The Eel River winds through Northern California until it’s blocked by two 100-year-old dams — Cape Horn and Scott— built to generate hydroelectricity and divert water to Mendocino and Sonoma counties. Today, the dams no longer produce power and have become costly liabilities. Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) has deemed them economically unviable.

In July 2025, PG&E submitted its License Surrender Application and Decommissioning Plan for the Potter Valley Project (PVP) to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). The plan includes removing both dams, restoring the reservoir footprints, and outlines a path for the Eel-Russian Project Authority (ERPA) to develop a modern diversion facility that maintains seasonal water transfers from the Eel to the Russian River watershed.

This is a major milestone that will restore fish passage to the upper Eel River for the first time in over a century while securing reliable water supplies for communities in Mendocino, Sonoma, and Marin counties. It also launches a formal federal and state review process, including multiple opportunities for public input.

A broad coalition supports PG&E’s plan, including the Round Valley Indian Tribes (RVIT), California Trout, Trout Unlimited, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Humboldt County, Mendocino County Inland Water and Power Commission, and Sonoma Water.

Why Remove the Dams?

ECONOMIC BENEFITS

• Reduces long-term liability and maintenance costs by removing outdated, non-functional infrastructure.
• Creates potential for restoration-related jobs and investments in local economies tied to fisheries and river recreation. Local economies are expected to benefit from over 1,000 new jobs, with up to $278 million in regional economic activity.
• Restores salmon populations that support coastal economies have relied on for generations.

ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS

• Reconnects nearly 300 miles of pristine cold water habitat, allowing the Eel River to become California’s longest free-flowing river.
• Improves river health by restoring natural flow patterns and ecological function.
• Enhances long-term climate resilience for the Eel River watershed amid intensifying drought conditions.

COMMUNITY BENEFITS

• Reestablishes access to traditional foods and sacred lands for California Tribes, supporting cultural, spiritual, and dietary revitalization.
• Ensures future water security for communities and agriculture by enabling continued seasonal water transfers from the Eel River to Russian River Basin communities via a modern diversion facility envisioned by the Eel-Russian Project Authority (ERPA).