[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 124 (Friday, June 27, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 36505-36508]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-15088]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Project No. 13124-015]
Copper Valley Electric Association, Inc.; Notice of Availability
of Supplemental Environmental Assessment
In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969
and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's (Commission or FERC's)
regulations, 18 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 380 (Order No.
486, 52 Federal Register 47897), the Office of Energy Projects has
reviewed Copper Valley Electric Association, Inc.'s application to
amend its license for the Allison Creek Hydroelectric Project (FERC
Project No. 13124). The 6.5-megawatt (MW) project is located on Allison
Creek near Valdez, Alaska. The project does not occupy any federal
lands.
The licensee is proposing to amend its powerhouse and tailrace to
include a single 6.5 MW turbine generator unit instead of the two
smaller 3.25 MW units that were licensed. This amendment would shift
the powerhouse location and pivot the tailrace approximately 90 degrees
to the north. In addition to the changes to the powerhouse and
tailrace, the licensee proposes to shift the transmission line route
south and uphill of the original licensed route along the Trans-Alaska
Pipeline System right-of-way. In addition the voltage would change from
34.5 kilovolts (kV) to 25 kV. Staff prepared a supplemental
environmental assessment (EA) which analyzes the potential
environmental effects of the proposed amendment, and concludes that
amending the license, with appropriate environmental protective
measures, would not constitute a major federal action that would
significantly affect the quality of the human environment.
A copy of the EA may be viewed on the Commission's Web site at
http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/elibrary.asp. Enter the docket number
(P-13124) in the docket number field to access the document. You may
also register online at http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/esubscription.asp to be notified via email of new filings and issuances
related to this or other pending projects. For assistance, call 1-866-
208-3676 or email [email protected], for TTY, call (202) 502-
8659. A copy is also available for inspection and reproduction at the
Commission's Public Reference Room located at 888 First Street NE.,
Room 2A, Washington, DC 20426, or by calling (202) 502-8371.
Dated: June 20, 2014.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
SUPPLEMENTAL ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR AMENDMENT OF LICENSE
Allison Creek Hydroelectric Project--FERC Project No. 13124--Alaska
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Office of Energy Projects,
Division of Hydropower Administration and Compliance, 888 First
Street NE., Washington, DC 20426
June 2014
SUPPLEMENTAL ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Office of Energy Projects,
Division of Hydropower Administration and Compliance, Washington, DC
Allison Creek Hydroelectric Project
FERC Project No. 13124--Alaska
Introduction
On August 1, 2013, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
(Commission) issued an original license for the unconstructed Allison
Creek Hydroelectric Project No. 13124.\1\ On September 27, 2013, Copper
Valley Electric Association, Inc. (licensee) filed an application to
amend its license for the Allison Creek Hydroelectric Project to modify
the penstock design, modify the temporary construction access roads,
and construct a penstock/access tunnel. This amendment was approved by
the Commission on November 20, 2013 \2\ and was supported by an
Environmental Assessment (EA) issued concurrently with the order.
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\1\ Order Issuing Original License, 144 FERC ] 62,089.
\2\ Order Amending License, Approving Temporary Penstock Access
Route Plan, and Deleting Article 415 (145 FERC ] 62,124).
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On April 11, 2014, the licensee filed another application to amend
its license. In its amendment application, the licensee proposes to
change the powerhouse and tailrace to accommodate a single 6.5 megawatt
(MW) turbine unit instead of the licensed two 3.25 MW units. The
licensee is also requesting permission to change the transmission line
from 34.5 kilovolts (kV) to 25 kV and to relocate the transmission line
route south and uphill of the currently licensed route. As licensed,
the project will be constructed on Allison Creek at river mile 1.89,
about 10,000 feet upstream of the mouth of Allison Creek and about
2,350 feet downstream of the outlet of Allison Lake near the city of
Valdez, Alaska. The project does not occupy any lands of the United
States.
This supplemental EA is intended to analyze the environmental
impacts of the licensee's most recent April 14, 2014 amendment request
and relies, in part, on the EA that was issued by the Commission on
November 20, 2013. Only the environmental impacts of the changes to the
powerhouse, tailrace, and transmission line will be considered in this
supplemental EA.
Proposed Action
As licensed, the powerhouse would be 65 feet by 65 feet and would
contain two 3.25 MW generator units that discharge into a 120 feet long
concrete tailrace that exits the powerhouse to the west. This amendment
would slightly shift the powerhouse location and would pivot the
tailrace approximately 90 degrees to the north. This would allow for a
shorter, shallower, and steeper tailrace. The tailrace would still
return flow to Allison Creek above the natural salmon barrier known as
``The Chutes.'' The new powerhouse would be 55 feet by 65 feet and
would contain a single 6.5 MW turbine generator unit. The new tailrace
would be a 70.5 feet long concrete channel exiting the powerhouse to
the north.
