A plan by Gravity Storage LLC to build a 3,000MW hydroelectric renewable energy project 35 north of Kingman has Mohave County officials concerned about potential impacts on regional water supplies.
The Red Lake project would create two reservoirs 2.4 miles apart, each with a capacity of 26,000 acre-feet. The reservoir at the higher elevation would cover 275 acres, while the lower would be 273. The water would flow by gravity between the two reservoirs through six turbine generators to produce electricity.
The project is the largest of four currently planned by Gravity Storage.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission accepted a feasibility study permit from Gravity Storage in November. The Commission informed Mohave County about the process a few weeks ago.
The County’s Public Lands and Recreation Commission will discuss the proposal this week.
County officials have expressed concerns about the project and worry about how much water it could use and what the source would be. Officials from various boards and departments have discussed the project and reached out to federal authorities. Officials say they have not received any federal responses yet.
Mohave officials are working under the assumption, based on the location and available materials, that the company plans to draw the water from the Hualapai Valley Groundwater Basin.
The Groundwater Basin is the main source of water for Kingman and rural areas of northern Mohave County. It was designated an Irrigation Non-Expansion Area in 2022 to protect it from additional agricultural use consumption.
County staff created a memo that said the project could have a “significant impact on water resources” and that cites Gravity Storage’s application, which estimates evaporation of approximately 3,100 acre-feet of water per year.
County officials have said if the Hualapai Groundwater Basin is, in fact, the water source, they will be “absolutely opposed” to the project. (Source)
