Department of Energy
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
- [Project No. 1388-082]
Take notice that the following hydroelectric application has been filed with the Commission and is available for public inspection.
a. Type of Application: New major license.
b. Project No.: 1388-082.
c. Date filed: January 29, 2025.
d. Applicant: Southern California Edison Company.
e. Name of Project: Lee Vining Hydroelectric Project.
f. Location: The existing project is located on both Lee Vining and Glacier Creeks in Inyo County, California, near the town of Lee Vining. The project affects 536 acres of federal land managed by the U.S. Forest Service.
g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act 16 U.S.C. 791(a)-825(r).
h. Applicant Contact: Wayne Allen, Principal Manager, Southern California Edison Company, 2244 Walnut Grove Avenue, Rosemead, CA 91770; Telephone (626) 302-9741 or email wayneallen@sce.com.
i. FERC Contact: Rebecca Kipp, (202) 502-8846 or rebecca.kipp@ferc.gov.
j. Deadline for filing motions to intervene and protests, comments, recommendations, terms and conditions, and prescriptions: on or before 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on July 27, 2026; reply comments are due on or before 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on September 10, 2026.
The Commission strongly encourages electronic filing. Please file file motions to intervene and protests, comments, recommendations, terms and conditions, and prescriptions using the Commission's eFiling system at https://ferconline.ferc.gov/FERCOnline.aspx. Commenters can submit brief comments up to 10,000 characters, without prior registration, using the eComment system at https://ferconline.ferc.gov/QuickComment.aspx. For assistance, please contact FERC Online Support at FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov, (866) 208-3676 (toll free), or (202) 502-8659 (TTY). In lieu of electronic filing, please send a paper copy via U.S. Postal Service to: Debbie-Anne A. Reese, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE, Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426. Submissions sent via any other carrier must be addressed to: Debbie-Anne A. Reese, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 12225 Wilkins Avenue, Rockville, Maryland 20852. The first page of any filing should include docket number P-1388-082.
The Commission's Rules of Practice require all intervenors filing documents with the Commission to serve a copy of that document on each person on the official service list for the project. Further, if an intervenor files comments or documents with the Commission relating to the merits of an issue that may affect the responsibilities of a particular resource agency, they must also serve a copy of the document on that resource agency.
k. This application has been accepted and is ready for environmental analysis.
l. The existing Lee Vining Hydroelectric Project consists of four dams and three reservoirs including: (1) the 600-foot-long, 45-foot-high redwood-faced rockfill Saddlebag Dam with: (a) a 54-foot-wide, 4.5-foot-deep rectangular notch spillway that discharges directly into Lee Vining Creek below the dam, (b) a 297-acre Saddlebag Lake impoundment with 9,495 acre-feet net storage capacity at 10,089.40 feet above mean sea level elevation (msl), (c) a 220-foot-long, 30-inch-diameter riveted steel pipeline to extend the outlet downstream of the dam, and (d) a low-level outlet works with maximum discharge capacity of about 150 cubic feet per second (cfs) that discharge directly into Lee Vining Creek and consists of: (i) a fully submerged, ungated, concrete intake box at 10,048.8 feet msl located at upstream toe of the dam that admits water to (ii) a 30-inch-diameter concrete-encased steel pipe that passes under the dam near the left abutment that is controlled at the downstream toe by (iii) a manually operated 30-inch rising stem gate valve, and (iv) a concrete valve house located at the south of Saddlebag Dam; (2) the 270-foot-long, 27-foot-high redwood-faced rockfill Tioga Dam with: (e) 57-feet-wide, 4-feet-deep spillway with a crest elevation of 9,650.28 feet msl, (f) the low-level outlet works consisting of a 24-inch-diameter concrete-encased riveted steel pipe that passes through the base of the main Tioga Dam with an upstream invert elevation of 9,626.72 feet msl, draining into Lee Vining Creek which is manually controlled by (g) a 24-inch gate valve