The project's transmission line, as licensed, is a 34.5 kV line
that runs for 3.8 miles along the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System (TAPS)
right-of-way,
[[Page 36506]]
including 1 mile of the Solomon Gulch trail. The Solomon Gulch trail is
a recreational feature of Copper Valley Electric's Solomon Gulch
Hydroelectric Project (FERC No. 2742). This amendment would change the
transmission line to a 25 kV line that would run 3.8 miles south and
uphill of the original route along the TAPS right-of-way terminating at
the Petro Star refinery. The revised transmission line route would
utilize a designated section line utility corridor for a portion of the
route. The line would no longer follow the Solomon Gulch trail;
however, it would cross the trail at one location. No changes to
project operations are proposed.
Pre-Filing Consultation and Public Comment
Pre-Filing Consultation
Prior to filing the application, the licensee consulted with the
Alaska State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO), National Marine
Fisheries Service (NMFS), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Alaska
Department of Fish and Game (Alaska DFG). On May 8, 2013, the SHPO
concurred that no historic properties would be affected. The FWS stated
that it had no objection to the proposed amendment by email dated March
11, 2014. On April 3, 2014, NMFS replied by email and stated that the
proposed license amendment does not pose any risk to salmon or other
aquatic resources. The NMFS also pointed out that the new transmission
line route reduces the possibility of some sensitive wetland impacts.
The NMFS had no objections to the proposed amendment.
Alaska DFG commented in its email dated April 3, 2014, that it had
no objection to the amendment and specifically stated it had no
concerns with the new alignment of the transmission line or with the
change in the footprint and location of the powerhouse. However, the
Alaska DFG requested the single generator powerhouse be designed with a
generator water bypass system to maintain immediate flow in the
downstream reach in the event of a project shutdown. This would allow
for bypass reach ramping and reduce effects on fish in the downstream
reach, if the penstock must also be dewatered.
Public Notice
On May 1, 2014, the Commission issued a public notice that the
amendment application was accepted for filing and soliciting comments,
motions to intervene, and protests. On May 29, 2014, the U.S.
Department of the Interior (Interior) filed comments pursuant to the
public notice. In its letter, the Interior expressed concerns about the
licensee's lack of analysis in support of its license amendment
application with regard to potential recreation and aesthetic impacts
associated with the new routing of the transmission line. Because the
new route is a significant change from the route analyzed in the June
21, 2013 EA issued by the Commission, Interior, recommends that the
Commission scope, study, and analyze potential impacts related to the
proposed new route as appropriate and that the licensee subsequently
revise its April 14, 2014 application for amendment of license.
Interior also stated in its letter that it had no comments on the
proposed changes to the powerhouse and the tailrace.
In a letter dated June 3, 2014, the licensee responded to the
Interior's comments on the revised transmission line route and provided
an expanded explanation of the aesthetic and recreational effects of
the proposed revised line. Interior's comments and the licensee's
responses will be further discussed in the environmental analysis
section of this supplemental EA.
Environmental Analysis
Powerhouse and Tailrace
The environmental impacts of the powerhouse would be essentially
the same as those considered during the preparation of the June 21,
2013, EA to support the license. Construction would essentially occur
in the same location but the footprint of the new powerhouse would be
slightly smaller than the powerhouse originally licensed. The new
tailrace would also be about 45.5 feet shorter than the currently
licensed tailrace, but it would also be constructed with a higher
grade.
The concrete tailrace channel outfall would be constructed about
\1/4\ mile upstream of Dayville Road on the south side of Allison
Creek, above the high water mark. A bar grate barrier with 1-inch
spacing would be installed across the channel to prevent fish from
swimming up the tailrace channel to the turbine. During construction a
cofferdam would be utilized and after installation, fish would be
removed from behind the cofferdam in accordance with a valid Fish
Resource Permit from the Alaska DFG and placed back in the flowing
water of the creek.
During project construction, best management practices would be
followed to protect Allison Creek. The only work that would be
conducted in flowing water is the installation and removal of the
cofferdam. Disturbed areas would be stabilized with erosion control
blankets and revegetated with native grasses. During in-water
construction, daily turbidity monitoring would be conducted by an
environmental compliance monitor upstream and downstream of the work
area. If downstream turbidity measures greater than 25 Nephelometric
Turbidity Units (NTUs) higher than upstream measurements, then related
construction activities would be stopped and appropriate protection
measures would be taken. Alaska DFG would be notified of any non-
compliance event that may affect fish resources. To further protect
aquatic species, the licensee would comply with the Commission's
December 20, 2013, Order Approving Phase I of the Biotic Monitoring
Plan Pursuant to License Article 407.\3\
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\3\ 145 FERC ] 62,223.
