KC LLC
A Small Hydropower Project Developer
Please be advised that this site is constantly being updated as these are active projects. It will always be out of date. Please bring any errors to our attention and use with caution.
This is the Web site of KC Hydro LLC (KC), a group of hydropower professionals in California. We are involved in small hydro projects primarily in California. We specialize in working with communities and environmental agencies to expand environmental benefits of streams through the direct and indirect benefits of small hydro. The two principals in KC LLC are Richard Ely of Davis Hydro and Kelly Sackheim of Sackheim Consulting. Please visit their respective Web sites for further information.
As background, the principals have been involved with the Kilarc-Cow Creek project since March 2007. It is located in Northern California. It is the most complicated and the furthest along. It is documented on a separate web site Please visit WWW.Kilarc.info.
The Eastern Sierra Projects
Currently, we are involved in four projects in two areas in South Eastern California. Each is quite different. Please click on the the project name below to see the particulars of each project. The first (1) project is in the Mono Basin. The last three (2-4) are near Bishop in the Inyo National Forest Area.
1 Conway Ranch,
KC was granted a preliminary permit in July 2008 for priority of hydropower development on the diversion from Conway Summit in Mono County, subject to reaching agreement of the public entities with regulatory oversight and water rights.
2 Tinemaha
LADWP is independently proposing to implement our proposal to install small hydro on Tinemaha.
and below, projects collectively called the "Pine Creek Sites".
3 Tungsten Mine
4 Morgan CreekA discussion is available here of the efforts at Pine Creek including the Tungsten Mine, and the Morgan Creek Projects. and
KC LLC is proposing the Morgan Creek project in Inyo County just north of Bishop. Morgan Creek is a tributary to Pine Creek with supplemental groundwater flows from the Tungsten Mine.
Summary of KC Pine Creek Mine Area Projects
The following list is made up to clarify applications and dockets before the FERC. For clarity and hopefully without prejudice, they are organized from "upstream" to "downstream". The most upstream projects starts within the Pine Creek Mine - using the head that might be developed within the mine itself. These are called "In Mine". ( Some investigation work has been done and agency responses have been made).
Projects that take the water at the mine entrance and drop it down close to the edge of the Pine Property are called "Connector" Projects. One of these has been in place (using some of the available head) and has operated in the past under a FERC license or exemption. It is not now operational.
Projects that basically carry the water from the edge of the mine Property just below the bridge, down stream are called "Lower Area" projects. A significant part of this drop was licensed by Mr. Keating of Placerville, but he was unable to develop a project there, and the license has been terminated.
To confuse the matters a bit, some project applications overlap. However, this is a initial attempt to provide a taxonomy of the projects. So, to start, some applications on file for consideration by the FERC include:
"In Mine" Projects: {refers to projects that use the head that might be developed within the mine }. The following are in time order.
* P-12532 - an application for a new preliminary permit by the mine owner.
Comments of the neighboring Pack Station and Forest Service reflect opposite views.
* P-13128- KC applied for a PP to develop the same "In Mine" water resource as proposed in P-12532. This has a supporting map here.
KC received a strong letter indicating complete opposition to our proposal from the Pine Creek Mine Owners, so KC withdrew the PP application unilaterally.
* P-13317 - an application by the Bishop Paiute Tribe for a new preliminary permit to develop for hydropower the same water resources as proposed in P-12532. Further, it appears that this project would also cover the Connector area conflicting with the P-13163 application.
Under FERC regulations, a government entity will be granted a preliminary permit when competing with a private entity.
"Connector" Projects {Below the Pine Creek mine adit, but on or mostly on mine property, but above the original Keating project)
P-13163 - (Formally filed early 2008) an application for Small Conduit Exemption from hydropower licensing by the Pine Creek Mine for a project that would apparently be located generally between the mine plug and the proposed Morgan Creek projects' boundaries. (Bishop Tungsten Development LLC is aka Pine Creek Mine.)
"Lower Area" Projects (Similar to the original Tungstar Project, developed by Mr. Keating. These cover the ground below the current mine property (a bit below the bridge.)
P-13090 (Morgan Creek Project) - a preliminary permit application filed by KC LLC.
P-13091 and P-13323 - Applications for a preliminary permit and an exemption, both submitted by the mine owner, that appear to develop the same hydropower resource with a downstream extension. Reference is also made to Big Horn Sheep forage enhancement and tailings modifications. The filings on these self-conflicting Pine Creek projects are voluminous, so the reader is referred to the FERC E-library web site.
Some FERC Dockets on File as of Thanksgiving - 2008
P-13090 - - Morgan Creek Project - Filed by KC. Very similar to Mr. Keating's original Tungstar license.
P-13091 - Filed by Pine Creek Mine(or proxy). - Also similar to Mr. Keating's and P-13090, only goes further afield beyond the tailings piles.
P-13323 - Bishop Tungsten Development LLC's application for Exemption of Pine Creek Mine Tailings Lines Small Conduit Hydroelectric Facility. This exemption application by the Pine Creek Mine (or proxy). This would also use the same water resource as Mr. Keating's license and P-13090, while like P-13091, it goes in a pipe downstream beyond the tailings piles into a borrow pit, depriving the stream of water.
P-13163 - an application for Small Conduit Exemption from hydropower licensing by the Pine Creek Miner for a project that would apparently be located generally between the mine plug and the proposed Morgan Creek projects' boundaries.
The above list and brief comments are intended to clarify what projects are where - nothing more. For a discussion of the Pine Creek projects please go here.