MERCED FALLS
OperatingHydro power plant
- Capacity
- 4 MW
- Primary fuel
- Hydro
- County
- Merced County
- Operator
- PACIFIC GAS & ELECTRIC CO
- Status
- Operating
- Commissioned
- 1930
- EIA plant ID
- 258
- Coordinates
- 37.5230, -120.3299
MERCED FALLS, a 4 MW Hydro power plant in Merced County, California. Operated by PACIFIC GAS & ELECTRIC CO, commissioned 1930.
Weather peril exposure
MERCED FALLS is a 4 MW hydro power plant in Merced County, CA, operated by PACIFIC GAS & ELECTRIC CO, commissioned in 1930. Merced County carries low modeled catastrophe exposure in the FEMA National Risk Index, scoring 1.3 of 5 at the 8th national percentile. Earthquake is the leading peril, rated Relatively High by FEMA at the 96th percentile.
The Bywatts loss layer is calibrated to solar PV hardware, so it is not applied to a hydro plant. The ratings below are the FEMA National Risk Index county hazard ratings for this location.
Merced County hazard ratings
| Peril | FEMA rating | National percentile | Peril score | Events per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Earthquake | Relatively High | 96th | 4.8 of 5 | 0.09 |
| Wildfire | Relatively Moderate | 93rd | 4.7 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Heat wave | Relatively High | 71st | 3.8 of 5 | 10.1 |
| Riverine flooding | Relatively High | 68th | 3.7 of 5 | 1.9 |
| Lightning | Relatively High | 18th | 1.7 of 5 | 6.6 |
| Hail | Relatively Low | 9th | 1.4 of 5 | 0.14 |
| Tornado | Relatively Low | 9th | 1.4 of 5 | 0.22 |
| Strong wind | Relatively Low | 3rd | 1.1 of 5 | 0.04 |
| Winter weather | Very Low | 1st | 1.0 of 5 | 0.24 |
Perils not assessed in Merced County
These perils carry no usable National Risk Index figure for this county, so they are excluded from the scoring rather than scored zero. A zero would claim the peril was assessed and found benign.
| Peril | Why it is not scored |
|---|---|
| Hurricane | FEMA rating is "Not Applicable" for this county |
| Coastal flooding | FEMA rating is "Not Applicable" for this county |
| Ice storm | FEMA rating is "Not Applicable" for this county |
Model hail, wind and flood exposure for Merced County in the weather risk calculator
Ratings are the FEMA National Risk Index county hazard ratings; the peril score is a Bywatts transform of the FEMA national percentile. Full data sources and the solar vulnerability methodology are in the weather risk calculator.
Modeled estimate for screening and negotiation. Built from FEMA National Risk Index county hazard data and a solar vulnerability layer documented above. Not a quote, a binder, or actuarial advice, and not a substitute for a carrier's own model. Hazard data: FEMA National Risk Index December 2025, synced 2026-07-24. Resolution is county level, not site level.