[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 162 (Tuesday, August 23, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-20620]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: August 23, 1994]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Project No. 2550-002]

 

N.E.W. Hydro, Incorporated; Wisconsin; Notice of Environmental 
Assessment Scoping

August 17, 1994.
    On March 29, 1994, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission 
(Commission) issued a notice indicating that staff is ready to conduct 
an environmental analysis (REA Notice) for the existing Weyauwega 
Hydroelectric Project (project), located on the Waupaca River, with its 
dam about 5.5 miles upstream from the confluence of the Waupaca and 
Wolf Rivers, in Waupaca County, Wisconsin. The REA Notice also 
requested comments from Federal, state, and local resource agencies, 
licensees and developers, and any other interested groups (parties). 
Parties were given until May 29, 1994, to file comments.
    The purpose of this notice is to advise all parties of the proposed 
scope of the staff's environmental analysis and to seek additional 
information pertinent to this analysis. The scope of analysis as 
presented herein is based on the information filed with the Commission 
by N.E.W. Hydro, Incorporated (the Applicant), comments received from 
the parties thus far, and the staff's independent analysis.

Proposed Action

    The proposed action is to issue a minor license for the continued 
operation of the project. Project facilities consist of:
     an existing 240-foot-long dam comprised of (a) a 90-foot-
long sheet pile faced earth section at the left abutment, (b) a 50-
foot-long gated spillway section containing three 12-foot-wide by 10-
foot-high Taintor gates with a sill elevation of 760 feet National 
Geodetic Vertical Datum (NGVD), (c) a 29-foot-wide powerhouse, and (d) 
a 71-foot-long sheet pile faced earth section at the right abutment;
     an existing reservoir with a surface area approximately 
250 acres, a gross capacity of approximately 1,259 acre-feet, and a 
normal pool elevation of 770.2 feet NGVD;
     an existing concrete and brick powerhouse measuring 56 
feet by 29 feet in plan and containing a single turbine-generator unit 
rated at 400 kilowatts at a head of 12.3 feet and a hydraulic capacity 
of 507 cubic feet per second; and
     appurtenant equipment and facilities. No transmission line 
would be included among the project facilities.
    The Applicant proposes the following measures relating to project 
operation to protect and enhance environmental resources in the project 
area.
     operate the project in a run-of-river mode;
     maintain the impoundment at a normal pool elevation of 
770.20.25 feet NGVD;
     install staff gauges in the headpond and tailwater of the 
project;
     maintain an automatic water level sensor to monitor 
impoundment levels;
     maintain hourly log of project operations data; and
     determine the eligibility for listing on the National 
Register of Historic Places of the existing project facilities.

Project Alternatives

    The Commission staff will consider alternatives, including 
enhancement measures not proposed by the Applicant. The staff will 
review and consider alternative recommendations for additional resource 
protection, or enhancement measures that may be appropriate to include 
in a license. Modifications could include recommendations by the 
agencies, the general public, and the staff.

Scope of the Environmental Assessment

Cumulative Effects

    We have identified certain effects of continuing to operate the 
project--i.e., effects on water quality and flow regime in the Waupaca 
River, and those associated with facilitating upstream fish passage--
that, when coupled with other activities on the Waupaca River, may 
affect environmental resources in a cumulative manner.
    The geographic scope of cumulative effects analysis defines the 
physical limits or boundaries of the proposed action's effects on the 
resources. Since the proposed action affects the resources differently, 
the geographic scope for each resource may vary. In this case, for 
water quality and quantity, and fishery resources, the scope of 
analysis will encompass the mainstem of the Waupaca River. We chose 
this geographic scope for these resources because the effects of 
project operation are limited to this area and, in this case, these 
resources are directly and indirectly affected by project operations. 
Construction-related impacts are not an issue because no project-
related construction is proposed.
    For wildlife, cultural, recreational, and all other resources, we 
will focus our analysis on the project area as the appropriate 
geographic scope of analysis, unless persuaded by comments during the 
scoping process to do otherwise.
    The temporal scope of our cumulative effects analysis includes a 
discussion of the past, present, and future actions and their effects 
on water quality and quantity, and fishery resources. Based on the 
license term, the temporal scope will look 30 to 50 years into the 
future, concentrating on the effects on the resource from reasonably 
foreseeable future actions. The historical discussion will, by 
necessity, be limited to the amount of available information for each 
resource. We've adequately identified the present resource conditions 
based on the license application and previous comments and will also 
document these in the environmental assessment (EA).
    We are seeking further information from federal, state, and other 
agencies and non-government organizations (NGOs) pertaining to past, 
present, and future actions and effects on water quality and quantity, 
and fishery resources (in the form of previous studies, present plans, 
and future plans, goals or forecasts) in the Waupaca River.

