Description:  The project proposes to pump water from Coso's Hay Ranch property in Rose Valley (adjacent to, and east of, U.S. Highway 395, just north of Coso Junction and a half-mile south of Dunmovin) to their geothermal plant located within the China Lake Naval Air Weapons Center (CLNAWS).  Water will be withdrawn from two existing wells at Coso's Hay Ranch property at an averate rate of 3,000 gallons per minute (gpm), or approximately 4,800 acre-feet per year.  The pipeline transporting the water from the Hay Ranch property to the geothermal plant will be approximately 9 miles long and consist of a 20-inch diameter steel pipe, which will be buried for most of its length.  In general, the pipeline will follow the path of existing roads and rights-of-way. The Conditional Use Permit (CUP) is proposed for a period of 30 years.

Status: The Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) will be ready for release on Wednesday, July 23, 2008..  The public comment period on the DEIR will run for 45 days, closing on September 6, 2008.   After the close of the public comment period, the project will be heard by the Inyo County Water Commission, then the Inyo County Planning Commission, and then the Board of Supervisors (public notices for the dates, times, and locations of these meetings will be published as the meetings are scheduled).

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Comments or questions on the DEIR can be mailed to the Inyo County Planning Department, P. O. Drawer “L,” Independence, CA  93526; faxed to 760-878-0382, or emailed to inyoplanning@inyocounty.us.  

In addition to the links below, copies of the environmental documents for this project are available for review at the Inyo County Planning Department (168 N. Edwards Street, Independence) and at all Inyo County Public Libraries. 

• Link to DEIR documents
• Notice of Availability
• CEQA Initial Study of Environmental Impact
• Notice of Preparation