[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 100 (Thursday, May 24, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 29152-29154]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-10000]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No. P-2088-068]


South Feather Water and Power Agency; Notice of Intent To Prepare 
an Environmental Impact Statement and Notice of Scoping Meetings and 
Site Visit and Soliciting Scoping Comments

May 17, 2007.
    Take notice that the following hydroelectric application has been 
filed with Commission and is available for public inspection:
    a. Type of Application: New Major License.
    b. Project No.: P-2088-068.
    c. Date Filed: March 26, 2007.
    d. Applicant: South Feather Water and Power Agency.
    e. Name of Project: South Feather Power Project.
    f. Location: On the South Fork Feather River (SFFR), Lost Creek and 
Slate Creek in Butte, Yuba and Plumas counties, California. The project 
affects 1,977.12 acres of federal lands administered by the Plumas 
National Forest and 10.57 acres of federal land administered by the 
U.S. Bureau of Land Management.
    g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act 16 U.S.C. 791(a)-825(r).
    h. Applicant Contact: Michael Glaze, General Manager, South Feather 
Water and Power Agency, 2310 Oro-Quincy Highway, Oroville, CA, 95966, 
(530) 533-4578.
    i. FERC Contact: John Mudre, (202) 502-8902, or 
[email protected].
    j. Deadline for filing scoping comments: July 16, 2007.
    All documents (original and eight copies) should be filed with: 
Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 
First Street, NE., Washington, DC 20426.
    The Commission's Rules of Practice and Procedure require all 
interveners filing documents with the Commission to serve a copy of 
that document on each person on the official service list for the 
project. Further, if an intervener files comments or documents with the 
Commission relating to the merits of an issue that may affect the 
responsibilities of a particular resource agency, they must also serve 
a copy of the document on that resource agency.
    Scoping comments may be filed electronically via the Internet in 
lieu of paper. The Commission strongly encourages electronic filings. 
See 18 CFR 385.2001(a)(1)(iii) and the instructions on the Commission's 
Web site (http://www.ferc.gov) under the ``e-Filing'' link.

[[Page 29153]]

