LAKE COUNTY— Alerts about punishing loss of tax revenue and discretionary tourism spending should Scott Dam be decommissioned and Lake Pillsbury dries up came from county officials and researchers since a June 2022 Board of Supervisor meeting. This will come to pass if proponents of removing the dam have their way county officials warn.
A new video documentary by Sam Euston of Digital Media Productions Inc., titled "Regional benefits of Lake Pillsbury" paint a stark picture of what could result if the valuable water resource were to disappear.
The video is narrated by Frank Lynch and Carol Cinquini of the Lake Pillsbury Alliance. Near the conclusion of the video they interviewed Patrick Sullivan, treasurer-tax collector of Lake County who noted many constituents are concerned over the possible financial devastations which may result surrounding the Potter Valley Project should the dam eventually be removed.
There's more significant impact than residents realize said Sullivan. "Lake County would lose $750,000 per year if Scott Dam were decommissioned, and a potential loss of $40 million in property values in that area," he said. "Also, we're facing catastrophic loss of revenue stream, not just from secured property tax but also from sales tax, transient occupancy tax (lodging) and other entities paying taxes at Lake Pillsbury- all that potentially goes away."
Yet the true cost of dam removal is difficult to render he cautioned. "PG&E (owner and license holder) should be responsible for the cost but there's efforts underway to limit their liability," Sullivan added. "Comprehensive costs, in their totality could exceed dam removal itself." Should dam restoration not be successful as hoped; result may be Lake County shows a loss of property values as well as tax revenues, because of county's limited resources.
He went on, "Lake County is responsible for providing services and depending on what happens to the dam, Lake County could create a burden if the above revenue streams stop should and the damn be eliminated," Sullivan said.
Cinquini noted in the video what people love about Pillsbury Lake is that it is so off the grid. There are about 300 recreational residences, 80 family campgrounds, and 225 campsites operated by PG&E and the U.S. Forest Service. There are four area communities: Lake Pillsbury homesite tract, Lake Pillsbuty Ranch, Rice Fork and Westshore communities, all predominantly lake based, while much to the east of the lake is limited access with few if any roads.
"The Lake Basin is focused on recreation, thousands of boats, everything from Standup Paddleboards, wake boards, canoes, kayaks and water skiing," Cinquini said. Added Lynch, "Water stored in Lake Pillsbury is distributed through the Potter Valley Project." And according to the Alliance website, the Potter Valley Project is a hydroelectric project that transfers water from the Eel River Watershed to the Russian River Watershed; it includes Scott Dam, which forms Lake Pillsbury, Cape Horn Dam, a powerhouse and water diversion facilities. "It supports millions of dollars of agricultural benefit, for not only for Potter Valley but for Alexander Valley, Sanel Valley and Ukiah Valley, which Ag grape community relies on the Pillsbury resource year-round water," Lynch said.
Lynch also noted there is 600,000 downstream water for users that comes out of the Potter Valley Project.
"So, the whole development of inland Mendocino, Sonoma County and even down to Marin County, is benefitted by the Potter Valley Project," Lynch added. "Potter Valley Farms, realize $35 million in value per year. Mendocino County Ag reaps $743 million per year, which includes grapes and other crops. By having this year-round backup water supply there's a huge economic benefit. If the dam was removed and there were only waters from the Eel River, drafted only during high flows, it does not supply that extra backup storage. There'd be $100 millions, if not a total of $1 billion of alternative infrastructure that'd be needed to provide that water."
Frank Aebly, Ph.D. and forest ranger noted without Blue Lake, logistically it's tough to get water in such a remote locale and the nearest water source would be Lake Mendocino, a 20-minute turn-around as opposed to immediate response from Lake Pillsbury," Aebly said. "With consideration of a court decision to reduce usage of fire-retardant powder for aerial firefighting, reinforcement resources like Lake Pillsbury may become even more increasingly important in combating fires."
District 2 Supervisor Bruno Sabatier cautioned there will be a massive impact in the region if the county loses Lake Pillsbury.
"We're not sure what will be left, a river, a pond?" he questioned. "We want to re-create a new destination if it (Lake Pillsbury) goes away. It's important revenue for the county, an important destination, for people to have. How do we redevelop that to assure it'll continue to be a destination in the future?"
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