Pre-Application Document Kaweah Project (FERC Project No. 298) TABLE OF CONTENTS Page 3.3 Water Use and Hydrology .............................................................................. 3.3-1 3.3.1 Information Sources ....................................................................... 3.3-1 3.3.2 Existing Water Uses ....................................................................... 3.3-1 3.3.3 Hydrology ....................................................................................... 3.3-4 3.3.4 References ..................................................................................... 3.3-7 List of Tables Table 3.3-1. Minimum Instream Flow Requirements for Bypass Reaches Associated with the Kaweah Project. Table 3.3-2. Recent History (2002-2016) of Temporary Flow Modifications Requested by SCE and Approved by Resource Agencies. Table 3.3-3. Historic Water Year Types for the Kaweah River at Terminus Reservoir Based on Department of Water Resources Bulletin 120 May 1 Runoff Forecast (1994-2016). Table 3.3-4. Current Project Flow Gages. Table 3.3-5. Historic Gages in the Project Vicinity. Table 3.3-6. Other Flow Gages in the Kaweah River Watershed. List of Figures Figure 3.3-1. East Fork Kaweah River Inflow at Kaweah No. 1 Diversion Dam in Relation to Minimum Instream Flow Requirements and Water Supply Commitments in Dry (top) and Normal (bottom) Years (May 1994- December 2014). Figure 3.3-2. Kaweah River Inflow at Kaweah No. 2 Diversion Dam in Relation to Minimum Instream Flow Requirements and Water Supply Commitments in Dry (top) and Normal (bottom) Years (May 1994-December 2014). Figure 3.3-3. Distribution of the April 1 to July 1 Forecast of Runoff in the Kaweah River at Terminus Reservoir based on the Bulletin 120 May 1 Forecast (1994- 2016). Figure 3.3-4. Annual Inflow to the Kaweah Project (WY 1994-2014). Figure 3.3-5a. Monthly Average Flows in a Representative Dry Year (2014), Normal Year (2006), and “Drier” Normal Year (2009) in the East Fork Kaweah River Southern California Edison Company 3.3-i Pre-Application Document Kaweah Project (FERC Project No. 298) Bypass Reach and Kaweah No. 1 Flowline, and at the Kaweah No. 1 Powerhouse. Figure 3.3-5b. Monthly Average Flows in a Representative Dry Year (2014), Normal Year (2006), and “Drier” Normal Year (2009) in the Kaweah River Bypass Reach and Kaweah No. 2 Flowline, and at the Kaweah No. 2 Powerhouse. Figure 3.3-5c. Monthly Average Flows in a Representative Dry Year (2014), Normal Year (2006), and “Drier” Normal Year (2009) at the Kaweah No. 3 Powerhouse. Figure 3.3-6a. Monthly Exceedance Flows (10%, 20%, 50%, 80%, and 90%) in the East Fork Kaweah River Bypass Reach and Kaweah No. 1 Flowline, and at the Kaweah No. 1 Powerhouse (WY 1994-2014). Figure 3.3-6b. Monthly Exceedance Flows (10%, 20%, 50%, 80%, and 90%) in the Kaweah River Bypass Reach and Kaweah No. 2 Flowline, and at the Kaweah No. 2 Powerhouse (WY 1994-2014). Figure 3.3-6c. Monthly Exceedance Flows (10%, 20%, 50%, 80%, and 90%) at the Kaweah No. 3 Powerhouse (WY 2002-2014). Figure 3.3-7. East Fork Kaweah River and Kaweah River Inflows and Flows below the Kaweah No. 1 and 2 Diversions and Timing of Generation (2014). List of Maps Map 3.3-1. Current and Historic Flow Gages in the Bypass Reaches and Flowlines Associated with the Kaweah Project and Other Non-Project Flows Gages in the Kaweah Watershed. List of Appendices Appendix 3.3-A. Historic Water Year Types for the Kaweah River at Terminus Reservoir Based on Department of Water Resources Bulletin 120 May 1 Runoff Forecast (1938-2015). Appendix 3.3-B. Daily Flow in Bypass Reaches and Flowlines Associated with the Kaweah Project. Appendix 3.3-C. Tables of Monthly Summary Statistics (maximum, minimum, average discharge) and Exceedances for Gaging Stations in Bypass Reaches and Flowlines Associated with the Kaweah Project. Appendix 3.3-D. Monthly Average Flows by Year in Bypass Reaches and Flowlines Associated with the Kaweah Project over the Available Flow Data Period of Record. Appendix 3.3-E. Annual Maximum Instantaneous Peak Flows (cfs) for Bypass Reaches and Flowlines Associated with the Kaweah Project. Appendix 3.3-F. Hydrology for Other River Reaches in the Watershed – Daily Flows and Annual Maximum Instantaneous Peak Flows. Southern California Edison Company 3.3-ii Pre-Application Document Kaweah Project (FERC Project No. 298) List of Acronyms ac-ft acre-feet CDFW California Department of Fish and Wildlife CFR Code of Federal Regulations cfs cubic feet per second Commission Federal Energy Regulatory Commission CRWQCB California Regional Water Quality Control Board DWR Department of Water Resources FERC Federal Energy Regulatory Commission MIF minimum instream flow NPS National Park Service POR period of record Project Kaweah Project SCE Southern California Edison Company SNP Sequoia National Park SUP Special Use Permit USACE U.S. Army Corps of Engineers USFWS U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service USGS U.S. Geological Survey Watershed Kaweah River Watershed Southern California Edison Company 