Ames P-400
General information | |
| Waterway |
South Fork San Miguel River Tributary |
| Current status | Active license |
| Type of facility | Conventional Hydro |
| Mode of hydropower generation | Peaking |
| Type of permit | FERC License |
FERC information | |
| FERC docket # | P-400 |
| FERC project name | Ames |
| Permit issued | 5/14/10 |
| Permit expiration | 6/26/50 |
Ownership and operation | |
| Owner | Public Service Co of Colorado |
| Owner type | Investor-Owned Utility |
| Year first online (conventional hydro) | 1906 |
| Transmission or distribution system owner | Tri-State G & T Assn, Inc |
Power and generating capacity | |
| Number of units | 1 |
| Total capacity from hydraulic turbine-generator units within each plant | 3.6 MW |
| Average annual net hydropower generation | 8,332.7 MWH |
This project is located on the Lake Fork and Howards Fork of the San Miguel River, in San Miguel County, about 6 miles south of Telluride, Colorado. The project currently occupies 99 acres of the Uncompahgre National Forest.
The Ames Hydroelectric Project is one of two developments currently licensed as the Tacoma-Ames Project. The other,Tacoma project (P-400), is located on the Cascade Creek about 20 miles north of Durango, CO. The Tacoma Project has a total generation capacity of 8 MW and the Ames project has a total generation capacity of 3.5MW.
Annual generation varies substantially depending on snow pack and runoff from snowmelt. For the period 1995 to 2004, which includes a relatively dry period year in 2002, the Ames Project had an average annual generation of 12,682 megawatt-hours (MWh).
Check out the project website at http://www.tacoma-ames.com/
Milestones
| License Application Filed | 06-26-2008 |
| DEA Released | 05-01-2009 |
| FEA Released | 10-22-2009 |
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News and updates
From California Trout1/21/2026
From South Yuba River Citizens League1/21/2026
The PERMIT Act Passed the House: What It Means for the Yuba River Watershed