NOTICE of a Request for a Water Quality Certification for the Potter Valley Project

From the State Water Resources Control Board:

Pursuant to California Code of Regulations, title 23, section 3858, the State Water Resources Control Board posted Public Notice for a request for water quality certification (certification) under Clean Water Act Section 401 for the Potter Valley Project Article 52 Amendment Project (Potter Valley Amendment Project).

On February 20, 2025, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) filed a water quality certification application for the Potter Valley Project Article 52 Amendment Project (Project). PG&E proposes two changes to Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) license Article No. 52 minimum instream flow requirements for the Eel River (below Lake Pillsbury) and East Branch Russian River (below Potter Valley Powerhouse). Specifically, PG&E seeks to: (1) limit the minimum instream flows in the East Branch Russian River to the most restrictive flows set forth in the Project FERC license; and (2) alter minimum instream flows below Lake Pillsbury. The flow modifications would maintain storage in Lake Pillsbury throughout the spring and summer to maintain facility safety and to support cooler water temperature flow releases from Scott Dam during the late summer for Endangered Species Act-listed salmonids. In 2023, PG&E imposed a reservoir level restriction to reduce the seismic risk to Scott Dam, which reduced storage by approximately 20,000 acre-feet. Since 2023, temporary flow variances have been approved by FERC due to insufficient reservoir storage. The Project proposes minimum instream flows similar to those of recent temporary flow variances.