SCH Number 2022060644

Project Info

Title

Phoenix Hydroelectric Project

Description

The Phoenix Project is an existing hydroelectric facility owned and operated by PG&E, located in the foothills of the western slope of the Sierra Nevada on the Stanislaus River in Tuolumne County, California (Figure 2-1). The hydropower facility has a capacity of 2.0- megawatts (MW) with a licensed authorized installed capacity of 1.6 MW. The Phoenix Project was first licensed by FERC in 1930, and the current license was issued in 1992. The existing Phoenix Project and the Proposed Project facilities consist of the Lyons Dam and Reservoir on the South Fork Stanislaus River (SFSR), a cushion dam approximately 80-feet downstream of Lyons Dam, the Main Tuolumne Canal (MTC), the Phoenix Header Box (Forebay), Phoenix Powerhouse, and a penstock (Figure 2-1). The Phoenix Powerhouse is located at the upper end of the Tuolumne Water System, a domestic water supply system owned by Tuolumne Utilities District (TUD). Water is delivered from the Phoenix Project to TUD at multiple locations along the MTC and downstream of the Phoenix Powerhouse, which drains into the PG&E Phoenix Reservoir. The Phoenix Project is operated by PG&E for power generation and distribution of electricity to the local grid and to meet the water needs of TUD. PG&E is not currently proposing to add capacity or make any major modifications to the existing facility or its operations. The total drainage area of the SFSR upstream of Lyons Dam is 67.2 square miles. The total Stanislaus River watershed, including the South, Middle, and North forks, encompass 997.8 square miles. The SFSR downstream of Lyons Dam flows from an elevation of approximately 4,200-feet above mean sea level (msl) at the dam to approximately 1,110-feet msl at New Melones Reservoir. The drainage is narrow and in rugged terrain with few access roads. Scattered riparian vegetation occurs along the river, with chaparral and oak woodland on the hillslopes, transitioning to conifer forest at higher elevations.

2 documents in project