Wednesday June 17, 2026
CalTrout —
Today, the coalition of water agencies, counties, Tribes, and conservation organizations behind the Two-Basin Solution expressed serious concern over reports that Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins convened a meeting with PG&E’s chief executive, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and the Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District in Washington, D.C. regarding the future of the Potter Valley Project on the Eel River.
“We share the Secretary’s concern with maintaining water security in the region, but the USDA’s actions undermine our locally negotiated agreement that provides that security,” said Mari Rodin, a member of the City of Ukiah City Council and an appointee to the Mendocino County Inland Water and Power Commission. “It is incredibly important to us and our communities that control of resources stay in local hands.”
The Two-Basin Solution is the product of years of good-faith negotiation among the Round Valley Indian Tribes, Sonoma Water, Humboldt County, the Mendocino County Inland Water and Power Commission, California Trout, Trout Unlimited, and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. The collaborative agreement accommodates PG&E’s removal of its aging and uneconomic Eel River dams, facilitates restoration of the Eel River and builds modern, reliable replacement infrastructure to maintain water supply stability for the Russian River basin.