Hydroelectric Facility Feels Effects of California Drought
Lower reservoir levels mean relying on more natural gas, renewable resources for power generation.
Usually by this time of year, California's Huntington Lake is full, awaiting the arrival of eager boaters and vacationers seeking refuge from the daily grind. But this year, because the winter snowpack in the Northern Sierra Nevada mountain range was only a tiny fraction of what was expected, Huntington is at less than half its normal level.
“It’s shocking to look at,” said Andy McMillan, a manager of Southern California Edison’s (SCE) Big Creek Hydroelectric Project, which Huntington Lake is a part of.
California’s punishing drought hasn’t just impacted recreation. It has affected hydroelectric power generation as well. Huntington Lake is one of six reservoirs that have provided a seemingly endless supply of water for Big Creek, a system of 27 dams, nine powerhouses and 23 generating units that has been called “the hardest working water in the world.”
Read full story in Edison's Online Newsroom.
