In all, 51 hydroelectric projects across the country are operating with expired licenses, including four hydropower projects run by Southern California Edison along Mill and Lytle creeks and along the region's main artery, the Santa Ana River, which runs through San Bernardino and Riverside counties.

The critics object to the annual extensions the government has been giving to the Inland projects since their licenses expired in 1996.

At issue is the amount of water the hydropower projects take out of the streams.

Southern California Edison needs to divert the water to power turbines that serve 12,000 homes, water agencies covet the pristine mountain water for their customers, and environmentalists and fishermen want more water to stay in the rivers to restore the ecosystem and to boost fish populations.

Environmentalists fear the licenses of the hydropower projects were issued so long ago -- some dating back more than 60 years -- that the hydropower projects fail to meet stricter environmental standards enacted in the 1970s.

Edison's licenses for the four Inland projects, which expired in 1996, were issued decades ago.

"There are many different causes for delay, but they all have a common result: harm to the environment," said Steve Wald, coordinator for the California Hydropower Reform Coalition, part of a national consortium of conservation and recreation organizations.

"To protect and restore rivers, Congress must change the law to require the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to bring these antiquated dams up to modern environmental standards," Wald said.

Workshop in Washington

The debate over hydropower projects will be explored Monday as the commission begins a two-day re-licensing workshop in Washington, D.C.

Tamara Young-Allen, a commission spokeswoman, said the goal of the workshop is to identify the unresolved issues surrounding the various projects and to determine the best course of action to resolve them.

The issues involving the Inland hydropower projects are plenty.

Walt Pagel, Edison's manager of the Eastern Hydro Region, said the various parties have been meeting over the past year to hammer out some compromises. Included is the Audubon Society, which owns property along Mill Creek, Pagel said.

For the fishermen, it's about getting more water and at the right temperature to sustain healthy fish populations, including trout.

"They've been completely drying them out for 100 years," said Jim Edmondson, conservation director for California Trout, a fishing and conservation group.

"The local water districts refuse to allow a drop of water to be shared, and FERC has decided to sit on the sidelines and watch this power struggle rather than provide leadership as the law requires."

California Trout went to court earlier this year, filing a petition on Sept. 5 objecting that the commission has been annually re-licensing hydropower projects on the Santa Ana River since 1996 instead of giving them the full review required for a new license. A decision by the federal 9th Circuit Court of Appeals is expected within a year, Edmondson said.

Powerful water rights

The melted snow and rain coming down the San Bernardino Mountains, for the most part, are already spoken for by powerful water rights that have been held by water agencies from Redlands to Fontana for more than 100 years.

"We're saying the water itself is a precious commodity, and we need to protect it," said Anthony "Butch" Araiza, general manager of the West San Bernardino County Water District.

The agency gets about 25 percent of its water from Lytle Creek to serve its 60,000 customers in Rialto, Fontana and nearby communties.

"Our suggestion has been to enhance what you have above these dams and make it nicer for fishing," Araiza said, "but let's not change what we've had for 100 years. It's worked well."

Pagel said the plants serve a second purpose. The water diverted from the streams to the hydropower plants is then piped down to the water agencies.

Because so much of the water is used to serve the public's taps, the re-licensing must be done correctly, Pagel said.

"It really puts a huge impact on them if this isn't done properly and correctly,' he said.

Reach Jennifer Bowles at (909) 782-7720 or jbowles@pe.com

PUBLIC COMMENT

What: The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is accepting comment on the four Inland hydropower projects up for re-licensing.

Write to: FERC, Office of the Secretary, 88 First St. N.E., Washington, D.C. 20426.

Deadline: Jan. 11

Information: www.ferc.gov

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