What's inside?

• NTUA turns to PV systems for distributed generation
• Western unveils new Web site
• DOE gives consumers info on energy issues
• Summer heat highlights importance of energy efficiency
• Who are you going to call? Western's experts
• California municipalities use solar energy for public buildings
• Fremont upgrades to state-of-the-art control
• SMUD hydropower project earns national award for recreation facilities
• California utilities contribute to communities
• Alliance helps customer evaluate motors
• Power Line has the answers

• Calendar of Events

Western’s Energy Services Website: www.wapa.gov/es Western's Power Line: 1-800-POWERLN (1-800-769-3756)

Multipurpose recreation
The recreation area features facilities for camping, fishing, hiking, boating, horseback riding and cross-country skiing spread across 85,000 acres of pine and fir forests, lakes, reservoirs, and streams. And SMUD built the recreation facilities around the reservoirs. The area is part of the Upper American River Project. Starting in 1957, SMUD built a series of hydroelectric powerplants in the Crystal Basin-a system with a capacity to produce 1.8 billion kilowatts of clean hydropower. That's enough to power about 180,000 Sacramento homes a year.

SMUD built the recreation facilities as a condition of developing the hydro facilities in the Eldorado National Forest. SMUD and the National Forest Service worked together to plan the recreation facilities, which include:

• More than 700 developed campsites.
• Free boat ramp access at all lakes.
• Scenic trails for horseback riding.
• More than 117 miles of hiking trails across the Sierra Nevada.
• Cross-country ski trails near Loon Lake.
• A 5-mile bike trail.
• Robbs Hut bunkhouse and Loon Lake Chalet, which offer year-round shelter and sleeping accommodations for outdoor enthusiasts.

SMUD also contributes funds to the Forest Service for operating and maintaining the facilities. The hydropower system's mountain reservoirs offer an array of boating and fishing opportunities, accompanied by spectacular scenery.

Rancho Seco, too
But the Crystal Basin Recreation Area isn't the only place that SMUD supports outdoor activities. SMUD also owns and operates Rancho Seco Recreation Area 45 minutes south of downtown Sacramento.

The park sits next to the now closed Rancho Seco Nuclear Power Generating Station. In the early 1970s, SMUD expanded a small pond into a 160-acre lake to use as an emergency water supply for the generating station. The Folsom South Canal fed the lake, which is surrounded by 400 acres of recreational area originally operated by the County of Sacramento for day-use activities.

SMUD took over the area's operation in 1992, using park-generated revenues to fund the recreation area's costs. Today, the area surrounding the lake features both day-use recreation and overnight camping facilities.

Rancho Seco features a range of activities. Visitors enjoy dining al fresco at the site's 100 grassy picnic areas, complete with tables and barbecues, along the lake's southern shore. There's a semiprivate quarter-acre area for group camping and special events.

The lake offers a variety of fish species for anglers, including sports bass, bluegill, red ear sunfish, and catfish. SMUD stocks the lake with rainbow trout from November to March. Other visitors enjoy the lake's warm waters and consistent winds while windsurfing. The facility also offers two boat ramps and a 36,000-square-foot sandy beach. Pedal boats and kayaks are available for rental from May to September.

Wildlife attract visitors
But it's not just outdoor activities that draw visitors to Rancho Seco. It's also the wildlife.

Exotic captive wildlife inhabits the 75-acre grassy compound at the Amanda Blake Memorial Wildlife Refuge. Named for the actress best-known for portraying Miss Kitty on the television series "Gunsmoke," the refuge is operated by the Performing Animal Welfare Society. Blake was a cofounder of PAWS, a nonprofit organization that seeks to improve the quality of life for captive wildlife and exotic species.

The Amanda Blake Memorial Refuge opened in 1996 and has since become home to a variety of wildlife, including displaced wildlife and rescued animals. The refuge recently became home to more than two dozen oryxes, an endangered species of antelope from Africa. Bred in captivity for the exotic animal trade, the oryxes were rescued by PAWS. The refuge also features emu, ostrich, and greater rhea. SMUD leases the facility to PAWS for $1 per year.

About the award
First given in 1994, the National Hydropower Association's Hydro Achievement Awards recognize members of the hydroelectric industry "who have demonstrated exemplary stewardship of the nation's rivers, resourcefulness and creativity in meeting the challenges of hydroelectric development, and an uncompromising commitment to championing hydropower as a vital component to the country's energy future." SMUD is the first recipient of the award for Recreational Stewardship, which was added in 2000. In accepting the award, SMUD Assistant Manager Richard Ferreira said, "We are proud to be honored and to be recognized along with our community partners for our efforts in providing our communities with mountain recreation activities. As a customer-owned utility, SMUD has an ongoing commitment to work closely with the local community to complete the recreation plan in an environmentally responsible manner."

	Web Sites Sacramento Municipal Utility District: www.smud.org National Hydropower Association: www.hydro.org