Coso Hay Ranch

Panorama prepared an EIR for a groundwater pumping project located near Coso Junction, California. The Coso Operating Company, LLC, was seeking a 30-year Conditional Use Permit from the Inyo County Planning Commission to extract groundwater from two existing wells on the Coso Hay Ranch, LLC, property (Hay Ranch) in Rose Valley and deliver the water to the injection distribution system at the Coso geothermal field in the northwest area of the China Lake Naval Air Weapons Station. The project involves construction of a 9-mile-long pipeline across land managed by BLM and the U.S. Navy and construction of a pumping station, an electrical substation, and two large water storage tanks. Analysis of construction impacts on special-status species and potential archaeological resources was performed.

The project was highly controversial due to the potential to cause off-site impacts to Little Lake Ranch, which includes a wetland habitat restoration project downstream of the Hay Ranch property. Panorama, with Geologica, Inc., performed a long-term groundwater pumping test and groundwater drawdown modeling for the proposed project. Panorama also performed reconnaissance biological surveys for the proposed project along the pipeline route. Other major issues that were addressed in the EIR included impacts to Coso Hot Springs, a Native American site listed on the National Register, and biological resources along the project route (e.g., desert tortoise and Mohave ground squirrel). Panorama performed several studies to prepare a comprehensive EIR. Panorama responded to comments on the Draft EIR and prepared a Final EIR. The project was approved by Inyo County in March 2009.