Russian River Weekly Update 6/15/26
Reservoir Storage & Operations:
Water supply information provided by Sonoma Water (find more water storage info here).
REMINDER: FERC Approves Potter Valley Project Flow Variance, Effective Friday, May 15th
On May 14, 2026, FERC issued an order approving the 2026 temporary flow variance for the Potter Valley Project flows from the Eel to the Russian River. This means that starting May 15th, flows to the Russian River will remain at 25 cfs and will fluctuate between a range of 5-25 cfs based on Lake Pillsbury storage forecasts and water temperature data. Visit the RRFC Webpage for more information.
2026, 6-15 PG&E's PVP May Storage Report.pdf
Future of the Eel River to Russian River Trans Basin Diversion (Potter Valley Project)
REMINDER: FERC Notice of Scoping Document, Meetings, and Comments
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission published a Notice of Scoping Meeting and Request for Comments on the Proposed Surrender, Decommissioning, and Non-Project use of Project Lands (NERF) dated May 22, 2026. Comments are due Friday, July 24, 2026. Two meetings will also be held in Ukiah. Visit the RRFC webpage on the Future of the Eel River to Russian River Diversion for more information.
SWRCB Notice of Availability of the Scoping Report for the Potter Valley Hydroelectric Project Surrender and Decommissioning Project
On June 9, 2026, PG&E requested an extension of the June 30, 2026, deadline to submit evidence of its Clean Water Act (“CWA”) Section 401 water quality certification request to the California State Water Resources Control Board for PG&E’s July 25, 2025 application to surrender the license and decommission the Project. See the document linked below for more information. Visit the RRFC webpage on the Future of the Eel River to Russian River Diversion for more information.
2026, 6-9 PGE request time ext on wtr quality info.pdf
Recent comments and articles:
Humboldt County Supervisors request FERC hold scoping meeting in Humboldt County.
2026, 6-9 Request for Humboldt Scoping Meetings.pdf
SUMMIT: Farmlands Nature-Based Solutions- Advancing Thriving Farmland Summit July 1, 2026 8-5
Join us on July 1, in Chico, California for a Farmlands Nature-Based Solutions summit. In this summit, we will honor leadership and successes to-date, increase connectivity among partners, and explore solutions to critical challenges in scaling nature-based solutions for farmlands. California’s farms cover 10% of the state and are the foundation for our global leadership in agriculture, providing over a third of all vegetables and three-quarters of the fruits and nuts produced in the United States. Conserving and stewarding farmlands presents a huge opportunity to deliver climate, water, health, and economic benefits through implementing NBS such as cover cropping, hedgerow planting, compost application, and organic transition. More information and Registration
WEBINAR: California Natural Resources Agency Hosts Discussion with LGBTQ+ Leaders for Pride 2026, Recording available on website
Secretary Speaker Series - Pride in Belonging: LGBTQ2S+ Leaders Protecting California’s People and Nature was held June 10. More information and recording of all Secretary Series episodes.
WEBINAR: Filling in the Gaps with Ungauged Streamflow Forecasting June 17, 12-1:30
The CA Water Data Consortium is hosting this “Data for Lunch” to dive into how technology is being applied across California water management, from Forecast-Informed Reservoir Operations (FIRO) and managed aquifer recharge to water rights accounting and telemetry QA/QC, and what becomes possible when data gaps no longer have to be decision gaps. More information and registration
NCRP Technical Assistance Eligible Activities Expanded!
The North Coast Resource Partnership (NCRP) is pleased to offer Technical Assistance (TA) to Tribes and economically disadvantaged communities to support building the capacity needed to plan, fund, and implement landscape scale projects that enhance forest health, as well as watershed and community resilience to wildfires. More information from NCRP.
In the press:
- Weekly Water Highlights — June 10, 2026
- Maven's Notebook Weekly Edition June 7-12, 2026
- Maven's Notebook Weekend Edition 6/14/26
- State Water Board Ebb & Flow Blog
- Russian River Confluence Newsletter June
- Weather West by Daniel Swain: Special update: Rising odds of a strong-to-historic El Niño event in 2026, with growing likelihood of significant regional-to-global scale impacts 6/11/26
- The Atlantic: (gift article): Why the Media Keep Quoting the Same Climate Scientist (Daniel Swain) 6/11/26