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Show Facilities in Construction and Authorized One Federal hydroelectric plant was under con- struction, in 1950 in the basin. The Bureau of Reclamation is authorized to construct power gen- erating facilities, including the necessary afterbay plant, at the Folsom Dam and Reservoir Project now being built by the Corps of Engineers. Power development was also authorized at the Table Mountain (Iron Canyon8) Project to be con- structed by the Corps of Engineers. This project has been, deferred indefinitely, largely because of local opposition. These authorized Federal plants would have a total installed capacity of 234,000 kilowatts. The projects would provide approxi- mately 1,345,000 acre-feet of active storage capacity. The two non-Federal hydroelectric plants now under construction in the basin will provide a total capacity of 113,000 kilowatts. These plants are Big Creek No. 4 (Southern California Edison Co.), and Bear River Unit (Pacific Gas & Electric Co.). A plant at Cherry Valley of 75,000 kilowatts is pro- posed for construction in the near future by San Francisco. The hydroelectric plants under construction and authorized, together with the Cherry Valley plant, will provide a total new installed capacity of 422,000 kilowatts (table 2). The total usable storage capacity that would be added by these projects amounts to some 1,365,000 acre-feet. Situation at the End of Present Program When the projects under construction and au- thorized are completed there will be six Federal hydroelectric plants in the basin, with a total in- stalled capacity of 690,000 kilowatts. Sixty-four non-Federal electric utility plants of 2,500 kilowatts or more installed capacity would provide a total installation of 1,888,200 kilowatts. These projects would provide 2,578,200 kilowatts generating ca- pacity and 8 million acre-feet of storage capacity. Potentialities A summary of the results of studies made by var- ious Federal and State agencies and others indicates that some 133 potential hydroelectric sites would remain undeveloped after completion of projects 8 Alternate site to Table Mountain. under construction and authorized. These projects, plus additions to and redevelopments of some ex- isting non-Federal projects, would have an esti- mated total installation of 5.2 million kilowatts. The total usable power storage contemplated in connection with these undeveloped water power projects amounts to about 18.6 million acre-feet. These include all known undeveloped projects and all sites listed in tables 2 and 3. Programs to Develop the Potential The Corps of Engineers and the Bureau of Rec- lamation have recommended projects which would develop substantial amounts of power (table 2). The proposed programs of these agencies would provide a total new installed capacity of about 540,000 kilowatts. The total usable power storage provided in connection with these projects is about 5 million acre-feet. In addition to the proposed hydroelectric capacity indicated above, the Bureau of Reclamation has proposed the construction of steam-electric capacity amounting ultimately to 750,000 kilowatts, to firm hydroelectric generation. Less than half this total is recommended for present development. Navigation The mild winters of the Central Valley make in- land navigation possible throughout the year. Like many other navigation channels the Central Valley waterways also are used extensively for recreational boat travel. Present Navigation Conditions The Stockton deep water channel is the prin- cipal existing navigation improvement. Its 30-foot channel in the San Joaquin River permits access to Stockton by oceangoing vessels. A 10-foot chan- nel provides barge navigation on the Sacramento River as far as Sacramento. Additional channels for navigation have been provided to serve some communities in the basin. An annual average of more than 6 million tons of cargo and approximately 100,000 passengers moved over these waterways during the period 1939-48. In 1948, petroleum and petroleum prod- ucts made up 78 percent of the total river tonnage. 94 |