Environmental Issues

    The following items tentatively represent both site-specific and 
cumulative resource issues that would be examined in the EA. Issues 
that will also be emphasized in the cumulative effects analysis are 
designated by an asterisk (*).
Geology and Soils
     Beneficial effects of the proposed run-of-river operation 
over the existing mode of operation
     Potential erosion and sediment impacts resulting from 
canoe portage improvements
Water Quality and Quantity
     Project-specific and cumulative effects of project 
operations on water quality in the Waupaca River*
     Project-specific and cumulative effects of project 
operations on the flow regime in the Waupaca River*
Fishery Resources
     Effects of proposed project operations on the quantity and 
quality of aquatic habitat in the Waupaca River*
     Potential measures to ensure continuation of flow and 
protection of aquatic resources downstream of the projects in the event 
of flow interruption
     Impacts of reservoir fluctuations and reservoir drawdowns 
on near-shore aquatic habitat*
     Project-specific and cumulative impacts and benefits 
associated with facilitating upstream fish passage*
Terrestrial Resources
     Effect of current and proposed project operations on 
vegetation, wildlife, and associated habitat
     Effect of recreation facility construction and improvement 
on vegetation, wildlife and wildlife habitat
Threatened and Endangered Species
     Effect of current and proposed project operations on any 
federally-listed threatened or endangered species utilizing the project 
area
Cultural Resources
     Eligibility for listing on the National Register of 
Historic Places of the existing power facilities
     Effect of current and proposed project operations on 
properties that are eligible for listing on the National Register of 
Historic Places
Recreation
     Potential to enhance recreation opportunities by improving 
the canoe portage
Aesthetics
     Effects on impoundment shoreline and river reach 
downstream from powerhouse due to proposed changes in project operation
    The EA will assess the project-specific effects on the above 
resources and whether these effects contribute adversely or 
beneficially to the affected environment.

EA Preparation Schedule

    The preliminary schedule for preparing the EA for the Weyauwega 
Project is: 

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                    Milestones                           Target date    
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Scoping...........................................  August 1994.        
Draft EA..........................................  October 1994.       
Final EA..........................................  December 1994.      
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Request for Comments

    The Commission's scoping objectives are to:
     identify significant environmental issues,
     determine the depth of analysis appropriate to each issue,
     identify the resource issues not requiring detailed 
analysis, and
     identify reasonable project alternatives.
    Federal, state, and local resource agencies, licensees and 
developers, Indian tribes, NGOs, other interested groups, and the 
general public are requested to file with the Commission information 
that they believe will assist the Commission staff in conducting an 
accurate and thorough analysis of the cumulative environmental effects 
of the proposed licensing of the Weyauwega Project being analyzed in 
this EA. The types of information sought include:
     information, quantified data, or professional opinion that 
may contribute to defining the geographical and temporal scope of the 
analysis and identifying significant environmental issues;
     identification of, and information from, any other EA, 
environmental impact statement, or similar document or study (previous, 
on-going, or planned) relevant to the proposed licensing activity on 
the Waupaca River;
     existing information and any data that would assist in 
describing the past and present actions and effects of the project and 
other developmental activities on water quality and quantity, and 
fishery resources (for example, fish stocking/management histories of 
the Waupaca River, historic water quality data and the reasons for 
improvement or degradation of the quality, locations of wastewater 
treatment outfalls or water intakes, or proposals to develop land and 
water resources within the river);
     identification of any Federal, state, or local resource 
plans and future project proposals that encompass the Waupaca River, 
with information on when the plans would be implemented, if known (for 
example, proposals to construct or operate water treatment facilities, 
recreation areas, water diversions, or implement fishery management 
programs); and
     documentation that would support a conclusion that the 
proposed project does or does not contribute to cumulative adverse or 
beneficial effects on resources and, therefore, should be excluded from 
further study or included for further consideration of cumulative 
effects. Documentation should include, but not be limited to, how the 
project interacts with other projects on the river and other 
developmental activities, results from studies, resource management 
policies, and reports from Federal, state, and local agencies.
    To be useful in preparing the EA, the requested information must be 
filed with the Commission no later than 30 days past the date of this 
notice. Address all communications to:
    Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 825 North Capitol 
Street, NE., Washington, DC 20426
    All filings must clearly show at the top of the first page 
``Weyauwega Project, FERC No. 2550.''
    When filing scoping comments, you should submit an original and 8 
copies; this will assure that the staff receives your information. 
Parties to the proceedings (as identified on the official Service List 
for the Weyauwega Project) must also send copies of their filings, and 
all attachments, to the other parties listed on the official Service 
List. The official Service List is available from the Secretary of the 
Commission at the same address above.
    Any questions concerning the scoping process should be directed to 
Mary Golato (202-219-2804) or James T. Griffin (202-219-2799) at the 
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Office of Hydropower Licensing 
(HL-20.1), 810 First Street, NE., Washington, DC 20426.
Lois D. Cashell,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 94-20620 Filed 8-22-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P