California Hydroelectric
Background Information
by
Lon W. House, Ph.D.
530.676.8956
June 5, 2003
California Energy Commission
California Water
Overview
• 75% of rainfall occurs north of Sacramento
• 80% of use of water occurs south of
Sacramento
• Mediterranean climate: 80% of the
precipitation occurs from November to
March.
• Majority of water use is in summer
• About 71,000,000 acre-ft of water per year
is runoff
– flows to ocean - 36%
– environmental flows - 28%
– agriculture - 28%
– urban/industrial - 7%
– other - 1%
Legal Overview
• California Constitution - water is
owned by the state
– Water Codes, Section 102: “All water within the
State is the property of the people of the State”
• Rights to use water granted, subject
to availability, provided water is put
to highest beneficial use
• Article X, Section 2: “the water resources of the
state be put to beneficial use to the fullest extent
of which they are capable … the reasonable and
beneficial use thereof in the interest of the
people and for the public welfare.”
• Article X, Section 5: “The use of all waters now
appropriated … is declared to be a public use, “
• 1914 Water Commission Act - state
grants water rights.
Types of Water Rights in
California
– Pueblo (origin Spanish Law): Est. 1848.
Pueblos have right to entire watershed.
– Riparian (origin English law): Est.
1850. Go with property adjacent to
stream. In time of shortage all riparians
curtailed proportionally.
– Appropriative (origin western United
States): Est. 1855. Necessary if storage
of water used. In times of shortage
allocation based upon seniority (first in
time, first in right).
– Federal Reserved Est. 1908. Federal
reserved lands (parks, reservations, etc.)
have right to sufficient water.
– Public Trust (origin Roman law): Est.
1983. Public benefits (fish, recreation,
etc.) of streams preserved.
Area of Origin Laws
in California
• Area of origin laws refer to legislation designed to
protect areas in which the water falls. Areas which
water originates have option to keep and put to
reasonable use sufficient supply of water to satisfy
areas needs now and in the future. Protects areas of
origin who might otherwise have junior rights if
appropriate system followed.
• County of Origin - Water Code 10500-10506.
1927. County of origin protections.
• Watershed Protection - Water Code 11460-11465.
1930’s. Watershed protection.
• Delta Protection Act - Water Code 12200-1220.
1959. Delta Water users.
• Protected Areas -Water Code 1215-1222. 1984.
Sacramento, Mokelumne, Calaveras, San Joaquin,
Mono Lake, Truckee/Walker/Carson, Russian, and
Delta area
• San Joaquin River- Water Code 12230-12233. San
Joaquin River between Merced River and Delta.
Map of California Hydro
Projects
River Characteristics
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Generation (in MW)
Runoff
Dry
Water AgencyGeneration Utility 1000 Ave. AF % Ave
River
flow
Pit/Fall
Feather River
Feather -South Fork
Oroville-Wyandotte 118
Yuba
Yuba CWA 396
Bear River
Nevada ID
80
American - North/Middle
Placer CWA 200
South Fork
El Dorado ID 21
Mokelumne
East Bay MUD 39
Stanislaus
TriDam
96
Merced
Merced ID
99
San Joaquin
Friant Power 25
Kings
Kern River
Tule River
Kings River
165
768
738
291
12
208
5,896
4,526
291
2337
County
Min cfs
42%
21%
Shasta
120
Butte/Plumas 50
11%
16%
Butte
Yuba
Nevada/Placer
245
7
2,674
13%
209
736
31%
100
1,131
14%
4
952
16%
221
1,753
21%
1,014
345
1,647
23%
1,200 Helms Pumped Storage
12
694
25%
6
135
12%
5
7
Placer
El Dorado
Amador
Tuolumne
38
Merced
Fresno/Madera 23
Fresno
Fresno
Kern
Tulare
4
22
California Relicensings by River
•
License expires
7/31/2007
Name
Upper American River
River
American River
•
12/31/1995
Angels
Angels Creek (Stanislaus)
•
5/8/1996
Murphys
Angels Creek (Stanislaus)
•
2/28/2009
Big Creek No 1 & 2
Big Creek, San Joaquin River
•
10/11/2009
De Sabla
Butte Creek
•
12/31/1995
Pit No 1
Fall, Pit Rivers
•
1/31/2007
Feather River
Feather River
•
9/30/2000
Hat Creek No 1 & 2
Hat Creek, Pit River
•
3/31/2009
Kelly Ridge 1 & 2
Kelly Ridge Canal
•
2/28/2005
Borel
Kern River
•
4/30/2005
Kern Canyon
Kern River
•
4/30/1996
Kern River No 1
Kern River
•
4/30/1996
Kern River No 3
Kern River
•
2/28/2006
Klamath
Klamath River
•
11/30/1986
Lundy
Lundy Creek
•
4/30/1996
Lytle Creek
Lytle Creek, Santa Ana River
•
12/31/2004
Donnells & Beardsley
M Fk Stanislaus River
•
6/14/2000
Lower Tule
M Fork Tule River
•
9/28/2004
Middle and South Forks Sacramento River Project
MF and SF Sacramento
•
4/30/1996
Mill Creek No 2 & 3
Mill Creek, Santa Ana River
•
4/30/2009
Santa Ana #3
Santa Ana River
•
1/1/1982
Potter Valley
Upper Mainstem Eel River
•
9/4/2004
Willow Creek
Willow Creek
California Relicensings cont.
