The January 28 edition of the AgNet News Hour delivered one of the most detailed and urgent updates yet on the unfolding Potter Valley water crisis, as hosts Nick Papagni and Josh McGill sat down with longtime local veterinarian Rich Brazil to explain what’s truly at stake if the Potter Valley Project dams are removed. The message was clear: this isn’t just a Northern California issue — it’s a warning for every rural community in the state.
Brazil, who has lived and worked in Potter Valley for 38 years, explained that the region’s farms, ranches, homes, and businesses exist because of a century-old water diversion system connecting the Eel River to the Russian River watershed. That small diversion — roughly 30,000 acre-feet — represents less than one-half of one percent of the Eel River’s annual flow, yet supports agriculture, domestic water supplies, fire protection, and entire rural economies downstream.
Environmental groups are pushing to remove Scott Dam and Cape Horn Dam, arguing that free-flowing rivers will restore fish populations. Brazil countered that argument with hard data. Over the past 20 years, diversion flows have already been cut by 60 to 80 percent, yet salmon numbers have continued to decline. “That tells you the problem isn’t the water diversion,” Brazil said. “It’s habitat issues, predators, and offshore impacts.”
One of the most alarming consequences Brazil outlined is what would happen if the dams were removed outright. Behind the dams sit an estimated 20 to 40 million cubic yards of sediment. If released, that material could bury the river system in silt, destroying spawning habitat and harming the very fish the removals are meant to protect. Meanwhile, communities would lose reliable water overnight. Domestic wells would dry up, farmland would be abandoned, and property values would collapse.
Brazil emphasized that local leaders have repeatedly proposed compromise solutions — including fish ladders and infrastructure upgrades — that would allow fish recovery while preserving water reliability for people. Those options, he said, were rejected outright. “This isn’t about sharing,” he warned. “This is about taking everything.”
The conversation also touched on the broader political landscape. Brazil believes the Potter Valley dams have become symbolic targets in California’s aggressive environmental agenda, and that rural communities are being treated as expendable. However, he expressed cautious optimism thanks to recent engagement from U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins and NRCS Chief Aubrey J. D. Bettencourt, calling their involvement a turning point after years of being ignored at the state level.
Papagni and McGill stressed that the Potter Valley fight mirrors other California battles — from wolves to water storage — where policy decisions are made far from the people who live with the consequences. As Brazil put it, “If this can happen here, it can happen anywhere.”
The episode closed with a call for awareness, engagement, and persistence. “Sunlight matters,” Brazil said. “When people understand what’s really happening, common sense still has a chance.”
🎙️ AgNet News Hour – AgNet West
🌐 Website: agnetwest.com
📱 Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and all major podcast platforms
📲 Follow on social media: AgNet West (Facebook, Instagram, X)
Listen to previous AgNet News Hour episodes…