New models say a rebuilt Eel River water link could keep Russian River supplied

MENDOCINO CO., 8/18/26 —  One of the concerns about taking out the two dams of the Potter Valley Project — Scott and Cape Horn — is the loss of water downstream for agriculture, recreation and drinking water. This month Mendocino County officials shared preliminary studies of what would replace the dams: the New Eel-Russian Facility.

The news is promising: the Eel River project on the drawing board could keep about as much water flowing to the Russian River each year as today’s system does, with more of it arriving in the wet winter months. The facility would replace the Potter Valley Project, a century-old set of dams and a tunnel that sends Eel River water over the hills into the Russian River watershed. PG&E is giving up that project and plans to tear down Scott Dam and Cape Horn Dam. The new facility would pump water from the Eel during the rainy season into the same tunnel that’s used now.