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Merced River Hydropower Relicensing Update

By Cindy Charles

September 30, 2009 --- We are in the beginning of the relicensing process for two hydropower projects operated by the Merced Irrigation District.  The licenses for two projects: the New Exchequer dam and the McSwain dam are expiring and the District is applying for a new license will run for at least 30 years. 

We have been working with other conservation organizations and the fishery resource agencies to require the District to conduct a wide range of studies necessary to determine the condition of the fishery as well as the water quality of this river which has fall-run Chinook salmon and threatened Central Valley steelhead.

I am representing the NCCFFF and Golden West Women Flyfishers.   The other conservation groups include California Sportfishing Protection Alliance, Trout Unlimited, Friends of the River, and the Merced River Conservation Committee. 

The District was extremely resistant to doing any studies immediately below their operations, arguing that their two projects don’t have any affect on the river downstream!!  There is the Crocker Huffman Diversion dam which is downstream of their other dams and which they do use to divert and manipulate water. However, they argue that since the Crocker Huffman dam is not a power dam, it is not overseen by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). 

The bad news is that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission decided to take the side of the Merced Irrigation District and will not require ANY studies of anadramous fish.  This is pretty outrageous since these dams do impact condition and fish downstream-they control about 1 million acre feet of water per year.   All I can say right now is that the conservation groups, the Regional State Water Board and the fishery agencies (NMFS, DFG and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) are examining our possible options.