Massive Hydroelectric Project In Lake Elsinore: Weighing In

LAKE ELSINORE, CA — You've seen signs around Lake Elsinore, Murrieta, Wildomar and even Temecula that read "Stop LEAPS." The massive hydroelectric "Lake Elsinore Advanced Pump Storage" project — that would span through Lake Elsinore and the nearby Cleveland National Forest — is back in the spotlight.

To help residents learn more about the proposed project, Riverside County and the city of Lake Elsinore will host a 6 p.m. LEAPS Virtual Community Workshop on Thursday, July 30. (Register in advance to attend the Zoom workshop at https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_0-HDoVsPTdi4-guzRqreNg.)

In addition to providing information about the project, the workshop will also provide instruction on how the community can provide input about the project to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. The commission has issued a Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement and Solicit Scoping Comments, with public comments due Aug. 17.

Background on the LEAPS Project:

Project applicant Nevada Hydro is currently seeking a permit to operate LEAPS from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. The project consists of an upper and lower reservoir with a set of tunnels running between them. Lake Elsinore would serve as the lower reservoir; an upper reservoir would be constructed in the Cleveland National Forest at Decker Canyon (just south of state Route 74).

A pump/powerhouse facility would also be constructed near the lake, on the west side of Grand Avenue near Lakeland Village.

To power the pumps and deliver the generated electricity onto the state’s electrical grid, the project would require about 32 miles of 500 kV transmission lines and towers through the Cleveland National Forest, just west of Lake Elsinore, Wildomar, Murrieta and Temecula.

According to the proposal, the 500 kV lines near the Lakeland Village powerhouse would be undergrounded.

The city of Lake Elsinore has formally opposed the project, based on concerns about water quality, water quantity, the dynamic and complex nature its lake, and the project's impact on the region.