[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 90 (Thursday, May 8, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 26092-26093]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-10195]



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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No.: 803-087]


Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E); Notice of Application 
Accepted for Filing, Soliciting Motions To Intervene and Protests, 
Ready for Environmental Analysis, and Soliciting Comments, 
Recommendations, Preliminary Terms and Conditions, and Preliminary 
Fishway Prescriptions

May 1, 2008.
    Take notice that the following hydroelectric application has been 
filed with the Commission and is available for public inspection.
    a. Type of Application: New Major License.
    b. Project No.: 803-087.
    c. Date filed: October 2, 2007.
    d. Applicant: Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E).
    e. Name of Project: DeSabla-Centerville Hydroelectric Project.
    f. Location: The existing project is located on Butte Creek and the 
West Branch Feather River in Butte County, California. The project 
affects 145.7 acres of federal lands administered by the Lassen 
National Forest, 2.1 acres of federal lands administered by the Plumas 
National Forest, and 11.6 acres of federal lands 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: Randal S. Livingston, Vice President-Power 
Generation, Pacific Gas and Electric Company, P.O. Box 770000, Mail 
Code: N11E, San Francisco, CA 94177; Telephone (415) 973-7000.
    i. FERC Contact: Kenneth Hogan, (202) 502-8434 or 
[email protected].
    j. Deadline for filing motions to intervene and protests, comments, 
recommendations, preliminary terms and conditions, and preliminary 
fishway prescriptions is 60 days from the issuance of this notice; 
reply comments are due 105 days from the issuance date of this notice.
    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 require all intervenors 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 
intervenor 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.
    Motions to intervene, protests, comments, recommendations, 
preliminary terms and conditions, and preliminary fishway prescriptions 
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.
    k. This application has been accepted for filing and is now ready 
for environmental analysis.
    The Toadtown development, which diverts water from the West Branch 
Feather River, consists of the following constructed facilities: (1) 
Round Valley Reservoir, a 98 acre reservoir with a gross storage 
capacity of 1,700 acre-feet; (2) Round Valley dam, an earthfill dam, 
29-feet high and 810-feet long; (3) a 40-foot-wide overflow spillway; 
(4) a 15-inch outlet pipe at the base of Round Valley dam, and manual 
low level outlet valve; (5) Philbrook Reservoir, a 173 acre reservoir 
with a gross storage capacity of 4,985 acre-feet; (6) Philbrook main 
dam (located on Philbrook Creek), a compacted earthfill dam, 87-feet 
high and 850-feet long; (7) Philbrook auxiliary dam (170 feet to the 
right of the main dam), a compacted earthfill dam, 24-feet high and 
470-feet long; (8) a 29.7-foot-wide spillway with 5 flashboard bays; 
(9) a 10.75-foot-long and 14.75-foot-wide spillway with a single, 
manual radial gate; (10) a 33-inch diameter, 460-foot-long outlet 
conduit from Philbrook Reservoir; (11) a 17-foot high, 8-feet diameter 
submerged vertical concrete intake, controlled by a 30-inch diameter 
manual needle valve; (12) Hendricks Head Dam, a concrete gravity dam, 
15-feet high with an overflow spillway section 98-feet wide; (13) a 
8.66-mile-long Hendricks Canal, composed mostly of earthen ditch with 
several flume and tunnel sections, with a capacity of 125 cfs; (14) 
feeder diversions from 4 creeks into Hendricks/Toadtown canal; (15) a 
40-inch diameter, 1,556-foot-long steel penstock; (16) Toadtown 
Powerhouse, a 28- by 44-foot reinforced concrete building, with one 
turbine-generator unit and a normal operating capacity of 1.5 MW; (17) 
a 1500-foot-long 12 kv tapline connecting Toadtown Powerhouse to a 
distribution system; and (18) appurtenant facilities.
    The DeSabla development, which diverts water from upper Butte Creek 
and uses the outflow of the Toadtown development, consists of the 
following constructed facilities: (1) The 2.4-mile-long Toadtown Canal, 
an earthen canal with a capacity of 125 cfs; (2) Butte Creek Diversion 
Dam, a 50-foot-high, 100-foot-long, concrete arch dam with an overflow 
spillway; (3) a 11.4-mile-long Butte Canal, composed of earthen berm 
sections, gunited sections, tunnel sections, a siphon, and flume 
sections, with a capacity of 91 cfs; (4) a 0.7-mile-long canal that 
combines Butte Canal with Toadtown Canal, with a capacity of 191 cfs; 
(5) feeder diversions from 4 creeks that flow into Butte Canal (1 not 
in use); (6) DeSabla Dam, a 50-foot-high, 100-foot-wide earthen 
embankment with a spillway canal; (7) DeSabla Forebay, a 15 acre 
reservoir with a gross storage capacity of 163 acre-feet (originally 
188 acre-feet); (8) a 66-inch diameter, reduced to 42-inch diameter, 
1.3-mile-long steel penstock; and (9) DeSabla Powerhouse, a 26.5- by 
41-foot reinforced concrete building, with one turbine-generator unit 
and a normal operating capacity of 18.5 MW; (10) a 0.25-mile-long 
transmission tapline connecting DeSabla Powerhouse to the 60 kV Oro 
Fino Tap Line; and (11) appurtenant facilities.
    The Centerville development, which diverts the flow of Butte Creek 
downstream of the DeSabla development, consists of the following 
constructed facilities: (1) The Upper Centerville Canal, that 
originates at DeSabla Powerhouse and ends at Helltown Ravine (currently 
carries a few cfs for local water uses and has not been used for power 
generation for many years); (2) Lower Centerville Diversion Dam, a 12-
foot high, 72.5 foot-wide concrete arch dam with an overflow spillway; 
(3) an 8-mile long Lower Centerville Canal, composed of earthen canal 
and several flume sections, with a capacity of 183 cfs; (4) feeder 
diversions from 3 creeks that flow into Lower Centerville Canal (all 3 
no longer in use); (5) one 30-inch diameter and one 42-inch diameter, 
reduced to 36-inch diameter, 2,559-foot long steel penstocks; (6) 
Centerville Forebay, a 27- by 37-foot concrete header box with a 
spillway channel; (7) Centerville Powerhouse, a 32- by 109-foot 
reinforced concrete building, with two turbine-generator units and a 
total normal operating capacity of 6.4 MW; and (8) appurtenant 
facilities.
    PG&E operates the project primarily as a run-of-river system and 
operates on a continuous basis, using the water supply available after 
satisfaction of the minimum instream flow requirements. During the 
winter and spring, base flows in the West Branch of the Feather River 
and Butte Creek typically provide

