Davis Hydro, LLC
A Davis Collaborative Company

                                                                   The Forebay at Kilarc

The Kilarc-Cow Creek Project

Status: Actively recommissioning the site as a fish enhancement/green power site, producing power for PG&E and fish and fishing for many.

Project: KC:501

Current Projects - Working with community to develop a fish habitat improvement strategy.

Website is at   Kilarc.info.

This site has the potential to be a major fish habitat enhancement project while still generating some green power.   Currently, (April 2008) we are working with local ranchers to explore how this project can be used both as a fish enhancement project and still generate power.

Ideas being discussed (late 2007) include:

• Maintain Kilarc as it is so that it can continue to deliver excellent trout fishing.  It also injects cold water above large salmon and trout spawning and habitat areas making it a valuable source of cold water for the extensive fish habitat below the project area.
  
• Including a downstream fish bypass facilities for fish at the ends of the headraces to allow either or both of the headraces to be used as spawning facilities and supply a steady supply of water to juvenile fish habitats.

• Use the South Cow flows to support a juvenile salmon fish habitat construction and to also maintain the requirements of the Abbott ditch users.  This might include burying a pipe from the diversion dam to the forebay and reducing the flow somewhat through the powerhouse. The buried pipe would accomplish several goals:
  • Lowering the water temperature in the lower South Cow
  • Reducing rancher runoff into the diversion ditch
  • Removing the attractive nuisance of the ditch
  • Reduce leakage and evaporative losses.
• Funding a ditchtender from the hydropower revenues.  The ditchtender's job would be to assist the ranchers irrigate their fields while minimizing run-off into the Creek.  His duties would include inspecting fields for run-off and walking the ditch to balance the irrigation so as to give just enough for each field.
  
• Ongoing meetings are ongoing with abutters to the South Cow looking for ideas

Pictures of the site are available here.

Currently, PG&E is operating the site under annual licenses until the FERC allows them to surrender the license.  At that point, a new company, KC LLC will apply for a license to take over the project for the benefit of the fish, the community, and the green power.