Water – Enviro Updates

Court rules Sonoma County must study impact of water wells on fish, Russian River

August 6, 2026

Bob Egelko, SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE

Tuesday’s ruling said Sonoma County had not properly considered the effects of new rules it issued for increased pumping from the Russian River.

In a challenge by environmental groups to the pumping of groundwater from rivers to fill wells for farmers, homes and businesses in Sonoma County, a state appeals court says counties must consider the impact of their water wells on fish and the environment.

Tuesday’s ruling by the 1st District Court of Appeal in San Francisco said Sonoma County had not properly considered the effects of new rules it issued in 2023 for increased pumping from the Russian River and other waterways, but might be able to meet legal standards with an environmental review.

On the central legal issue in the case, however, the court rejected the county’s argument that such reviews of water wells are required only for the state, and not for local governments.

“Sonoma’s regulation of well permits carries with it an ‘affirmative duty to take the public trust into account,’” Justice Tara Desautels wrote in the 3-0 ruling, quoting language from another appellate decision.

Water, WildlifeCalifornia Coastkeeper Alliance, endangered species, groundwater, Russian River, Russian Riverkeeper, salmon, well monitoring, well ordinance, wells

FERC rejects water district’s bid to stop removal of Eel River dams

July 28, 2026

Phil Barber, PRESS DEMOCRAT

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the agency with ultimate authority over the fate of two Lake and Mendocino county dams that have become embroiled in escalating controversy, dealt a blow Monday to one of the newer — and more distant — players to enter the fray, denying a bid by a Southern California water agency to intervene in the process.

“Movants for late intervention are required to ‘show good cause why the time limitation should be waived,’” FERC Secretary Debbie-Anne A. Reese wrote to Riverside County-based Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District. “Here, the District failed to demonstrate that good cause exists … because it did not provide any explanation for the untimeliness of its motion.”

The Lost Coast Outpost first reported the decision, the latest turn in a growing saga that has drawn in the Trump administration as chief antagonist of utility giant Pacific Gas & Electric Co.’ plans to decommission and remove its two Eel River dams, which it contends are outdated and inefficient.

Elsinore Valley had filed its motion to intervene July 9, more than seven months past FERC’s deadline for such motions.

Water, Wildlifedams, Eel River, Potter Valley Project, salmon habitat, water supply

Action Alert: Keep Eel River dam removal on track

July 23, 2026

California Trout

The Eel River dams are in the process of being decommissioned. This is a huge milestone, but it’s not the finish line, and public engagement has been the driving force behind every step of this restoration. Today, we need your voice again.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has opened a scoping comment period as part of its environmental review of the Potter Valley Hydroelectric Project, which includes Scott and Cape Horn dams. PG&E, the project’s owner, has proposed removing both dams. The aging project hasn’t generated power since 2021, yet the dams still block salmon and steelhead from reaching hundreds of miles of historic habitat. Removing them will reconnect the Eel River watershed for the first time in over a century — restoring one of California’s most important salmon and steelhead rivers. Public comments help shape this process, and your comments (which take less than 10 minutes to complete) are essential to making dam removal and a free-flowing, vibrant Eel River a reality.

Here’s how you can help:

Water, Wildlifedams, Eel River, endangered species, FERC, Potter Valley Project, salmon habitat, steelhead

Controversial Jenner logging plan withdrawn after more than a year of review

June 19, 2026

Emma Murphy, PRESS DEMOCRAT

A Sonoma County family’s logging plan for more than 1,000 acres of forest near the mouth of the Russian River has been withdrawn amid opposition from nearby community members and heavy state scrutiny.

The plan, initially proposed by landowner Bruce Berry in early 2025, encountered sharp pushback from local residents and environmental groups worried about the impact timber harvesting could have on a watershed that supports imperiled salmon runs and supplies drinking water for the village of Jenner.

On June 6, following numerous rounds of plan reviews with input from multiple state and regional agencies, as well as a significant pile of public comment letters, Berry withdrew his proposal for a nonindustrial timber management plan.

Forests, WaterCalFire, Jenner, logging, salmon habitat, Sheephouse Creek, timber harvest plan

Trump administration ups ante in quest to thwart removal of PG&E’s Eel River dams

June 16, 2026

Austin Murphy, PRESS DEMOCRAT

A member of President Donald Trump’s cabinet on Monday intensified her ongoing campaign to thwart PG&E’s plans to eventually tear down a pair of century-old Eel River dams.

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced in a social media post that she and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum had met earlier in the day with Pacific Gas and Electric Co. CEO Patti Poppe, along with representatives from the Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District “to begin constructive negotiations on the future of the Potter Valley Project.”

The administration’s “hope is clear,” she stated: to “keep the Scott and Cape Horn Dams in place and working for the communities they serve.”

That goal stands in direct opposition to PG&E’s long-held plan to decommission the century-old dams, part of Potter Valley hydroelectric project that no longer made financial sense, the utility concluded in 2019.

Water, WildlifeEel River, endangered species, Potter Valley Project, Russian River, salmon, salmon habitat

June 23 & 24: FERC scoping sessions for Eel River dam removal

June 13, 2026

Sierra Club Redwood Chapter

There has been an important step forward in Dam Removal on the Eel River, and your voice is needed now!

Two Public Scoping Sessions will take place at the Ukiah Conference Center on June 23 and 24th, and are an opportunity for the public to weigh in on the surrender and decommissioning of the Eel River Dams.

WHEN:
Tuesday, June 23 @ 6:30pm
Wednesday, June 24 @ 10am

WHERE:
Ukiah Valley Conference Center, Chenin Blanc Room
200 South School Street, Ukiah

What is FERC?
What’s a Scoping Hearing?
Do public comments make a difference?

Water, Wildlifedam removal, Eel River, endangered species, Potter Valley Project, salmon, salmon habitat

Trump administration doubles down on effort to stop California dam removal

June 1, 2026

Kurtis Alexander, SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE

The Trump administration has offered one of its most detailed explanations of why it wants to stop dam removal on Northern California’s Eel River, citing in a letter numerous concerns that include water, power, wildfire safety and even the state’s “radical leadership.” Still, big questions remain.

Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins sent the three-page letter Friday in response to a congressional inquiry about her agency’s sudden interest in a pair of relatively obscure PG&E-owned dams. The inquiry was opened in April by Rep. Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael.

The dams, in Lake and Mendocino counties, are part of the Potter Valley hydroelectric project, which Pacific Gas and Electric Co. is seeking to retire because of its age and expense. Many support the project’s dismantling as a way to restore the Eel River — which would become the longest free-flowing river in California — and boost its struggling salmon runs. Last summer, however, Rollins unexpectedly took to social media to criticize the project’s retirement, suggesting the federal government might intervene to thwart it.

Water, WildlifeEel River, endangered species, Potter Valley Project, salmon, water diversion