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Current Issue Links
Ridgecrest solar power project
The water issues — pros and cons
The water issues — pros and cons
Part 2 in a series
By CASEY WILSON
News Review Staff Writer
By CASEY WILSON
News Review Staff Writer
How much water would the proposed power plant south of Inyokern use? That’s one of Indian Wells Valley
residents’ top concerns about the solar facility. Ridgecrest Solar I, the company planning to build the plant,
proposes using water in two phases — during construction and for mirror maintenance during operation.
According to designs provided to the California Energy Commission, the company expects to use 560,000
gallons of water per day during construction of the plant. That totals more than 470-million gallons of water,
provided the construction time estimate is met.
According to figures from the CEC staff, that’s 1,475 acre-feet. That’s enough water to fill 24,000 40-foot
school buses.
In a report to the commission, the CEC staff identified “Soils and Water Resources” as a major project
issue. The main purpose of the construction water is to aid soil compaction and decrease the expected dust
problems.
The issues report referred to the Beacon Solar Project being designed for the abandoned alfalfa fields
south of Red Rock Canyon and the east side of Highway 14. That site, according to the report, “…will be
moving less cubic feet of soil than the Ridgecrest project.” The expected construction water requirements at
Beacon call for 6,000 to 8,000 acre-feet per year.
Staff asked Ridgecrest Solar I to “…take a second look at its projections.”
When the plant goes into operation in 2010, the project managers say it will continue to require water at
the estimated rate of 150 acre-feet per year to continue dust mitigation and to periodically clean the mirrors.
Can the scarce water resources of the Indian Wells Valley support that burden? Tom Mulvihill, general
manager of the IWV Water District, thinks so — if Ridgecrest Solar I follows through with the mitigation plans
submitted to the CEC.
Mulvihill said the district has signed agreements with Ridgecrest Solar I for 1,500 acre-feet of water during
construction and 150 acre-feet per year for the next 30 years.
He said that if the company responds to the CEC staff request with an increase in construction
requirements beyond the agreed-on 1,500 acre-feet, perhaps as high as 6,000 feet based on the Beacon
Project, the matter will go back to the water district’s board of directors for reconsideration.
“Our agreement says we will not supply them more than 1,500 acre feet [of] construction water,” he said.
Given a hypothetical increase to 6,000 acre-feet, Mulvihill said, “We, in fact, could not even supply that
much. The total consumption of the district is only 9,000 acre-feet per year.” He said the district would have to
take a look to see if it could even supply 3,000.
A side benefit to the water plan, according to Mulvihill, would be that the proposed water line would
become the property of the IWV Water District. “We would be able to deliver water to some of our customers
south of our current facility,” Mulvihill said, referring to IWV residents still hauling water in trailers.
Following the Ridgecrest Chamber of Commerce luncheon meeting on Feb. 9, The News Review had an
opportunity to ask Billy Owens, project manager for Ridgecrest Solar I, about the CEC request to revisit the
estimated construction water usage.
“With respect to construction water,” he responded, “we are reviewing that now. We’re trying to understand
what functions they [CEC staff] are having problems with in making the calculations. I think we are going to be
very close to the numbers we had before. We don’t have an official number to be able to respond yet.”
“Cash for Grass” is one idea proposed by the company to mitigate the water requirement for the solar
project. The concept is designed to end up with a net zero increase in water consumption during the
operational phase — after construction. The idea is that Ridgecrest Solar I will reimburse community
residents and businesses part or all of the costs for incorporating changes resulting in reduced water
consumption.
One example of such a change would be to replace thirsty grass lawns with more environmentally friendly
xeriscapes. Other ideas are for the company to provide low-flow shower heads and faucets.
Specifics or details of any water conservation or mitigation plans have yet to be provided to the CEC.
residents’ top concerns about the solar facility. Ridgecrest Solar I, the company planning to build the plant,
proposes using water in two phases — during construction and for mirror maintenance during operation.
According to designs provided to the California Energy Commission, the company expects to use 560,000
gallons of water per day during construction of the plant. That totals more than 470-million gallons of water,
provided the construction time estimate is met.
According to figures from the CEC staff, that’s 1,475 acre-feet. That’s enough water to fill 24,000 40-foot
school buses.
In a report to the commission, the CEC staff identified “Soils and Water Resources” as a major project
issue. The main purpose of the construction water is to aid soil compaction and decrease the expected dust
problems.
The issues report referred to the Beacon Solar Project being designed for the abandoned alfalfa fields
south of Red Rock Canyon and the east side of Highway 14. That site, according to the report, “…will be
moving less cubic feet of soil than the Ridgecrest project.” The expected construction water requirements at
Beacon call for 6,000 to 8,000 acre-feet per year.
Staff asked Ridgecrest Solar I to “…take a second look at its projections.”
When the plant goes into operation in 2010, the project managers say it will continue to require water at
the estimated rate of 150 acre-feet per year to continue dust mitigation and to periodically clean the mirrors.
Can the scarce water resources of the Indian Wells Valley support that burden? Tom Mulvihill, general
manager of the IWV Water District, thinks so — if Ridgecrest Solar I follows through with the mitigation plans
submitted to the CEC.
Mulvihill said the district has signed agreements with Ridgecrest Solar I for 1,500 acre-feet of water during
construction and 150 acre-feet per year for the next 30 years.
He said that if the company responds to the CEC staff request with an increase in construction
requirements beyond the agreed-on 1,500 acre-feet, perhaps as high as 6,000 feet based on the Beacon
Project, the matter will go back to the water district’s board of directors for reconsideration.
“Our agreement says we will not supply them more than 1,500 acre feet [of] construction water,” he said.
Given a hypothetical increase to 6,000 acre-feet, Mulvihill said, “We, in fact, could not even supply that
much. The total consumption of the district is only 9,000 acre-feet per year.” He said the district would have to
take a look to see if it could even supply 3,000.
A side benefit to the water plan, according to Mulvihill, would be that the proposed water line would
become the property of the IWV Water District. “We would be able to deliver water to some of our customers
south of our current facility,” Mulvihill said, referring to IWV residents still hauling water in trailers.
Following the Ridgecrest Chamber of Commerce luncheon meeting on Feb. 9, The News Review had an
opportunity to ask Billy Owens, project manager for Ridgecrest Solar I, about the CEC request to revisit the
estimated construction water usage.
“With respect to construction water,” he responded, “we are reviewing that now. We’re trying to understand
what functions they [CEC staff] are having problems with in making the calculations. I think we are going to be
very close to the numbers we had before. We don’t have an official number to be able to respond yet.”
“Cash for Grass” is one idea proposed by the company to mitigate the water requirement for the solar
project. The concept is designed to end up with a net zero increase in water consumption during the
operational phase — after construction. The idea is that Ridgecrest Solar I will reimburse community
residents and businesses part or all of the costs for incorporating changes resulting in reduced water
consumption.
One example of such a change would be to replace thirsty grass lawns with more environmentally friendly
xeriscapes. Other ideas are for the company to provide low-flow shower heads and faucets.
Specifics or details of any water conservation or mitigation plans have yet to be provided to the CEC.
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