The Potter Valley bid that makes no sense

MENDOCINO CO., 5/25/26 — The Potter Valley powerhouse that is the engine of the Potter Valley Project has not made electricity since 2021. The dams are still standing. The water still moves. It falls 470 feet from Cape Horn Dam on the upper Eel River through a century-old tunnel and out into the East Branch of the Russian River an hour later — past three generators that no longer turn.

There is no reservoir below the powerhouse. The water drops. It is not pumped back up. There is nowhere to pump it from.