Huge Hydroelectric Project Near Murrieta Blocked, But Not Dead

LAKE ELSINORE, CA — A massive hydroelectric project proposed to span through the Cleveland National Forest — west of Lake Elsinore, Wildomar, Murrieta and Temecula — has been dismissed by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, but it's probably not dead.

In a Dec. 9 dismissal letter to Vista-based Leaps Hydro LLC, the feds said the company failed to provide the U.S. Forest Service with required studies and a construction plan for its "Lake Elsinore Advanced Pumped Storage Project," otherwise known as LEAPS.

If built, the LEAPS project would generate electricity onto the state's electrical grid, but it would require installing 32 miles of 500 kV transmission lines and towers through the Cleveland National Forest from Lake Elsinore to Camp Pendleton. The project would also consist of reservoirs with a set of tunnels running between them: the water in Lake Elsinore would serve as a lower reservoir; an upper reservoir would be constructed in the Cleveland National Forest at Decker Canyon (just south of state Route 74). A pump/powerhouse facility would also be built near the lake, on the west side of Grand Avenue near Lakeland Village.

The city of Lake Elsinore, the county, the Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians, environmental groups, and many local residents have long opposed the project that has seen different iterations dating back decades. Dam safety issues, wildfire dangers, visual and public safety impacts from transmission lines, traffic and construction impacts, and disturbance of sensitive habitat areas are among the concerns.

According to Leaps Hydro LLC documents filed with FERC, the project will be "an important addition to the California grid," and the company has signaled it will push forward, despite the recent setback. Company officials could not be reached for comment, but FERC filings show that Leaps Hydro submitted another application for a preliminary permit for the LEAPS project on the same day that the feds dismissed it.

"This application is being submitted for the identical project and is being submitted now in the event the dismissal is not appealed or the appeal is unsuccessful," a Dec. 9 letter from a Leaps Hydro representative to FERC Secretary Kimberly D. Bose read. "In the event the dismissal is reversed, Hydro will withdraw this application."

FERC quickly blocked the latest application because it was filed before the final dismissal of the earlier application. Leaps Hydro has 30 days from the Dec. 9 date to appeal or let the matter become final.

If Leaps Hydro re-files its application, it buys the company time "to meet the mandates of the U.S. Forest Service" that it was not able to do previously, according to the company's Dec. 9 letter.