[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 164 (Thursday, August 25, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-20889]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: August 25, 1994]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Projects Nos. 2404-017 & 2419-007--Michigan]

 

Thunder Bay Power Company; Notice of Intention to Prepare an 
Environmental Impact Statement, Conduct Project Site Visits, and Hold 
Public Scoping Meetings

August 18, 1994.
    Thunder Bay Power Company (applicant) filed on December 30, 1991, a 
new license application to continue to operate and maintain its Thunder 
Bay and Hillman Hydro Projects located on the Thunder Bay River in 
Alpena, Alcona, and Montmorency Counties, Michigan. The applicant has 
requested that the Commission combine the two licensed projects into a 
new license.
    The Thunder Bay and Hillman Hydro Project as presently licensed 
consists of the following:

A. Thunder Bay Hydro Project Ferc No. 2404:

    This project consists of the following five developments:
    The Ninth Street Development which includes: (1) An existing 
retaining wall, 6 feet high by 285 feet long; (2) an existing 
buttressed retaining wall, 145 feet long; (3) an existing abandoned 
fishway; (4) an existing concrete uncontrolled spillway section; 47 
feet long; (5) an existing gated spillway section, 131 feet long, 
containing seven tainter gates, each 14 feet long by 12 feet high; (7) 
an existing concrete gravity non-overflow section, 47 feet long; (8) an 
existing reinforced concrete non-overflow section (a retaining wall 
about 20 feet long); (9) an existing reservoir with a surface area of 
700 acres and a total storage volume of 6,000 acre-feet at the normal 
maximum surface elevation of 598.5 feet NGVD; (10) an existing 
reinforced concrete and masonry powerhouse, 92 feet long by 84 feet 
wide, containing (a) three horizontal shaft Sampson runner turbines 
with a combined hydraulic capacity of 1620 cfs, manufactured by James 
Leffel Company and rated at 600 hp each, and (b) three General Electric 
generators, each rated at 400 kW, providing a total plant rating of 
1,200 kW; and (11) existing appurtenant facilities.
    The Four Mile Development which includes: (1) An existing concrete 
ogee spillway (constructed immediately downstream from the original 
rock filled timber dam), 445 feet long, topped by needle beams, 
containing (a) a log chute bay, and (b) an abandoned fishway bay; (2) 
an existing reservoir with a surface area of 90 acres and a total 
storage capacity of 900 acre-feet at the normal maximum surface 
elevation of 634.9 feet NGVD; (3) an existing concrete and masonry 
powerhouse, 72 feet by 72 feet, containing (a) a concrete forebay, (b) 
three existing horizontal shaft Sampson runner turbines with a combined 
hydraulic capacity of 1790 cfs, rated at 850 hp each, and (c) three 
existing General Electric generators, each rated at 600 kW, providing a 
total existing plant rating of 1,800 kW; and (4) existing appurtenant 
facilities.
    Norway Point Development which includes: (1) Two existing earth 
dikes, 1,460 feet long and 500 feet long yielding a total length of 
1,960 feet; (2) an existing abandoned fishway; (3) an existing beartrap 
gate section, 120 feet long, containing three beartrap gates, each 26 
feet long by 27 feet high; (4) an existing mass concrete multiple 
barrel arch spillway section with removable needle beams, 320 feet 
long; (5) an existing reservoir with a surface area of 1,700 acres and 
a total storage volume of 27,550 acre-feet at the normal maximum 
surface elevation of 671.6 feet NGVD; (6) an existing reinforced 
concrete and masonry powerhouse, 86 feet long by 49 feet wide, 
containing (a) two vertical shaft Francis turbines with a combined 
hydraulic capacity of 1650 cfs, the first manufactured by Wellman-
Seaver-Morgan Company and rated at 3,350 hp and the second rated at 
1,400 hp, and (b) two General Electric generators, rated at 2,800 kW 
and 1,200 kW, providing at a total plant rating of 4,000 kW; and (7) 
existing appurtenant facilities.
    Hubbard Lake Development which includes: (1) An existing reinforced 
concrete spillway section, 20 feet long, containing two needle beam 
controlled bays; (2) two existing 45 foot long earth embankment 
sections, each overlapped on the upstream and downstream sides with 
concrete wing walls extending from both sides of the spillway; (3) an 
existing reservoir with a surface area of 9,280 acres and a total 
storage volume of 57,000 acre-feet at the normal maximum surface 
elevation of 710.5 feet NGVD; and (4) existing appurtenant facilities.
    Upper South Development which includes: (1) Two existing earth 
embankment sections, 220 feet long and 40 feet long for a total length 
of 260 feet, (2) an existing reinforced concrete spillway section, 40 
feet long, containing (a) four needle beam controlled bays, and (b) 
concrete wing walls on the upstream and downstream sides overlapping 
the earth embankments on both sides of the spillway; (3) an existing 
reservoir with a surface area of 7,000 acres and a total storage volume 
of 55,000 acre-feet at the normal maximum surface elevation of 731.0 
feet NGVD; (4) two proposed submersible Flygt Corporation turbines with 
a combined hydraulic capacity of 170 cfs, each equipped with a siphon 
penstock and an elbow draft tube; and (5) existing appurtenant 
facilities.

