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Decision on horizon for Coso pump proposal? |
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Monday, 12 January 2009 |
 Little Lake Ranch, LLC argues that this series of ponds, part of the Little Lake corridor is in danger of being adversely affected by a proposal from Coso Operating geothermal facility. Coso is requesting to pump water from nearby Hay Ranch to supplement the declining geothermal reservoir at the energy plant. Photo by Darcy Ellis By Mike Bodine
Register Staff
1-10-2009
The decision of whether the Coso geothermal plant can pump water near Little Lake in southern Inyo County is imminent.
The Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR) for Coso Geothermal’s Hay Ranch water extraction proposal has recently been released and the Water Commission is holding a public hearing on the matter Monday in Independence.
At stake for Coso Operating Company is a 30-year Conditional Use Permit (CUP) that would allow the company to pump water from its fallowed Hay Ranch property in Rose Valley for injection into its geothermal field located within the China Lake Naval Weapons Center.
Water would be extracted at an average rate of 3,000 per minute, or 4,800 acre-feet per year and piped from Hay Ranch, adjacent to and east of U.S. 395, just north of Coso Junction, to the geothermal facility nine miles to the east.
The water is needed, according to Coso, to supplement the diminishing geothermal reservoir and is the only economically viable way to keep the plant in operation.
At stake for opponents of Coso’s proposal, namely Little Lake Ranch, LLC, is protecting the environment from what they say would be harmful impacts due to groundwater pumping. In particular, Little Lake Ranch claims any groundwater pumping, even miles away, might reduce the amount of surface water from springs, streams and seeps that feed the lakes – and flora and fauna – at Little Lake south of Olancha.
These are concerns that were raised more than a year ago, and which are addressed to some degree in the newest environmental report.
The FEIR is not much different from the Draft EIR, issued July 23, 2008.
Inyo County Water Commissioner Bob Harrington said Friday that there are a few technical changes to the FEIR, such as the type of electrical substation that will used at Hay Ranch and an increase in the monitoring wells. There are also some clarifications to the technical points of the hydrology of the project raised by Little Lake Ranch.
Attorney Gary Arnold, a member of and legal counsel for the Little Lake hunting club, said Friday, “In our view, the responses are not adequate.”
Arnold said that he has read through the near 1,500-page FEIR and one of the biggest problems he finds in the report is with the hydrology mitigation.
In the FEIR, it states, “At no time would groundwater flow available to Little Lake be reduced by more than 10 percent.”
The FEIR also states that even with mitigation techniques to prevent a loss of more than 10 percent, it will take more than 100 years for the groundwater levels to return to pre-pumping levels. It is also stated in the FEIR that “a substantial reduction in the amount of water available at Little Lake is defined as greater than 10 percent reduction in water available.”
Arnold said he doesn’t understand this inconsistency of Inyo County water policy that would allow a private business to pump water from the Owens Valley and create significant impacts on the environment in doing so. Environmental degradation due to groundwater pumping is one of the very reasons, Arnold said, that the county has been fighting the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power for decades.
The CUP will be revoked, Harrington said, if the mitigation measures are not adhered to.
As stated in the FEIR, the project could have significant impacts to groundwater, and the duration could be shortened from 30 to as little as 1.2 years to avoid major impacts.
He added it is the Water Department’s responsibility to oversee the mitigation efforts, coordinating with the private consultant doing the actual monitoring.
Harrington said that this is “a tough one environmentally,” in that geothermal power is a cleaner source of energy, relatively speaking in comparison to damming rivers for hydro-electric or coal burning plants.
However, Harrington admitted that it is not a matter of if there will be environmental harm with this project, but to what extent the damage will be.
Both Harrington and Inyo County Planning Department Senior Planner Tanda Gretz emphasized that Monday’s meeting will focus primarily on water – the hydrology of the project.
Harrington explained the approval process of the CUP as the Water Department will make a recommendation to the Planning Department and it will be up to Planning to make the final decision.
An appeal to the decision can then be made to Inyo County Supervisors by any member of the public.
Arnold said he plans on appealing the decision, if it is not in made the best interests of Little Lake, and expects Coso will do the same if the decison is not in its favor.
The Water Commission’s public hearing on the proposal and the FEIR will be held Monday at 6 p.m. at the Board of Supervisors Room, 224 N. Edwards St., Independence.
Anyone wishing to comment on the Water Commission’s recommendations on this project should appear at the public hearing or submit written correspondence to the Inyo County Water Department, by e-mail at
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, by fax at 878-2552, or by mail to 135 Jackson St., Independence, CA 93526.
The Planning Commission’s hearing on the CUP is scheduled for Jan. 28, but exact details are still pending.
For more information, contact the Water Department at 878-0001.
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Last Updated ( Saturday, 25 April 2009 )
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