    k. This application is not ready for environmental analysis at this 
time.
    l. The South Feather Power Project is a water supply/power project 
constructed in the late 1950s/early 1960s. The Project is composed of 
four developments: Sly Creek, Woodleaf, Forbestown and Kelly Ridge, 
each of which is described below. The Project can store about 172,000 
acre-feet (af) of water (gross storage) and has generated an average of 
about 514.1 gigawatt hours (gWh) of power annually for the past 20 
years, since the addition of Sly Creek Powerhouse.
    The Sly Creek Development includes: (1) Little Grass Valley Dam--a 
210-foot-high, 840-foot-long, rock filled dam on the SFFR with a crest 
elevation of 5,052 feet (all elevations are in National Geodetic 
Vertical Datum, or NGVD, unless otherwise specified) and with a 180-
foot-long spillway controlled by two 14-feet-high by 40-feet-long steel 
radial gates that forms a 89,804 acre-foot (af) storage reservoir 
covering 1,650 acres at a maximum water surface (flood level) elevation 
of 5,047 feet with the spill gates closed; (2) South Fork Diversion 
Dam--a 60-foot-high, 167-foot-long, concrete overflow arch dam on the 
SFFR with a crest elevation of 3,557 to 3,559 feet and with four 
uncontrolled overflow spillway sections that forms an 87 af diversion 
impoundment covering about 9 acres at a normal maximum water surface 
elevation of 3,557 feet; (3) South Fork Diversion Tunnel--a 14,256-
foot-long, 11-foot-diameter concrete lined and unlined horseshoe un-
pressurized tunnel controlled by two 6-foot-high by 4-foot-long 
electric hoist slide gates that diverts up to 600 cubic feet per second 
(cfs) of water from the South Fork Diversion Dam to Sly Creek 
Reservoir; (4) Slate Creek Diversion Dam--a 62-foot-high, 223.5-foot-
long, concrete overflow arch dam on Slate Creek with a crest elevation 
of 3,552 to 3,554 feet and with three uncontrolled overflow spillway 
sections that forms a negligible diversion impoundment due to sediment 
accumulation; (5) Slate Creek Diversion Tunnel--a 13,200-foot-long, 11-
foot-diameter, concrete lined and unlined horseshoe un-pressurized 
tunnel controlled by two 8-foot-high by 6-foot-long manual slide gates 
that diverts up to a maximum flow capacity of 848 cfs of water (though 
water rights limit flows to 600 cfs and at times flows are limited to 
500 cfs due to high storage volume in the receiving reservoir) from the 
Slate Creek Diversion Dam to Sly Creek Reservoir; (6) Sly Creek Dam--a 
289-foot-high, 1,200-foot-long, zoned earth-filled dam on Lost Creek 
with a crest elevation of 3,536 feet and with a 649-foot-long spillway 
controlled by one 16-foot-high by 54-foot-long steel radial gate that 
forms a 64,338 af storage reservoir covering 619 acres at a maximum 
water surface (flood level) elevation of 3,531 feet with the spill 
gates closed; (7) Sly Creek Penstock--a 1,100-foot-long, 90-inch-
inside-diameter, steel penstock enclosed in the former outlet tunnel 
that delivers water to Sly Creek Powerhouse; (8) Sly Creek Powerhouse--
a semi-outdoor, reinforced concrete, above ground powerhouse that 
releases water to Lost Creek Reservoir and that contains one reaction 
turbine rated at 17,690 horsepower (hp) directly connected to a 13,500-
kilovolt-amperes (kVA) generator; (9) Sly Creek Powerhouse Switchyard--
a switchyard adjacent to the Sly Creek Powerhouse that contains one 
16,000 kVA transformer. Power generated at Sly Creek Powerhouse is 
delivered from the switchyard to the grid via Pacific Gas and Electric 
Company's 115 kilovolt (kV) Sly Creek Tap and Woodleaf-Kanaka Junction 
transmission line; (10) Little Grass Valley Reservoir Recreation 
Facility--the Little Grass Valley Reservoir Recreation Facility 
includes Little Beaver, Red Feather, Running Deer, Horse Camp, 
Wyandotte, Peninsula Tent, Black Rock Tent, Black Rock RV, and Tooms RV 
campgrounds; Black Rock, Tooms and Maidu Boat Launch areas; Pancake 
Beach and Blue Water Beach day use areas, Maidu Amphitheater and Little 
Grass Valley Dam ADA Accessible Fishing trail at Little Grass Valley 
Reservoir; and (11) Sly Creek Reservoir Recreation Facility--the Sly 
Creek Recreation Facility includes two campgrounds (Strawberry and Sly 
Creek), Strawberry Car-Top Boat Launch, Mooreville Boat Ramp and 
Mooreville Day Use Area on Sly Creek Reservoir. The Sly Creek 
Development does not include any roads except for the portions of the 
roads within the FERC Project Boundary that cross Little Grass Valley 
Dam (USFS Road 22N94) and Sly Creek Dam (USFS Road 21N16).
    The Woodleaf Development includes: (1) Lost Creek Dam--a 122-foot-
high, 486-foot-long, concrete overflow arch dam on the Lost Creek with 
a crest elevation of 3,279.05 feet and with a 251-foot-wide spillway 
controlled by 4-foot-high by 8-foot-long flashboards that forms a 5,361 
af storage reservoir covering 137 acres at a normal maximum water 
surface elevation of 3,283 feet with the flashboards installed; (2) 
Woodleaf Power Tunnel--an 18,385-foot-long, 12-foot-diameter, concrete 
lined and unlined horseshoe pressurized tunnel controlled by one 6-
foot-high by 12-foot-long electric hoist slide gate that diverts up to 
620 cfs of water from Lost Creek Reservoir to the Woodleaf Penstock; 
(3) Woodleaf Penstock--a 3,519-foot-long, 97-inch reducing to 78-inch-
inside-diameter, exposed steel penstock that delivers water to Woodleaf 
Powerhouse; (4) Woodleaf Powerhouse--a semi-outdoor, reinforced 
concrete, above ground powerhouse that releases water to the Forbestown 
Diversion Dam impoundment on the SFFR and that contains one 6-jet 
vertical shaft impulse Pelton turbine rated at 80,000 hp directly 
connected to a 65,500 kVA generator; and (5) Woodleaf Powerhouse 
Switchyard--a switchyard adjacent to the Woodleaf Powerhouse that 
contains one 70,000 kVA transformer. Power generated at Woodleaf 
Powerhouse is delivered from the switchyard to the grid via Pacific Gas 
and Electric Company's 115 kV Woodleaf-Kanaka Junction transmission 
line. The Woodleaf Development does not include any recreation 
facilities or roads.
    The Forbestown Development includes: (1) Forbestown Diversion Dam--
a 80-foot-high, 256-foot-long, concrete overflow arch dam on the SFFR 
with a crest elevation of 1,783 feet and with five 46-foot-wide 
uncontrolled overflow spillway sections with a combined width of 
approximately 240 feet that forms a 352 af diversion impoundment 
covering about 12 acres at a normal maximum water surface elevation of 
1,783 feet; (2) Forbestown Power Tunnel--a 18,388-foot-long, 12.5-foot 
by 11-foot-diameter, concrete lined and unlined horseshoe pressurized 
tunnel that diverts up to 660 cfs of water from the Forbestown 
Diversion impoundment to the Forbestown Penstock; (3) Forbestown 
Penstock--a 1,487-foot-long, 97-inch reducing to 83-inch-inside-
diameter exposed steel penstock that delivers water to Forbestown 
Powerhouse; (4) Forbestown Powerhouse--a semi-outdoor reinforced 
concrete above ground powerhouse that releases water to Ponderosa 
Reservoir on the SFFR and that contains one vertical reaction Francis 
turbine rated at 54,500 hp directly connected to a 40,500 kVA 
generator; and (5) Forbestown Powerhouse Switchyard--a switchyard 
adjacent to the Forbestown Powerhouse that contains one 35,200 kVA 
transformer. Power generated at Forbestown Powerhouse is delivered from 
the switchyard to the grid via Pacific Gas and Electric Company's 115 
kV Woodleaf-Kanaka Junction transmission line. The Forbestown

