SCH Number 2013032036

Project Info

Title

El Dorado Forebay Dam Modification Project

Description

The State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board) is responsible for issuance of a water quality certification (certification) for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) license amendment for the Project, which is owned and operated by EID. EID, as lead agency, prepared an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) and filed a Notice of Determination on March 13, 2013. The State Water Board considered the EIR during development of its certification for the Project. Implementation of the Project will: (1) increase dam stability through seismic improvements; (2) meet Department of Water Resources Division of Dam Safety (DSOD) and FERC dam safety requirements; (3) provide freeboard sufficient to relieve regulatory reservoir level operating restriction; and (4) improve and maintain the drinking water and hydroelectric facilities. Other Project elements include: drawdown of the El Dorado Forebay (Forebay) to allow for construction of an earthen stability buttress on the dry side (i.e., non-reservoir side) of the Forebay dam; raising the dam 10 vertical feet to meet DSOD and FERC dam safety stability/freeboard requirements; remediation of the emergency spillway structure and outfall; stabilization of the slope along the spillway channel; repair of the reservoir inlet; relocation of the drinking water valve house and dam seepage pump back station; abandonment of two unused penstocks within the dam; installation of a control valve on the active penstock within the reservoir; reinforcement of the reservoir side of the dam; and replacement of the drinking water intake structure. Conditions of the certification for the Project include monitoring of the benthic macroinvertebrate populations and the protection of water quality through use of best management practices.

6 documents in project