The Potter Valley Project, PG&E & Lake Pillsbury | What’s Next for North Bay Water? Official Reports

Описание: The Potter Valley Project, PG&E, and Lake Pillsbury are at the center of one of Northern California’s biggest water debates. For more than a century, the project has shaped life in the North Bay — creating Lake Pillsbury, supplying water to farms and cities in Sonoma and Mendocino Counties, and sparking decades of debate over salmon, tribes, and water rights.

Now PG&E has filed to decommission the project, raising urgent questions:

What happens to Lake Pillsbury?
How will water supplies for the Russian River watershed be impacted?
What could restoration mean for the Eel River and endangered salmon runs?

In this video, we break down the history, the controversies, and the future of the Potter Valley Project, and what it means for communities across the North Bay.

👉 What do you think? Should the dams stay for water security, or go for river restoration? Drop your thoughts in the comments — this conversation matters.

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👋 I’m Robby Dearth, a North Bay realtor and community member. On this channel, I cover real issues that affect life in Sonoma, Mendocino, Lake, Marin, and Humboldt Counties.

🔔 Subscribe for more local insights:    / @reallifesonomacounty  

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Chapters:
00:00 Intro – Why the Potter Valley Project matters
00:29 What is the Potter Valley Project?
00:51 Early Construction – Cape Horn Dam (1908)
01:08 Scott Dam & Lake Pillsbury (1922)
01:49 PG&E Takeover & Lake Mendocino (1930s–1950s)
02:25 Salmon Declines & 1980s–1990s Protections
02:48 Economics & PG&E Exit (2019–2025)
03:14 Today’s Debate – Safety & Water Supply
04:21 Impacts on Fish, Elk, and Recreation
05:18 The Future – Decommissioning & Costs
07:42 Water Rates & Economic Ripple Effects
08:42 Eel River Restoration & Lessons from the Klamath
09:46 Conclusion – Balancing Water & Ecosystems