[[Page 29154]]

Development does not include any recreation facilities or roads.
    The Kelly Ridge Development includes: (1) Ponderosa Dam--a 160-
foot-high, 650-foot-long, earth-filled dam that releases water into the 
3.6 million af Lake Oroville (part of the California Department of 
Water Resources' Feather River Project, FERC Project No. 2100) with a 
crest elevation of 985 feet and with a 352-foot-long spillway 
controlled by two 7 foot 7.5-inch-high by 51 feet-long steel gates that 
forms a 4,178 af storage reservoir covering 103 acres at a normal 
maximum water surface elevation of 960 feet; (2) Ponderosa Diversion 
Tunnel--a 516-foot-long, 10-foot by 9-foot-diameter concrete lined and 
unlined horseshoe unpressurized tunnel controlled by one 6-foot-high by 
8-foot-long hydraulic gate that diverts up to 300 cfs of water from 
Ponderosa Reservoir to Miners Ranch Conduit; (3) Miners Ranch Conduit--
a 32,254-foot-long, 10-foot-wide concrete or gunite-lined canal and 
concrete or bench flume that includes two siphon sections across the 
McCabe and Powell creek sections of Lake Oroville and that diverts 
water from the Ponderosa Diversion Tunnel to the Miners Ranch Tunnel; 
(4) Miners Ranch Tunnel--a 23,946-foot-long, 10-foot by 9-foot-
diameter, concrete lined horseshoe un-pressurized tunnel that diverts 
up to 300 cfs of water from the Miners Ranch Conduit to Miners Ranch 
Reservoir; (5) Miners Ranch Dam--a 55-foot-high, 1,650-foot-long, 
earth-filled off-stream dam with a crest elevation of 895 feet and with 
an 1,175-foot-long uncontrolled spillway that forms a 896 af storage 
reservoir covering 48 acres at a normal maximum water surface elevation 
of 890 feet; (6) Kelly Ridge Power Tunnel--a 6,736-foot-long, 9-foot by 
8-foot-diameter, pressurized tunnel controlled by one 4-foot-high by 8-
foot-long fixed wheel gate that diverts up to 260 cfs of water from 
Miners Ranch Reservoir to Kelly Ridge Penstock: (7) Kelly Ridge 
Penstock--a 6,064-foot-long 69-inch reducing to 57-inch-inside-
diameter, exposed steel penstock that delivers water to Kelly Ridge 
Powerhouse; (8) Kelly Ridge Powerhouse--a semi-outdoor reinforced 
concrete above ground powerhouse that releases water to CDWR Feather 
River Project's Thermalito Diversion Pool downstream of Oroville Dam 
and that contains one vertical reaction Francis turbine rated at 13,000 
hp directly connected to a 11,000 kVA generator; and (9) Kelly Ridge 
Powerhouse Switchyard--a switchyard adjacent to the Kelly Ridge 
Powerhouse that contains one 11,000 kVA transformer. Power generated at 
the Kelly Ridge Powerhouse is delivered from the switchyard to the grid 
via Pacific Gas and Electric Company's 60 kV Kelly Ridge-Elgin Junction 
transmission line. The Kelly Ridge Development does not include any 
recreation facilities or roads.
    m. A copy of the application is available for review at the 
Commission in the Public Reference Room or may be viewed on the 
Commission's Web site 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, contact 
FERC Online Support at [email protected] or toll-free at 1-
866-208-3676, or for TTY, (202) 502-8659. A copy is also available for 
inspection and reproduction at the address in item h above.
    You may also register online at http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/esubscription.asp to be notified via e-mail of new filings and 
issuances related to this or other pending projects. For assistance, 
contact FERC Online Support.
    n. Scoping Process.
    The Commission intends to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement 
(EIS) on the project in accordance with the National Environmental 
Policy Act. The EIS will consider both site-specific and cumulative 
environmental impacts and reasonable alternatives to the proposed 
action.

