Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District And Trump Appointee Spark Controversy Over Possible Acquisition

LAKE ELSINORE, CA — Last week, Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District leadership was in Washington, D.C., for scheduled meetings with federal agencies and congressional representatives.

One of those meetings led to a bizarre announcement.

"Today, I convened a meeting at the White House alongside @SecretaryBurgum with @PGE4Me and the Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District to begin constructive negotiations on the future of the Potter Valley Project — and to take this fight off social media and get it resolved," U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins shared June 15 on X. "Our hope is clear: keep the Scott and Cape Horn Dams in place and working for the communities they serve."

In a EVMWD press release that same day, the water district confirmed it "is in the early stages of due diligence, learning more about the Potter Valley Project, the communities it serves, its stakeholders and the condition of its infrastructure."

The district stated it has not made a decision about "acquiring, owning, operating, financing or taking any other action related to the project."

The Potter Valley Project

The Potter Valley Project dams up Northern California’s Eel River, and is located more than 500 miles from Lake Elsinore. The project supplies water to vineyards and cities in Sonoma County, and it’s the sole water source for the rural farm community of Potter Valley.

The Potter Valley Project reportedly has a host of infrastructure problems, including a hydroelectric power plant in disrepair.

Pacific Gas and Electric, which owns the project, moved last year to demolish the project and undam the river.

Supporters contend that removing the two dams will restore natural water flow, but U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins said in her June 15 X post that the Trump administration wants to protect the Potter Valley Project and support nearby farmers who rely on the existing infrastructure.

The Round Valley Indian Tribe has senior rights to Eel River water. PG&E had already undergone a license surrender process for the Potter Valley Project and it was agreed that, once the river is no longer dammed, the tribe will let some water flow to farmers through a diversion tunnel, according to local reporting.

EVMWD's Interest In The Project

How the EVMWD got involved so late in a project so far away is unclear. EVMWD leadership and Republican Congressman Ken Calvert have consistently collaborated in Washington, D.C., and locally, to advance federal support for water and wastewater treatment resiliency.

Late last year, Rollins — a Trump appointee — intervened in PG&E's Potter Valley Project decommissioning hearings being considered by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Rollins gave little credence to conservation and environmental priorities, and instead sided with farmers and ranchers who had enlisted her support.

Then, in late April, Rollins announced that EVMWD emerged to buy the dams from PG&E. In its 144-page Annual Comprehensive Financial Report released late last year, the water district made no mention of the Potter Valley Project.

Meanwhile, Darcy Burke, an EVMWD board member, was supportive about possibly acquiring the Potter Valley Project, even though she said there might be no benefit to EVMWD customers.

Burke said she first learned about the dam removal deal when she read an X post from Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, who condemned the demise of the Potter Valley Project. At the time, Bianco was running for California governor as a Republican courting Trump supporters.

Some argue that Rollins' and EVMWD's involvement is nothing more than a political stunt because siphoning water from Potter Valley to Southern California is just about impossible: The necessary infrastructure is not in place, currently.

The alleged politicking continued when Rep. Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael, opened an inquiry in late April into the Trump administration’s involvement in the Potter Valley Project.

Specifically, Huffman wants details on why Rollins has advocated for EVMWD to buy the Potter Valley Project, including its two dams.

Huffman argues that PG&E is in the process of retiring the Potter Valley Project because of its worsening condition, rendering it no longer viable. He claims that many people in the region support dismantling the project and its dams as a way to restore the Eel River and the dwindling salmon runs there.

For its part, EVMWD said it is weighing "potential opportunities, risks, responsibilities and impacts" of a possible acquisition, including "legal, economic, public health, financial, environmental, operational, Tribal, agricultural, regional stakeholder and customer considerations."

According to EVMWD, "If the District moves beyond the due-diligence review stage, any future action would require consideration and a vote by the EVMWD Board of Directors through a public process."