Hydro

Merced Irrigation District owns and operates the Merced River Hydroelectric Project, which is located in Mariposa County, California, on the Merced River about 23 miles northeast of the City of Merced. A portion (~28%) of the area within the FERC Project Boundary (~11,490 acres) is federally-owned land managed by the United States Department of Interior, Bureau of Land Management as public land. A de minimus portion (~0.2%) of the area within the FERC Project Boundary is State of California-owned land. Merced ID holds the initial Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) license for the Project, which was issued to Merced ID by the Federal Power Commission, FERC's predecessor, on April 18, 1964. The license was effective on March 1, 1964, for a term ending February 28, 2014. The Merced River Hydroelectric Project expanded the existing Exchequer Project, a water supply/power project that was constructed in 1926-27. The existing Merced River Hydroelectric Project, constructed in the mid 1960s and put into service in 1967, is a water supply/flood control/recreation/power project. The Project (those facilities and features under FERC's jurisdiction) includes two developments, which are composed of the facilities described below. The information below is provided to facilitate interested parties obtaining a better understanding of the Project. The information may be modified by Merced Irrigation District without notice during the Relicensing proceeding if Merced ID determines the information is incorrect or misleading.