B. Hillman Hydro Project Ferc No. 2419:

    This project consists of: (1) An existing earth fill section, 
approximately 50 feet long; (2) an existing concrete gated spillway 
section, approximately 38 feet long, containing (a) three needle beam 
controlled bays, (b) a concrete training wall extending upstream of the 
spillway along the right side, and (b) a reinforced concrete apron, 
constructed along the downstream toe of the spillway; (3) an existing 
non-overflow section which includes part of the Hillman grist mill 
house, 26 feet long, constructed of upstream and downstream concrete 
gravity walls with pressure grouted earth and rock fill between the two 
walls; (4) an existing concrete uncontrolled spillway section, 27 feet 
long, (formerly the intake structure of the grist mill in the early 
1900's); (5) an existing non-overflow section, 20 feet long, 
constructed of upstream and downstream concrete gravity walls with 
pressure grouted earth and rock fill between the two walls; (6) an 
existing reservoir with a surface area of 160 acres and a total storage 
volume of 500 acre-feet at the normal maximum surface elevation of 
747.2 feet NGVD; (7) an existing reinforced concrete and masonry 
powerhouse, 17 feet by 21 feet, containing (a) a vertical shaft Francis 
turbine with a hydraulic capacity of 270 cfs, manufactured by James 
Leffel Company, and (b) a vertical shaft generator, manufactured by 
Westinghouse and rated at 250 kW; and (8) existing appurtenant 
facilities.
    The applicant proposes increasing capacity at the Upper South 
Development by 200 kW as well as increasing the capacity at the Four 
Mile Development by 600 kW, with the addition of three new generators, 
respectively. The applicant estimates that the proposed total installed 
project capacity would be 8.25 MW with a total average annual 
generation of 8.26 GWH. The dam and existing project facilities of each 
development are owned by the applicant. Project power would be utilized 
by the applicant for sale to its customers.

Notice of Intention to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement

    The Commission staff has determined that licensing the existing 
projects could constitute a major Federal action significantly 
affecting the quality of the human environment. Therefore, the staff 
intends to prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) for Thunder 
Bay and Hillman Hydro Project in accordance with the National 
Environmental Policy Act.
    The staff's EIS will consider both site specific and cumulative 
environmental impacts of the proposed project and reasonable 
alternatives, and will include an economic, financial and engineering 
analysis.
    A draft EIS will be issued and circulated for review by all 
interested parties. All comments filed on the draft EIS will be 
analyzed by the Commission staff and considered in a final EIS.

