Rush Creek Project Relicensing (FERC P-1389)

The Rush Creek Project is located on the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in Mono County, California. It is approximately four miles southwest of the unincorporated community of June Lake. The majority of the Project occupies federal lands within the Inyo National Forest, which is under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Forest Service (portions of the Project are located within the Ansel Adams Wilderness Area). The Project was constructed between 1915 and 1918 and later modified in 1924 and 1925 before the formation of the Wilderness.

The 13.01-megawatt Project includes three dams and associated reservoirs – Agnew Dam (Agnew Lake), Gem Dam (Gem Lake), and Rush Meadows Dam (Waugh Lake); a water conveyance system; the Rush Creek Powerhouse; and ancillary facilities. The three Project reservoirs historically provided storage for lake recreation during the summer and allowed for electricity generation at the Rush Creek Powerhouse in the fall/winter. Water exiting the powerhouse enters a short tailrace and returns to Rush Creek upstream of Silver Lake.

Recently, SCE conducted fault studies, structural testing, and engineering analyses of Agnew, Gem, and Rush Meadows dams after the Silver Lake Fault was identified as a potential safety concern in 2007. As a result of the analyses and subsequent consultation with FERC and DSOD, SCE implemented storage restrictions at the three reservoirs beginning in 2012, as well as structural modifications at the Agnew and Rush Meadows dams in 2017 and 2018 and Gem Dam in 2020 and 2021.

Take a virtual tour of the Rush Creek Hydroelectric Project.