Petition for Extension of Time for Hydropower Permit 10479 (Pardee) and Permit 17378 (Camanche)

Petition for Extension of Time for Hydropower Permit 10479 (Pardee) and Permit 17378 (Camanche)

EBMUD, headquartered in Alameda County, Is requesting a second time extension for EBMUD's Pardee Hydropower Water Right Permit 10479 and EBMUD's Camanche Hydropower Water Right Permit 17378 to include water put to beneficial use following the last time extension. Project facilities are located In Amador, Calaveras, and San Joaquin Counties. The Project is described In detail In Attachment A and a project location map Is provided in Attachment B. EBMUD is requesting a second time extension for both Pardee Hydropower Water Right Permit 10479 and Camanche Hydropower Water Right Permit 17378 from 1990 through water year 2017 to complete the application of water to beneficial use. The petitions for time extension are retroactive, extending the period for application of water to beneficial use from December 1, 1990 through September 30, 2017, to ensure the inclusion of the years of maximum beneficial use under the terms of hydropower Permits 10479 and 17378 for water rights licensing. The State Water Board (SWB) approved EBMUD's Pardee Hydropower Water Right Permit 10479 (Application 15201) in 1956 and approved EBMUD's Camanche Hydropower Water Right Permit 17378 (Application 25056} in 1978 and previously extended the .schedule for applying water to beneficial use to December 1, 1990. EBMUD completed construction of the expanded Pardee hydropower facilities and the Camanche hydropower facilities in 1983 and began applying the water to use for hydropower generation shortly thereafter. EBMUD submitted the petitions for extension of time to the SWB electronically via CalWATRS on March 20, 2026. The petitions are seeking retroactive time extensions, and they do not expand EBMUD's existing water rights, but instead allow for consideration of the use that has occurred to date consistent with the terms of the permits. In 1995, with the agreement of the State Water Board, EBMUD postponed a scheduled licensing inspection for its facilities to allow the completion of negotiations regarding fishery flows with downstream entities and resource agencies. Subsequently, EBMUD, the U.S Fish & Wildlife Service, and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (previously the California Department of Fish & Game) entered into the Joint Settlement Agreement (JSA), which includes flow, non-flow, and other measures to protect and enhance the anadromous fishery resources and ecosystem in the lower Mokelumne River. In 2000, the State Water Board incorporated the flow provisions of the JSA into EBMUD's Mokelumne River municipal water right Permit 10478 and municipal water right License 11109 through State Water Board Decision 1641. In April 2000, the State Water Board recommended that EBMUD delay the licensing request for hydropower Permit 10479 and hydropower Permit 17378 until it requested licensing for the municipal water right Permit 10478, to address both consumptive use and hydropower generation aspects of the Project simultaneously. On July 29, 2008, EBMUD requested a licensing inspection with the State Water Board regarding hydropower Permits 10479 and 17378, noting that EBMUD had requested a time extension for its Camanche municipal Permit 10478 in November 2000. In December 2012, EBMUD filed separate change petitions to confirm Camanche Dam as a point of rediversion and Camanche Powerhouse as a place of use under the hydropower rights for Pardee Dam and Reservoir (License 1388, License 6062, and Permit 10479). The Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) for the municipal water right Permit 10478 Time Extension Project, which was released in September 2013, included information regarding the petitions for change in place of use and additional point of rediversion. The information in the DEIR noted that the petitions would not create any potentially significant impacts and were exempt from CEQA under CEQA Guidelines §15061 (b)(3) and §15301, as well as §15261. In 2016, the State Water Board approved the petition for time extension for the municipal water right Permit 10478 and issued Amended Permit 10478. In 2017, EBMUD and the State Water Board agreed to postpone the licensing process for hydropower Permits 10479 and 17378 due to higher priority projects arising at the time. In 2023, EBMUD and the State Water Board agreed to reinitiate work on hydropower Permits 10479 and 17378. The retroactive time extension petitions are intended to ensure that licensing decisions properly reflect the quantities of water diverted and beneficially used under hydropower Permits 10479 and 17378. There are no potentially significant impacts that would result from the requested retroactive time extensions for the Pardee Hydro power Water Right Permit 10479 and Camanche Hydro power Water Right Permit 17378.

Clements | Valley Springs, Ione, Jackson

Alameda, Amador, Calaveras, San Joaquin

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Alameda, Amador, Calaveras, San Joaquin