The Rush Creek Project is owned and operated by Southern California Edison. The Project is located on the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada, mostly on federal lands administered by the Inyo National Forest (a portion within the Ansel Adams Wilderness). The Project includes three dams and associated reservoirs, a water conveyance system, the Rush Creek Powerhouse, and various ancillary facilities. Due to seismic concerns, Southern California Edison is required by Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to maintain restricted reservoir elevations at Project reservoirs.
JNA Consulting, as a subconsultant to Stantec, has been involved in the Project since 2017, providing strategic support regarding options for the long-term fate of the project considering costs, regulatory processes, resource agency management directives, local community interests, Wilderness Act prescriptions, and environmental and cultural resources. Ultimately, Southern California Edison decided to relicense the project using Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s Integrated Licensing Process. This complex relicensing includes multiple parallel evaluations, including removal of two dams and retrofitting of one dam; restoration of reservoir inundation zones; and continued operation and maintenance of a modified project.
To support the relicensing, JNA Consulting has provided strategic support for the relicensing process, including the development of key submittals, including the Pre-Application Document, initial and updated study reporting processes, and the Draft and Final License Applications. JNA Consulting also supported extensive stakeholder and community outreach, design and implementation of technical study plans, Endangered Species Act consultation and development of a Biological Assessment, development of a Conceptual Restoration Plan and resource management plans/measures.