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adequate flow for full operation of the Project powerhouses. During the 
summer months, the available base flow water is augmented by water 
releases from Round Valley and Philbrook reservoirs.
    During the fall months, Project powerhouses are operated at reduced 
capacities due to low stream flows.
    Water releases from Round Valley reservoir flow down the West 
Branch Feather River, and water releases from Philbrook reservoir pass 
down natural channels of Philbrook Creek and the West Branch Feather 
River about 8 miles to Hendricks Head dam. Then water is conveyed in 
the Hendricks canal, through Toadtown Powerhouse, then into the 
Toadtown canal. From this point, the water is conveyed in the Butte 
Creek canal to DeSabla Forebay then discharged into Butte Creek. Water 
flow is then diverted into the Lower Centerville canal to the 
Centerville header box, through the Centerville Powerhouse, and finally 
discharged to Butte Creek.
    PG&E proposes to continue operating the Project with no change to 
Project generation facilities or features other than adoption of 
resource management measures and the deletion of five feeder 
diversions.
    l. 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.
    Register online at http://www.ferc.gov/esubscribenow.htm to be 
notified via e-mail of new filings and issuances related to this or 
other pending projects. For assistance, contact FERC Online Support.
    m. Anyone may submit comments, a protest, or a motion to intervene 
in accordance with the requirements of Rules of Practice and Procedure, 
18 CFR 385.210, .211, .214. In determining the appropriate action to 
take, the Commission will consider all protests or other comments 
filed, but only those who file a motion to intervene in accordance with 
the Commission's Rules may become a party to the proceeding. Any 
comments, protests, or motions to intervene must be received on or 
before the specified comment date for the particular application.
    All filings must (1) Bear in all capital letters the title 
``PROTEST'', ``MOTION TO INTERVENE'', ``COMMENTS,'' ``REPLY COMMENTS,'' 
``RECOMMENDATIONS,'' ``PRELIMINARY TERMS AND CONDITIONS,'' or 
``PRELIMINARY FISHWAY PRESCRIPTIONS;'' (2) set forth in the heading the 
name of the applicant and the project number of the application to 
which the filing responds; (3) furnish the name, address, and telephone 
number of the person protesting or intervening; and (4) otherwise 
comply with the requirements of 18 CFR 385.2001 through 385.2005. All 
comments, recommendations, terms and conditions or prescriptions must 
set forth their evidentiary basis and otherwise comply with the 
requirements of 18 CFR 4.34(b). Agencies may obtain copies of the 
application directly from the applicant. A copy of any protest or 
motion to intervene must be served upon each representative of the 
applicant specified in the particular application. A copy of all other 
filings in reference to this application must be accompanied by proof 
of service on all persons listed in the service list prepared by the 
Commission in this proceeding, in accordance with 18 CFR 4.34(b) and 
385.2010.
    n. Procedural Schedule:
    The application will be processed according to the following 
revised Hydro Licensing Schedule. Revisions to the schedule may be made 
as appropriate.

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                 Milestone                           Target Date
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Filing of recommendations, preliminary      June 30, 2008.
 terms and conditions, and preliminary
 fishway prescriptions.
Commission issues Draft EA................  December 27, 2008.
Comments on Draft EA......................  January 26, 2009.
Modified Terms and Conditions.............  March 27, 2009.
Commission Issues Final EA................  June 25, 2009.
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    o. Final amendments to the application must be filed with the 
Commission no later than 30 days from the issuance date of this notice.
    p. A license applicant must file no later than 60 days following 
the date of issuance of the notice of acceptance and ready for 
environmental analysis provided for in Sec.  5.22: (1) A copy of the 
water quality certification; (2) a copy of the request for 
certification, including proof of the date on which the certifying 
agency received the request; or (3) evidence of waiver of water quality 
certification.

Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E8-10195 Filed 5-7-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P