Our Vision
Our future is at risk. With the Potter Valley Project now moving toward decommissioning, the removal of the Scott and Cape Horn dams will dramatically alter our lakes, communities, farms, ranches, homes and the environment we depend on. Save PVP is a non-profit 501c4 corporation that exists to keep residents informed, provide resources, and give everyone a way to stand up for the place we love and our way of life. Learn what’s happening, share the story, and take action to protect the Potter Valley Project.
How Will You Be Affected?
Simply put, it involves protecting the water that 750,000 Northern California residents in Sonoma, Marin, Mendocino, Lake and Humboldt counties depend upon for their homes, farms, ranches, businesses, and communities. Water that this region has relied upon for more than a century for fire protection, food production, jobs, recreation, fish and wildlife habitat, agriculture and industry.
Who's Impacted ?
If you live within this brown-shaded area of the Russian River Basin – YOU ARE!
But you’ll also be impacted if you live in Marin County which is highly dependent upon this water source or anywhere along the Main Stem of the Eel River from Lake Pillsbury to Potter Valley, Willits, Dos Rios, Fort Seward, Rio Dell and ultimately to Ferndale.
Area Specific Impacts
Click on each area below to learn how you could be affected.
Timeline of the Potter Valley Project
1905
Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) begins planning a hydroelectric project to divert water from the Eel River into Potter Valley and the Russian River basin.
1908
Cape Horn Dam is completed on the Eel River, along with a 1-mile diversion tunnel carrying water to Mendocino and Sonoma counties.
1922
Scott Dam is built upstream, creating Lake Pillsbury as a year-round water storage reservoir. This expands irrigation capacity and recreation opportunities.
2021
PG&E formally files to surrender its license, beginning the decommissioning process.
Present
Regulators, conservation groups, and local communities debate the future of the dams, Lake Pillsbury, and the Russian River water supply.