Project Site Visit

    The applicant and Commission staff will conduct a project site 
visit of the Thunder Bay and Hillman Hydro Project. The site meeting 
will be held starting at 1:00 P.M. on September 6, 1994 at the entrance 
of the Best Western Motel, 1286 M32 West, Alpena, Michigan and continue 
the next day (on September 7, 1994), and if needed on September 8, 
1994, as well. All interested individuals, organizations, and agencies 
are invited to attend. All participants are responsible for their own 
transportation to and from the project site. For more details, 
interested parties should contact Patrick Murphy, FERC, at (202) 219-
2659, prior to the site visit date.

Scoping Meetings

    The Commission staff will conduct one evening scoping meeting and 
one morning scoping meeting. All interested individuals, organizations, 
and agencies are invited to attend and assist the staff in identifying 
the scope of environmental issues that should be analyzed in the EIS.
    To help focus discussions, a preliminary EIS scoping document 
outlining subject areas to be addressed at the scoping meetings will be 
distributed by mail to persons and entities on the FERC mailing list. 
Copies of the preliminary scoping document will also be made available 
at the meetings.
    The evening meeting will be held on Wednesday, September 7, 1994, 
from 7:00 P.M. to 10:00 P.M. (or later) at the Natural Resources 
Center, Room 150 (NRC 150), Alpena Community College, 666 Johnson 
Street, Alpena, Michigan.
    The morning meeting will be held on Wednesday, September 7, 1994, 
from 9:30 A.M. to 12:30 P.M. at the Conference Room, District 5 Office, 
Michigan Department of Natural Resources, 1732 West M32, Gaylord, 
Michigan.

Objectives

    At the scoping meetings, the Commission staff will: (1) summarize 
the environmental issues tentatively identified for analysis in the 
planned EIS; (2) solicit from the meeting participants all available 
information, especially quantified data, on the resources at issue, and 
(3) encourage statements from experts and the public on issues that 
should be analyzed in the EIS.
    Individuals, organizations, and agencies with environmental 
expertise and concerns are encouraged to attend the meetings and to 
assist the staff in defining and clarifying the issues to be addressed 
in the EIS.

Meeting Procedures

    The meetings will be recorded by a stenographer and, thereby, will 
become a part of the formal record of the Commission proceeding on this 
project. Individuals presenting statements at the meetings will be 
asked to identify themselves for the record.
    Concerned parties are encouraged to offer us verbal guidance during 
public meetings. Speaking time allowed for individuals will be 
determined before each meeting, based on the number of persons wishing 
to speak and the approximate amount of time available for the session, 
but all speakers will be provided at least five minutes to present 
their views.
    Persons choosing not to speak but wishing to express an opinion, as 
well as speakers unable to summarize their positions within their 
allotted time, may submit written statements for inclusion in the 
public record.
    Written scoping comments may also be filed with the Secretary, 
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 825 North Capitol Street, NE, 
Washington, DC 20426, until October 7, 1994. All filings should contain 
an original and 8 copies. Failure to file an original and 8 copies may 
result in appropriate staff not receiving the benefit of your comments 
in a timely manner. See 18 CFR 4.34(h).
    All correspondence should clearly show the following caption on the 
first page: Scoping Comments, Thunder Bay and Hillman Hydro Project, 
FERC Nos. 2404-017 and 2419-007, Michigan.
    All those attending the meeting are urged to refrain from making 
any communications concerning the merits of the application to any 
member of the Commission staff outside of the established process for 
developing the record as stated into the record of the proceeding.
    Further, interested persons are reminded of the Commission's Rules 
of Practice and Procedures, requiring parties or interceders (as 
defined in 18 CFR 385.2010) to file documents on each person whose name 
is on the official service list for this proceeding. See 18 CFR 
4.34(b).
    For further information, please contact Ed Lee at (202) 219-2809.
Lois D. Cashell,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 94-20889 Filed 8-24-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P