CCWD Begins Relicensing Process For North Fork Stanislaus Hydroelectric Project

Published Oct 5, 2026 3:49 pm

Calaveras, CA– The Calaveras County Water District(CCWD) has begun the federal relicensing process for its North Fork Stanislaus River Hydroelectric Project, filing initial documents with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

CCWD filed a Pre-Application Document and Notice of Intent to Relicense the project, marking the first major step in a process that will evaluate the project’s future operations and its environmental, cultural, and recreational impacts and benefits. The North Fork Project is CCWD’s largest source of water supply and has 258 megawatts of hydroelectric generating capacity. Its major facilities include New Spicer Meadow Reservoir and Powerhouse, McKays Point Reservoir, and the Collierville Tunnel and Powerhouse. CCWD owns the project, which is operated in collaboration with the Northern California Power Agency. The district’s current 50-year federal license was issued in 1982 and expires January 31st, 2032.

CCWD Board President Jack Garamendi said the district is committed to maintaining the project’s benefits for future generations.

“Generations of Calaveras County residents have benefited from the North Fork Project, and CCWD is 100 percent committed to ensuring the Project benefits extend to the generations to come,” Garamendi said.

The Pre-Application Document provides FERC and other interested parties with an overview of the project and the environmental, cultural, recreational, and natural resources associated with it. It will serve as a foundation for developing a new license application. CCWD General Manager Michael Minkler said the district’s predecessors began developing the project after recognizing its potential to provide water and generate renewable energy.

Our predecessors did the hard work of licensing and building the Project, and now it’s our responsibility to navigate relicensing,” Minkler said. “Filing the PAD and NOI is the first major step in a long journey, but we will see it through to a successful conclusion.”

The project is located on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada and includes facilities within the North Fork Stanislaus River and Stanislaus River watersheds in Calaveras, Tuolumne and Alpine counties. Portions of the project are located on federal lands administered by the U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, and Bureau of Reclamation. The relicensing process will continue over the coming years as CCWD and federal regulators evaluate the project’s resources and future operations before a new license is considered.

The Pre-Application Document is available for public review and can be found here.