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On February 7, 2014, the Alaska DFG issued a Fish Habitat Permit
for the project. This permit contains additional fish protection and
enhancement measures that must be followed by the licensee. Any other
environmental impacts of the construction and operation of the
powerhouse and tailrace would be similar to those considered in the
September 27, 2013 license and associated EA.
Our Analysis
In, its comments, Alaska DFG requested the single generator
powerhouse be designed with a generator water bypass system to maintain
immediate flow in the downstream reach in the event of a project
shutdown. This would allow for bypass reach ramping and reduce effects
on fish in the downstream reach, if the penstock must also be
dewatered.
The Alaska DFG made a similar 10(j) request during licensing. In
the final license order, the Commission concluded that the constant
delivery of minimum flows at the project's diversion, required by
Article 403, would provide a stable amount of flow to protect fishery
resources downstream of the powerhouse. Therefore, an additional
failsafe provision for the powerhouse was not needed.\4\ Since there
are no changes in this amendment that would alter this determination,
we have not incorporated this recommendation. The licensee is still
required to comply with article 403, which should provide adequate
protection for downstream fisheries.
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\4\ Order Issuing Original License, 144 FERC ] 62,089.
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[[Page 36507]]
Transmission Line
The licensed project would be located in a scenic, largely
undeveloped area above the south shore of Port Valdez and at the base
of the Chugach Mountains. The dramatic natural landscape provides an
important scenic backdrop to the Valdez community, and is integral to
the multiple recreation and tourism activities occurring in the region,
such as boating, fishing, camping, and sightseeing. The project area is
most visible from Port Valdez, the city of Valdez, a portion of the
Richardson Highway (a designated scenic byway), and from the Solomon
Gulch Trail.
The project's transmission line, as licensed, is a 34.5 kV line
that runs for 3.8 miles with a 30-foot-wide right-of-way along the TAPS
right-of-way, including 1 mile of the Solomon Gulch trail which is a
cleared route that runs through a Sitka spruce and mountain hemlock
forest, low on the slopes above Dayville Road. The wooden power poles
would match the scale and appearance of existing transmission lines
associated with the nearby Solomon Gulch Project. The transmission line
and poles would be camouflaged by dense vegetation and forest canopy
along the TAPS right-of-way which is not visible from Dayville Road.
The visual impacts from the licensed transmission line route would be
greatest where it follows the Solomon Gulch Trail for approximately 1
mile. See Commission's staff's EA issued June 21, 2013 for a complete
description of the anticipated environmental effects of the licensed
transmission line.
The proposed new transmission line would be a 25 kV line that would
run 3.8 miles with a 30-foot-wide right-of-way, south and uphill while
paralleling the licensed route along the TAPS right-of-way. The
proposed new transmission line route would utilize a designated section
line utility corridor for a portion of the route. The line would no
longer follow the Solomon Gulch trail; however, it would cross the
trail at one location. The existing environment surrounding the
proposed new transmission line route is very similar to the licensed
route. A wetland survey was conducted for the new route and no new
waters or wetland types were found. Wetlands accounted for 2.29 acres
within the proposed new transmission line corridor. The U.S. Army Corps
of Engineers issued a wetland permit for the project on October 22,
2013. The licensee is also required to conduct restoration activities
and mange invasive species pursuant to the Commission's Order Approving
Vegetation Management Plan Pursuant to License Article 410.\5\
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\5\ Issued January 3, 2014 (146 FERC ] 62,004).
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The proposed new transmission line route would be farther from
previously identified active raptor nests than the licensed line. The
proposed new line would also be designed to protect resident and
migratory birds similar to the licensed line.
In its comments, Interior notes that the proposed new transmission
line route would run much higher on the mountainside, above the forest
and in a new right-of-way that has less vegetation to shield the line
from view. Since the licensee is proposing to clear and maintain a new
30-foot-wide right-of-way, Interior says the licensee would be creating
a new linear feature that could be visible from the three key Valdez
viewpoints (Alaska State Marine Highway Ferry Dock, Valdez Convention
and Civic Center, and scenic pullout along Richardson Highway) that
were used to analyze the original project's potential impacts.
Interior points out that, although the proposed new transmission
line would no longer follow the Solomon Gulch trail, it would be
visible from long stretches of the trail, from the edge of the forest
up to the dam and beyond. While users of the trail encounter non-
natural features like the TAPS pipeline, access road, and the Solomon
Gulch Project penstock, Interior states that since trail users
eventually climb out of the forest and into subalpine and alpine
environments, they eventually leave these features behind. Interior
concludes that the new higher elevation proposed transmission line
would be more intrusive. Aside from where the proposed new line crosses
the Solomon Gulch Trail, Interior states the new line may be visible
from other vantage points on the trail, both above and below the
crossing location, particularly because the new line does not run
through a forest. Interior says there is virtually no way to mitigate
the appearance of the proposed new transmission line.
