This letter appears in the July 2025 edition of Cloverdale Connect, page 14.

Our May water bills included a flier high on fear and low on facts. A fact-based letter was subsequently submitted to the City Council by resident David Fowler. Here’s an excerpt:

Here are how just a few of the City's claims stand up to independent fact checking: 

  • The Van Arsdale Diversion has only provided approximately…5% of the flow in the Russian River over the last 20 years (source: California Department of Water Resources (DWR), California Data Exchange Center (CDEC), PG&E diversion volume reports);
  • The proposed project includes maintaining the Van Arsdale Diversion at a volume slightly greater that the historical average by installing the New Eel-Russian Facility, a pump station in the Eel River at the current location of the Cape Hom Dam (source: Draft Application for Surrender of License and Application for Non-Project Use of Project Lands (Draft Application));
  • The removal of both the Cape Horn and Scott Dams will improve the ecosystem of the Eel River upstream of the dams by reopening many miles of watercourses for salmonid anadromy, which were cut off by the construction of the dams (source:
 California Department of Fish and Wildlife);
  • The Potter Valley Power House has not operated since 2017 and is not planned to be reopened whether or not the dams are removed (source: PG&E);
  • Lake Mendocino will receive more flow than current during the winter months and therefore refill faster after summer drawdown (source: Draft Application).

Mr. Fowler has 40 years of experience in surface water and ground water management. Additionally, the implementation of Lake Mendocino’s Forecast Informed Reservoir Operations (FIRO) has facilitated vastly improved management as we adapt to live within the means of the Russian River Watershed.

Our precious ratepayer dollars should be spent on facts, not scare tactics.

-Cloverdale Democratic Club

More information

Original letter from Cloverdale resident David Fowler to Cloverdale City Council dated May 8, 2025

Eel-Russian Project Authority

City of Cloverdale: Potter Valley Project