The State Water Resources Control Board is hosting a meeting in Ukiah Wednesday to collect comments related to the Potter Valley Project.
According to information provided by the board, it is holding “scoping meetings to provide information about the Proposed Project, the CEQA process, and to receive written or oral comments from trustee agencies, responsible agencies, Tribes, and other interested persons concerning the range of alternatives, potential significant effects, and mitigation measures that should be analyzed in the EIR.”
The meetings are being held while the board prepares an “Environmental Impact Report for the Potter Valley Hydroelectric Project Surrender and Decommissioning, which was applied for by the Pacific Gas and Electric Company, the owner of the facility located on the Eel River and East Branch Russian River in Mendocino and Lake counties.”
The board explains that “PG&E filed an application with FERC for Non-Project Use of Project Lands, (and) FERC’s approval of the Non-Project Use of Project Lands would authorizePG&E to allow the Eel-Russian Project Authority to modify existing Hydroelectric Project works and begin construction of the Eel-Russian Project Authority’s New Eel-Russian Facility, or NERF, while the Hydroelectric Project remains under FERC jurisdiction.”
The board notes that “the Proposed Project does not include construction of new facilities necessary for the NERF, or the operation of the NERF by the Eel-Russian Project Authority, (as) the Eel-Russian Project Authority will evaluate the potential environmental impacts of construction, operation, and maintenance of the NERF in a separate CEQA document. The State Water Board’s EIR will evaluate the potential cumulative impacts of the Proposed Project (i.e., surrender and decommissioning of the Hydroelectric Project) together with construction and operation of the NERF.”
The scoping meeting in Ukiah has been scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 15, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Ukiah Valley Conference Center, located at 200 South School Street, in Cabernet 1 and 2 rooms. This meeting is in-person only.
The board also notes that “the time allotted for each individual or organization to provide oral comments may be limited if the number of people in attendance so requires. Scoping meetings will conclude after all interested persons have provided their comments. The scoping meetings will be recorded and documented by transcript.”
Future meetings include:
Friday, Oct. 17, 2025 (In-person and Virtual) 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. CalEPA Building, Byron Sher Auditorium, 1001 I Street, 2nd Floor Sacramento, CA 95814 and Via Zoom: https://waterboards.zoom.us/j/86984608826
Call in number: +1 669 444 9171 US Meeting ID: 869 8460 8826
If you have questions related to these meetings or would like to make a request for reasonable accommodations for a disability, please contact Wilhelmina Chon, Hydroelectric Project Manager, by email to: Wilhelmina.Chon@waterboards.ca.gov or phone call to: (916) 319-0745.
Submittal of Written Comments: The State Water Board 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. Please provide the name and contact information for a person that may be contacted if there are questions about the comment(s). The comment deadline is 4 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 3, 2025. Please title your comments as “Potter Valley NOP Comments” and send them to Wilhelmina Chon, Hydroelectric Project Manager, (email preferred) to: Wr401program@waterboards.ca.gov
Originally Published: October 15, 2025 at 6:00 AM PDT