located in (h) a concrete valve house at the downstream toe of the Tioga Dam; and (3) the 50-foot-long, 19-foot-high, concrete-arch Tioga Auxiliary Dam located on Tioga Lake in the headwaters of Glacier Creek, that together with the Tioga Dam impound the 73-acre Tioga Lake with 1,254 acre-feet net storage capacity at 9,650.28 feet msl, and (j) the 19.5-foot-long right auxiliary spillway bay, and the 21.5-foot-long left auxiliary spillway bay at 9,651.28 feet msl crest elevation; and (4) the 437-foot-long, 18.5-foot-high rockfill Rhinedollar Dam that (k) impounds the 61-acre Ellery Lake with 493 acre-feet net storage capacity at 9,492.53 feet above msl, (l) three spillway bays, each 12-foot-wide and 6.5-foot-deep, located at Rhinedollar Dam at an elevation of 9,492.53 feet msl, (m) a reinforced concrete intake structure at 9,480 feet elevation msl, (n) a 6,271-foot-long below ground flowline with a maximum flow of 110 cfs that convey flows from Ellery Lake at the Rhinedollar Dam to Poole Powerhouse and consists of: (v) a 2,530-foot-long, 48-inch-diameter double riveted steel pipeline, and (vi) a 3,741-foot-long steel penstock that tapers from 44- to 28-inches in diameter; (o) the outlet works ( printed page 32969) consists of a 48-inch concrete-encased steel pipe conduit with a butterfly valve at the downstream end; (p) the 68-foot-long, 38-foot-wide, 43-foot-high reinforced concrete Poole Powerhouse and located on Lee Vining Creek east downstream of Ellery Lake which contains one generating unit with a nameplate capacity of 11.25 megawatts (MWs); (q) a switchyard located immediately north of the powerhouse that contains the main power transformers, (r) approximately 50 feet of primary transmission line between the switchyard and Poole Powerhouse, (s) seven project-associated stream gages immediately downstream of Saddlebag and Tioga Dams, in stream; and (t) appurtenant facilities.
Southern California Edison Company is not proposing any changes to project facilities or operation.
m. A copy of the application may be viewed on the Commission's website at http://www.ferc.gov using the “eLibrary” link. Enter the docket number excluding the last three digits in the docket number field to access the document. For assistance, contact FERC Online Support at FERCOnlineSupport. A copy is also available for inspection and reproduction at the address in item h above.
All filings must (1) bear in all capital letters the title “PROTEST”, “MOTION TO INTERVENE”, “COMMENTS”, “REPLY COMMENTS”, “RECOMMENDATIONS,” “TERMS AND CONDITIONS,” or “PRESCRIPTIONS;” (2) set forth in the heading the name of the applicant and the project number of the application to which the filing responds; (3) furnish the name of the person protesting or intervening; and (4) otherwise comply with the requirements of 18 CFR 385.2001 through 385.2005. All comments, recommendations, terms and conditions or prescriptions must set forth their evidentiary basis and otherwise comply with the requirements of 18 CFR 4.34(b). Agencies may obtain copies of the application directly from the applicant. A copy of any protest or motion to intervene must be served upon each representative of the applicant specified in the particular application. A copy of all other filings in reference to this application must be accompanied by proof of service on all persons listed in the service list prepared by the Commission in this proceeding, in accordance with 18 CFR 4.34(b) and 385.2010.
You may also register online at https://ferconline.ferc.gov/FERCOnline.aspx to be notified via email of new filings and issuances related to this or other pending projects. For assistance, contact FERC Online Support.
n. For public inquiries and assistance with making filings such as interventions, comments, or requests for rehearing, contact the Office of Public Participation at (202)502-6595 or OPP@ferc.gov.
o. The applicant must file the following on or before 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on July 27, 2026: (1) a copy of the water quality certification; (2) a copy of the request for certification, including proof of the date on which the certifying agency received the request; or (3) evidence of waiver of water quality certification.
p. Final amendments to the application must be filed with the Commission on or before 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time June 29, 2026.
(Authority: 18 CFR 2.1)
Dated: May 28, 2026.
Debbie-Anne A. Reese,
Secretary.