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 Ames Project is operated either as a base-load plant or a peaking plant depending on the season and water availability.  The project powerhouse contains one generator with a total installed generating capacity of 3.5 MW. 

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).