Meeting the demand for sustainable energy

Rush Creek Relicensing Project

On the outskirts of California’s Yosemite National Park, encompassed among dramatic topography that includes waterfalls, granite mountainsides, and glacier-carved valleys, you will find California’s Rush Creek—a haven for outdoor enthusiasts.

This is no secret hideaway. However, what the visitors from across the globe probably aren’t aware of is the number of studies currently in progress in the area. This includes our Rush Creek project for Southern California Edison. Our interdisciplinary team is working to relicense the project through the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) with efforts to decommission two dams that were previously modified to mitigate safety issues, while retrofitting a third dam.

The combined relicensing and decommissioning process presents a complex and unique opportunity to study the benefits and impacts of hydropower infrastructure on a sensitive mountain environment. We’re working with over 40 specialists from a wide range of disciplines to conduct 17 studies ranging from fisheries, fluvial geomorphology, and instream flow to archaeology, recreation, and aesthetics. 

Multiple one-dimensional and two-dimensional instream flow models were developed and utilized to assess the impacts of dam removals and operations changes on a wide variety of resources. Instream flow model results are analyzed by reach to determine how sediment transport, riparian inundation, fish habitat, amphibian habitat, aesthetics, restored meadows, and flood effects will change over a range of flow scenarios.

Ultimately, relicensing this project will allow Southern California Edison to continue to generate renewable energy and meet demand of California’s electric grid.