Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Project No. 1930

Kern River No. 1 Hydroelectric Project

Kern River No 1 Hydroelectric Project
Kern River No. 1 Powerhouse and Tailrace
(Image courtesy Southern California Edison Company)

Applicant: Southern California Edison Company
County: Kern County
License Expiration Date: May 31, 2028
Water Quality Certification Status: Issued May 1, 1995
Waterbodies: Kern River
FERC Licensing Process: Integrated License Process

Project Description

Southern California Edison Company operates the Kern River No. 1 Hydroelectric Project (Project), Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Project No. 1930. The Project is located on the lower Kern River approximately 17 miles northeast of Bakersfield and 16 miles southwest of Bodfish, in Kern County. The Project is operated as a run-of-the-river project with total installed capacity of 26.3 megawatts. The Project’s diversion dam, known as Democrat Dam, is an overflow concrete gravity dam with a crest length of 204 feet and a height of 29 feet. The impoundment formed by the dam has a surface area of 27 acres and impounds up to 274 acre-feet of water. Water is released to the Kern River either by flow over the dam or by a valve located along the bank of the Kern River at the Kern 1 sandbox outlet. The maximum diversion capacity of the Project is 412 cubic feet per second of water.

Related Documents

SCE’s Project website for the Project contains more information and documents related to Project relicensing