• Eel River Dams

THE DAMS

Two dams on the Eel River make up the Potter Valley Project. The Project, owned by PG&E, consists of Scott and Cape Horn dams, two reservoirs, a diversion tunnel that sends water through a mountain to the Russian River watershed, and a hydroelectric powerhouse located in Potter Valley. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) license for the Project expires on April 14, 2022, and will not be renewed. Project owner PG&E will thus likely be directed by FERC to prepare a Surrender and Decommissioning Plan for the Project.

Owner:

Pacific Gas & Electric (Current license expires April 2022)

Location:

Upper Mainstem Eel River

Completion Date:

Cape Horn Dam in 1907, Scott Dam in 1921

Size:

Cape Horn Dam Height: 63ft, Length: 515ft; Scott Dam Height: 138ft, Length: 850ft

Stakeholders:

PG&E, Sonoma Water, Mendocino County Inland Water and Power Commission, Round Valley Indian Tribes, Humboldt County, Wiyot Tribe, Friends of the Eel River, Trout Unlimited, The Nature Conservancy, Russian Riverkeeper, and California Hydropower Reform Coalition.

Land Acknowledgment

The Eel River Dams are located on the ancestral lands of the Round Valley Indian Tribes and the Wiyot Tribe.

Voice of Eel River Dams

Redgie Collins California Trout, Legal & Policy Director
 

Get Involved, Take Action!

Help Reconnect Salmon and Steelhead: Visit pottervalleyproject.org for more information and to learn more about removing the Eel River Dams. Subscribe to CalTrout's newsletter to stay abreast of Potter Valley Project developments. Support CalTrout's Reconnect Habitat Initiative.

Help Us

Learn More

Learn more about the Eel River Dams by checking out our Dams Out StoryMap.

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Support our Dams Out campaign by donating to our Reconnect Habitat Initiative today.

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