comment at the following website: http//pottervalleysurrenderproceeding.com. This document can be accessed from the Documents page using the following password: PV_Surrender

On Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025 PG&E hosted an online meeting to share information on the final draft, discussed the regulatory process, and noted opportunities to participate. For more information, visit RRFC's website page on the PG&E Draft Surrender Application & Decommissioning Plan for PVP.

 

Partnership to Preserve Eel to Russian River Diversion

Stakeholders on the Eel and Russian rivers have reached agreement on a framework for future water diversions from the Eel into the Russian River, once PG&E decommissions its Potter Valley power plant, through which flows have been directed for nearly 120 years. A memorandum of understanding was signed in a ceremony in Sacramento on Thursday February 13, 2025, allowing for limited diversions to continue, but only when the Eel River has sufficiently high flows to accommodate different life stages of federally protected salmon and steelhead trout. For more information, visit RRFC's website page on the Partnership.

 

PVP Related Articles:

 

PG&E FERC Filings for 2025 and Beyond

PG&E has submitted a temporary license flow amendment (previously referred to as a temporary flow variance) to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) for the Potter Valley Project 2025 operations. It has also submitted an Application for Non-Capacity License Amendment. Visit RRFC’s website for more information, including comment letters received by FERC:

 

North Coast Resource Partnership logo, landscapes, and text: "Climate Resilience in the North Coast of California."

Climate Resilience in the North Coast of California

A recording of the two day North Coast Resource Partnership climate resilience conference on January 29-30, 2025 is now available at this link.  Please take the climate resilience priorities survey to help make the case for much needed investments in our North Coast communities and ecosystems. Your voice matters.

 

PPIC: Women in California's Legislature, March 6, 2025 12 PM

In celebration of Women’s History Month, PPIC invites you to join PPIC’s president and CEO Tani Cantil-Sakauye in conversation with women leaders from California’s legislature as they share their experiences and discuss their top priorities for the year ahead. You can register to attend in person or virtually here and this event will also be livestreamed on the PPIC website: https://www.ppic.org/event/women-in-californias-legislature-2025

 

March 4 webinar: "What’s Happening with Water in 2025?"

Six years ago, Governor Newsom launched a broad water plan called the Water Resilience Portfolio. As droughts and floods intensified over the years, so did the administration’s water targets. What’s in store for 2025? Find out on Tuesday, March 4, at the “What’s Happening with Water in 2025?” webinar. The one-hour online discussion begins at noon. Registration is required. Speakers will be California Department of Agriculture Secretary Karen Ross, DWR Director Karla Nemeth, and California Fish and Wildlife Director Charlton “Chuck” Bonham.

 

In the press:

 

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