3.3-iii Pre-Application Document Kaweah Project (FERC Project No. 298) 3.3 WATER USE AND HYDROLOGY This section describes water use and hydrology associated with Southern California Edison Company’s (SCE) Kaweah Project (Project). The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (FERC or Commission) content requirements for this section are specified in Title 18 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Chapter I § 5.6(d)(3)(iii). The FERC regulations require information on water resources, including water use (quantity) and water quality of waters affected by the Project. This section specifically addresses the water use and hydrology components of the FERC regulations. Information on water quality is addressed in Section 3.4 Water Quality. Information on (1) upstream and downstream requirements by other parties that may constrain operations of the Project; and (2) existing water rights and water rights applications that could potentially affect or be affected by the Project is also provided in Section 2.0 Project Description and Section 3.2 Description of the Kaweah River Basin. 3.3.1 Information Sources Existing information regarding water use and hydrology associated with the Project was collected, compiled, and reviewed. Relevant information used to prepare this section was obtained from the following sources: • Department of Water Resources (DWR) Bulletin 120 (DWR 2015); • Environmental Assessment, Kaweah Project FERC Project No. 298-000 (FERC 1991); • Errata notice to notice dated 12/17/03 Amending License re Kaweah River Power Authority under P-3947 (FERC 2003b); • Kaweah River Investigation, California, Final Feasibility Report (USACE 1996); • Order amending license re Kaweah River Power Authority's Terminus Dam Project under P-3947 (FERC 2003a); • Order Amending Minimum Flow Release Requirements for Southern California Edison’s Project No. 298 (FERC 1994); • Order Issuing New License (Major) for Southern California Edison’s Project No. 298 (FERC 1992); • Special Use Permit (SUP) for Southern California Edison (NPS 2012); • United States Geological Survey (USGS) Surface-Water Data for the Nation (USGS 2015); and • Water Quality Control Plan for the Tulare Lake Basin (CRWQCB 2004). 3.3.2 Existing Water Uses This section describes existing water uses associated with the Project and other water uses upstream and downstream of the Project. Southern California Edison Company 3.3-1 Pre-Application Document Kaweah Project (FERC Project No. 298) 3.3.2.1 Existing Project Water Uses Existing and potential beneficial uses that apply to the surface waters within the Kaweah River Watershed (Watershed) are identified in the Water Quality Control Plan for the Tulare Lake Basin (Basin Plan) (CRWQCB 2004). Beneficial uses identified in the Basin Plan that pertain to the Kaweah River above Lake Kaweah include: (1) municipal and domestic water supply; (2) hydropower generation; (3) water contact and non-contact water recreation; (4) warm freshwater fisheries; (5) cold freshwater fisheries; (6) wildlife habitat; (7) rare, threatened, and endangered species; (8) spawning, reproduction, and/or early development for fisheries; and (9) freshwater replenishment. SCE operates the Project for hydroelectric generation and consumptive use. Consumptive water is delivered to local water users from the Kaweah No. 1 and Kaweah No. 2 flowlines, consistent with SCE’s contractual obligations, and to the Hammond Fire Station near Hammond consistent with SCE’s water rights and agreements. The Project has three powerhouses: Kaweah No. 1 Powerhouse, Kaweah No. 2 Powerhouse, and Kaweah No. 3 Powerhouse. Water is diverted from the East Fork Kaweah River at the Kaweah No. 1 Diversion Dam and conveyed to the Kaweah No. 1 Powerhouse via the Kaweah No. 1 Flowline. Water is diverted from the Kaweah River at the Kaweah No. 2 Diversion Dam and conveyed to the Kaweah No. 2 Powerhouse via the Kaweah No. 2 Flowline. Water conveyed to Kaweah Powerhouse No. 3 is diverted at the Middle Fork and Marble Fork diversions (non-FERC facilities). A summary of the last five years of generation and the Project’s dependable capacity is provided in Section 2.0 Project Description. The Project has two conflicting obligations (demands) associated with operation of the Project. These obligations include providing: (1) domestic water to local users through the Project flowlines based on contractual entitlements; and (2) minimum instream flow (MIF) releases consistent with the flow schedule in License Article 405 of the existing FERC license (Table 3.3-1). SCE must release a maximum of 1 cubic foot per second (cfs) from the Kaweah No. 1 Diversion and 3 cfs from the Kaweah No. 2 Diversion to meet SCE’s contractual obligations to local water users consistent with their pre-1914 water rights. During low-runoff periods, consumptive water is diverted and delivered to local water users, but no water is diverted for generation purposes. Figures 3.3-1 and 3.3-2 illustrate actual inflow compared to MIF release requirements and water supply obligations at the Kaweah No.