Multi-year Increase of State Water Project Water Delivery from Pyramid Lake to United Water Conservation District
Summary
SCH Number
2025080041
Public Agency
California Department of Water Resources
(DWR)
Document Title
Multi-year Increase of State Water Project Water Delivery from Pyramid Lake to United Water Conservation District
Document Type
NOE - Notice of Exemption
Received
Posted
8/1/2025
Document Description
The California Department of Water Resources (DWR) has requested authorization from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to grant a variance from Article 52 of the existing FERC license for the South SWP Hydropower Project, FERC Project Number 2426. Article 52 provides for the simulation of the natural hydrograph of the Piru Creek watershed through releases into Piru Creek below Pyramid Lake and Pyramid Dam. Under the existing license, water deliveries are made to the United Water Conservation District (United) through Pyramid Dam into Piru Creek and subsequently into Lake Piru by simulating a natural storm event. Article 52 provides for water deliveries to United up to 3,150 acre-feet (AF) each year between November 1 to the end of February.
The Article 52 variance would allow for delivery of up to 25,000 AF per year during the November 1 through end-of-February time period beginning in Water Year (WY) 2025-2026 and extending through WY 2029-2030 based on water supply availabilities. The proposed increase of SWP water delivery is intended for the beneficial use of addressing critically depleted groundwater conditions within United's service boundary.
All releases will be completed by February 28, 2030. The movement of additional SWP water above the current 3,150 AF limit is dependent on available water supplies in a given water year. As such, the actual volume of water imported each year under the proposed term of this variance is anticipated to fluctuate between the current limit (i.e., 3,150 AF or less) and 25,000 AF. Water would be released when available during the next five years and simulate a natural storm event including a gradual ramp up and ramp down of flows, and a peak flow similar to a typical storm event for this period. The final schedule for each release will be established with consideration of operational constraints at Pyramid Dam, natural hydrology, and the timing of the variance issuance by FERC. The duration of each release could be as little as five days and as much as three weeks.
To support this Article 52 variance, DWR has requested authorization from the State Water Resources Control Board for a temporary amendment to Condition No. 1 in the Clean Water Act Section 401 Water Quality Certification that was previously issued for the South SWP Hydropower Project to accommodate the increased SWP water delivery to United.
Contact Information
Name
Jeremiah McNeil
Agency Name
California Department of Water Resources
Job Title
Manager, State Water Project Power Compliance Office
Contact Types
Lead/Public Agency
Phone
Location
Counties
Los Angeles, Ventura
Regions
Southern California, Unincorporated
Township
6N
Range
18W
Section
2
Base
SBM
Other Location Info
The Project begins at Pyramid Lake, a State Water Project facility, located in Los Angeles County, California, approximately 13 miles northwest of Castaic, in the SW 1/4 of Section 2, Township 6N, Range 18W.
Notice of Exemption
Exempt Status
Categorical Exemption
Type, Section or Code
Class 1, Section 15301(b) – Operations of existing publicly owned utility facilities
Reasons for Exemption
a. The project is a water management operation using only existing facilities.
b. The project is not expected to support new development or a change in land use.
c. The project does not establish a new permanent source of water supply.
d. The project is not expected to have any effects on the environment.
e. There will be no expansion of existing use of any facility.
f. None of the exceptions in §15300.2 apply.
Attachments
Notice of Exemption
Disclaimer: The Governor’s Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation (LCI) accepts no responsibility for the content or accessibility of these documents. To obtain an attachment in a different format, please contact the lead agency at the contact information listed above. For more information, please visit LCI’s Accessibility Site.