Scoping Meetings

    FERC staff will conduct one agency scoping meeting and one public 
meeting. The agency scoping meeting will focus on resource agency and 
non-governmental organization (NGO) concerns, while the public scoping 
meeting is primarily for public input. All interested individuals, 
organizations, and agencies are invited to attend one or both of the 
meetings, and to assist the staff in identifying the scope of the 
environmental issues that should be analyzed in the EIS. The times and 
locations of these meetings are as follows:

Agency Scoping Meeting

    Date: June 14, 2007.
    Time: 10 a.m.
    Place: VFW Post 1747.
    Address: 1901 Elgin St., Oroville, CA.

Public Scoping Meeting

    Date: June 13, 2007.
    Time: 7 p.m.
    Place: VFW Post 1747.
    Address: 1901 Elgin St., Oroville, CA.
    Copies of the Scoping Document (SD1) outlining the subject areas to 
be addressed in the EIS are being distributed to the parties on the 
Commission's mailing list under separate cover. Commission's mailing 
list. Copies of the SD1 will be available at the scoping meeting or may 
be viewed on the Web at http://www.ferc.gov using the ``eLibrary'' link 
(see item m above).

Site Visit

    We also will conduct a two-day site visit to the project facilities 
on Tuesday, June 12, 2007, and Wednesday June 13, 2007. On both days we 
will meet at the South Feather Water and Power Agency's Forbestown 
Office, 5494 Forbestown Rd., Forbestown, CA at 7:30 a.m. All 
participants are responsible for their own transportation on the site 
visits and will need to provide their own lunch.

Objectives

    At the scoping meetings, the staff will: (1) Summarize the 
environmental issues tentatively identified for analysis in the EIS; 
(2) solicit from the meeting participants all available information, 
especially quantifiable data, on the resources at issue; (3) encourage 
statements from experts and the public on issues that should be 
analyzed in the EIS, including viewpoints in opposition to, or in 
support of, the staff's preliminary views; (4) determine the resource 
issues to be addressed in the EIS; and (5) identify those issues that 
require a detailed analysis, as well as those issues that do not 
require a detailed analysis.

Procedures

    The meetings are recorded by a stenographer and become part of the 
formal record of the Commission proceeding on the project.
    Individuals, organizations, and agencies with environmental 
expertise and concerns are encouraged to attend the meeting and to 
assist the staff in defining and clarifying the issues to be addressed 
in the EIS.

Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E7-10000 Filed 5-23-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P