[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 115 (Monday, June 15, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 36198-36199]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-12831]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Project No. 2997-031]
South Sutter Water District; Notice Soliciting Scoping Comments
Take notice that the following hydroelectric application has been
filed with the Commission and is available for public inspection.
a. Type of Application: Major, new license.
b. Project No.: P-2997-031.
c. Date filed: July 1, 2019.
d. Applicant: South Sutter Water District.
e. Name of Project: Camp Far West Hydroelectric Project.
f. Location: The existing hydroelectric project is located on the
Bear River in Yuba, Nevada, and Placer Counties, California. The
project, with the proposed project boundary modifications, would occupy
a total of 2,674 acres. No Federal or tribal lands occur within or
adjacent to the project boundary or along the Bear River downstream of
the project.
g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act 16 U.S.C. 791 (a)-825(r).
h. Applicant Contact: Mr. Brad Arnold, General Manager, South
Sutter Water District, 2464 Pacific Avenue, Trowbridge, California
95659.
i. FERC Contact: Quinn Emmering, (202) 502-6382,
quinn.emmering@ferc.gov.
j. Deadline for filing scoping comments: July 9, 2020.
The Commission strongly encourages electronic filing. Please file
scoping comments using the Commission's eFiling system at http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/efiling.asp. Commenters can submit brief
comments up to 6,000 characters, without prior registration, using the
eComment system at http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/ecomment.asp. You
must include your name and contact information at the end of your
comments. For assistance, please contact FERC Online Support at
FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov, (866) 208-3676 (toll free), or (202) 502-
8659 (TTY). In lieu of electronic filing, please send a paper copy to:
Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE,
Washington, DC 20426. The first page of any filing should include
docket number P-2997-031.
k. This application is not ready for environmental analysis at this
time.
l. The existing Camp Far West Hydroelectric Project operates to
provide water during the irrigation season, generate power, and meet
streamflow requirements for the Bear River. The existing project
includes: (1) A 185-foot-high, 40-foot-wide, 2,070-foot-long, earth-
filled main dam; (2) a 45-foot-high, 20-foot-wide, 1,060-foot-long,
earth-filled south wing dam; (3) a 25-foot-high, 20-foot-wide, 1,460-
foot-long, earth-filled north wing dam; (4) a 15-foot-high, 20-foot-
wide, 1,450-foot-long, earth-filled north dike; (5) a 2,020-acre
reservoir with a gross storage capacity of about 104,000 acre-feet at
the normal maximum water surface elevation (NMWSE) of 300 feet; (6) an
overflow spillway with a maximum design capacity of 106,500 cubic feet
per second (cfs) at a reservoir elevation of 320 feet with a 15-foot-
wide concrete approach apron, 300-foot-long ungated, ogee-type concrete
structure, and a 77-foot-long downstream concrete chute with concrete
sidewalls and a 302.5-foot single span steel-truss bridge across the
spillway crest; (7) a 1,200-foot-long, unlined, rock channel that
carries spill downstream to the Bear River; (8) a 22-foot-high,
concrete, power intake tower with openings on three sides protected by
steel trashracks; (9) a 25-foot-4-inch-high, concrete, intake tower
with openings on three sides, each of which is protected by steel
trashracks that receives water for the outlet works; (10) a 760-foot-
long, 8-foot-diameter concrete tunnel through the left abutment of the
main dam that conveys water from the power intake to the powerhouse;
(11) a steel-reinforced, concrete powerhouse with a 6.8-megawatt,
vertical-shaft, Francis-type turbine, which discharges to the Bear
River at the base of the main dam; (12) a 350-foot-long, 48-inch-
diameter steel pipe that conveys water from the intake structure to a
valve chamber for the outlet works; (13) a 400-foot-long, 7.5-foot-
diameter concrete-lined horseshoe tunnel that connects to the valve
chamber to a 48-inch-diameter, Howell Bunger outlet valve with a
capacity of 500 cfs that discharges directly into the Bear River; (14)
a fenced switchyard adjacent to the powerhouse; (15) two recreation
areas with campgrounds, day-use areas, boat ramps, restrooms, and
sewage holding
[[Page 36199]]
ponds; and (16) a recreational water system that includes two pumps in
the reservoir that deliver water to a treatment facility that is piped
to a 60,000-gallon storage tank to supply water to recreation
facilities. The project has no transmission facilities. The estimated
average annual generation (2010 to 2017) is 22,637 megawatt-hours.
South Sutter Water District proposes to: (1) Raise the NMWSE of the
project reservoir by 5 feet from an elevation of 300 feet to an
elevation of 305 feet; (2) raise the crest of the existing spillway
from an elevation of 300 feet to an elevation of 305 feet to
accommodate the proposed pool raise; (3) replace and restore several
recreation facilities; (4) add an existing 0.25-mile road as a primary
project road to access the powerhouse and switchyard; and (5) modify
the project boundary to account for the removal of the 1.9-mile-long
transmission line from the license in 1991, corrections based on
current project operation and maintenance, and changes under the
category of a contour 20 feet above the 300-feet NMWSE or proximity of
200-horizontal-feet from the 300-foot NMWSE.
m. In addition to publishing the full text of this document in the
Federal Register. The Commission provides all interested persons an
opportunity to view and/or print the contents of this document via the
internet through the Commission's Home Page (http://www.ferc.gov) using
the ``eLibrary'' link. Enter the docket number excluding the last three
digits in the docket number field to access the document. At this time,
the Commission has suspended access to the Commission's Public
Reference Room, due to the proclamation declaring a National Emergency
concerning the Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19), issued by the
President on March 13, 2020. For assistance, contact FERC Online
Support.
n. 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, contact FERC
Online Support.
o. Scoping Process
The Commission staff intends to prepare an Environmental Assessment
(EA) for the Camp Far West Hydroelectric Project in accordance with the
National Environmental Policy Act. The EA will consider both site-
specific and cumulative environmental impacts and reasonable
alternatives to the proposed action.
Commission staff does not anticipate holding a formal public or
agency scoping meeting. Instead, we are soliciting comments,
recommendations, and information, on the Scoping Document (SD) issued
on June 9, 2020.
Copies of the SD outlining the subject areas to be addressed in the
EA were distributed to the parties on the Commission's mailing list and
the applicant's distribution list. Copies of the SD may be viewed on
the web at http://www.ferc.gov using the ``eLibrary'' link. Enter the
docket number excluding the last three digits in the docket number
field to access the document. For assistance, call 1-866-208-3676 or
for TTY, (202) 502-8659.
Dated: June 9, 2020.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2020-12831 Filed 6-12-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P