•
License expires
Name
River
•
11/23/1975
Mokelumne
Mokelumne, N. Fork & Bear
•
8/31/2003
Vermillion Valley
Mono Creek
•
10/31/2004
Upper N Fork Feather
N Fk Feather River
•
9/30/2003
Poe
N Fork Feather River
•
3/31/1985
Kings River
NF Kings River
•
4/30/1989
Crane Valley
NF Willow Creek (San Joaquin)
•
9/30/1982
Rock Creek-Questa
North Fork Feather River
•
5/8/1996
Upper Utica
N F Stanislaus, Silver Creek
•
3/27/2007
Kilarc & Cow Creek
Old Cow Creek, Cow Creek
•
4/30/2004
San Felicia
Piru Creek, Santa Clara River
•
7/31/2011
McCloud, Pit 6 & 7
Pit & McCloud Rivers
•
10/31/2003
Pit 3,4,5
Pit River
•
3/31/2005
Portal
Rancheria Creek, Big Creek
•
7/31/2007
Chili Bar
S Fk American River
•
2/23/2002
El Dorado
S Fk American River
•
2/28/2009
Big Creek 2A&8
S Fk San Joaquin River
•
12/31/2004
Stanislaus spring Gap
S Fk Stanislaus River
•
4/26/2003
San Gorgonio
San Gorgonio Creek
•
2/28/2009
Big Creek 3
San Joaquin River
•
2/28/1999
Big Creek 4
San Joaquin River
•
11/30/2007
Mammoth Pool
San Joaquin River
•
4/30/1996
Santa Ana 1&2
Santa Ana River
•
6/26/2004
Lassen Lodge
SF Battle Creek
•
12/31/2004
Tulloch
Stanislaus River
•
9/7/2004
Robley Point
West Branch Feather River
Demands for Water in
California
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Electricity Production
Endangered/Threatened Fish
Bay Delta/ CalFed
Consumptive Uses of Water
Endangered/Threatened
Fish In California
• Endangered
– Sacramento Split-tail
– Sacramento Winter-run Chinook
• Proposed Endangered
– Central Valley Spring Chinook
• Threatened
– Central Valley Steelhead
• Proposed Threatened
– California Coastal Chinook
– Central Valley Fall Chinook
– Northern California Steelhead
Necessary Temperatures
for Anadromous Fish
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Chinook Salmon
Life Stage
Spawning/
migration
Spawning
Egg Incubation/
Emergence
Fry Rearing
Juvenile Rearing
Adult Holding
American
Fall Run Spring Run Steelhead Shad
44.1-57.5 37.9-55.9 46.0-52.0 48.6-66.2
41.0-57.0 40.0-57.0 39.0-52.0 59.0-70.0
41.0-57.9 41.0-57.9 48.0-52.0 57.9-66.0
44.6-57.2
55.0-60.1 59.9-69.8
45.1-58.3
45.1-60.1 59.9-69.8
<77.0
Presence In The Rivers
Life Stage
Spawning/
Migration
Spawning
Egg Incubation/
Emergence
Fry Rearing
Juvenile Rearing
Adult Holding
Chinook Salmon
American
Fall Run Spring Run Steelhead Shad
Sept-Jan
Oct-Jan
Mar-Jul
Aug-Mar
Sept-Nov Jan-Apr
Oct-Mar
Dec-May
Apr-Jun
Sept-Jan
Jan-Apr
Mar-Jun
Mar-Sept
Apr-Jun
May-Jul
Jan-Jul
May-Jul
year round May-Nov
year round May-Nov
California Water Needs
Bulletin 160-98
• Population
– 1 out of every eight people in the United States lives
in California
– By 2020 California is expected to add 15 million
people, more than the combined population of
Arizona, Nevada, Oregon, Idaho, Montana,
Wyoming, New Mexico, and Utah; or the equivalent
of the State of Texas; or the equivalent of New York
City.
• Water needs
– 1995 level of development
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Urban
8.8 maf
Agricultural
33.8 maf
Environmental 36.9 maf
Shortage:
– 1.6 million acre-ft average year
– 5.1 million acre-ft drought year
– 2020 water needs
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Urban
12.0 maf
Agricultural
31.5 maf
Environmental 37.0 maf
Shortage
– 2.4 million acre-ft average year
– 6.2 million acre-ft drought year
Summary
• Water system operation in California is a
delicate system of balance
• There are a host of overlapping water
rights on California rivers
• Climate change will necessitate more
surface storage
• Increased instream flows deplete the cold
water reserves from the upper river
reaches, making it very difficult to meet
temperature requirements below low
elevation storage dams
• Area of origin water rights haven’t been
widely exercised, but are starting to get
more interest as rural counties develop