In its June 3, 2014, response to Interior, the licensee provides
additional aesthetic and recreational analysis of the proposed new
transmission line route, following the Recreation and Aesthetic
Resources Report that was filed during licensing of the project. The
licensee states that the proposed new transmission line is still
camouflaged by thick vegetation and has a similar visual impact from
the three key Valdez viewpoints that look across the Port of Valdez to
Allison Creek. The licensee points out that the Allison Creek Project
is located adjacent to the largest industrial complex in Alaska, the
Valdez Marine Terminal. In addition, the viewing distance from these
three key viewpoints is so great that the visibility of both the
licensed and proposed new transmission lines would be very low. The
terminus of the proposed new line is the Petro Star refinery which
already impacts the view with its industrial complex. The existing
transmission line for the nearby Solomon Gulch Project is not visible
to the naked eye from these three key viewing sites.
The fourth viewpoint that was analyzed for the licensed
transmission line is the view from Allison Point Campground. The
Allison Point Campground is the closest recreation area to the project
site, located approximately 0.7 mile away. Because there is a steep
embankment on the south side of the park the entire view of the
licensed and proposed new transmission lines would be blocked.
The final viewpoint which was analyzed prior to licensing is the
view from the Solomon Gulch Trail and the TAPS right-of-way. The
licensee concludes that the proposed new line would dramatically
improve this viewpoint because the 1 mile stretch of poles that would
have followed the trail via the licensed line is eliminated. The
proposed new line which would only be visible at one section of the
Solomon Gulch Trail where the proposed line would be perpendicular to
the Solomon Gulch transmission line. However, the licensee points out
that in this area, hikers already see the utility line and poles from
Solomon Gulch Project that parallel the penstock. Hikers cross over a
bridge and under the penstock and Solomon Gulch transmission line to
continue to the lake. Since there are already so many manmade
structures in this area, the routing of the proposed new line through
this area should not be considered more intrusive. The proposed new
line would only be visible from Solomon Gulch Lake if a hiker is
standing on the Solomon Gulch Dam looking away from the lake. However
the Solomon Gulch poles and lines are already present there and the
licensed line would be visible from that location also.
The licensee also states that Interior's comment that hikers
``eventually climb out of the forest and into subalpine and alpine
environments,'' is inaccurate because the trail ends at the lake and
does not extend into higher elevations.
Our Analysis
We've reviewed Commission staff's original EA issued for this
project and staff's EA issued November 20, 2013 for
[[Page 36508]]
the licensee's previous amendment application. We've also reviewed the
Recreation and Aesthetic Resources report that was included in Volume
III of the original license application filed on August 25, 2011,
Interior's comments and the licensee's response to those comments. We
agree with the licensee that the proposed new transmission line would
have similar aesthetic and recreation effects as the licensed line.
From key viewpoints, the proposed new line would be difficult to see,
similar to the licensed line, and routing the line away from a 1 mile
stretch of the Solomon Gulch trail could improve aesthetics. We
disagree with Interior that additional scoping and studies are
warranted for the licensee's proposed changes. We recommend approving
the licensee's proposed new transmission line with existing mitigation
measures already required by the license.
Conclusions
The environmental effects of construction and operation of the
amended powerhouse and tailrace are not significantly different from
those that were already considered and approved in the project license.
Based on our review, the proposed transmission line route would not
result in any significant changes in recreation or aesthetics from the
route that was previously studied and licensed. For a majority of its
length the transmission line would not be visible to recreationists and
in the areas where it would be visible the new line would be in
character with the other manmade intrusions surrounding it.
Implementation of environmental measures already required by the
project license would minimize or avoid identified impacts.
On the basis of our independent analysis, the approval of the
proposed amendment to the Allison Creek Hydroelectric Project would not
constitute a major federal action significantly affecting the quality
of the human environment.
Literature Cited
Copper Valley Electric Association, Inc. 2011. License Application.
August, 2011.
Copper Valley Electric Association, Inc. 2014a. Application to Amend
License. April 11, 2014.
Copper Valley Electric Association, Inc. 2014b. Letter from Robert
Wilkinson, CEO of Copper Valley Electric Association, Inc. Filed
June 3, 2014.
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 2013. Final Environmental
Assessment for Hydropower License, Allison Creek Hydroelectric
Project. June 2013.
List of Preparers
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
Steven Sachs--Project Coordinator (Civil Engineer; B.S., Environmental
Systems Engineering)
Rebecca Martin--Environmental Coordinator (Environmental Biologist;
Master of Science, Environmental Science; B.S., Environmental Science)
[FR Doc. 2014-15088 Filed 6-26-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P