[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 45 (Tuesday, March 8, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12719-12720]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-5210]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No. 176-018]


City of Escondido, California, and Vista Irrigation District; 
Notice of Application Accepted for Filing, Ready for Environmental 
Analysis, and Soliciting Comments, Motions To Intervene, Protests, 
Recommendations, and Terms and Conditions

    Take notice that the following hydroelectric application has been 
filed with the Commission and is available for public inspection:
    a. Application Type: Conduit Exemption.
    b. Project No: 176-018.
    c. Date Filed: December 3, 2010.
    d. Applicant: City of Escondido, California, (Escondido) and Vista 
Irrigation District (Vista).
    e. Name of Project: Bear Valley Powerhouse Project.
    f. Location: On the San Luis Rey River in San Diego County, near 
Escondido, California. The project occupies 290 acres of Federal lands 
under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Forest Service and the U.S. Bureau 
of Land Management. The project also occupies approximately 0.25 acre 
of Indian reservation lands owned by the La Jolla, San Pasqual, and 
Rincon Indian Tribes.
    g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act 16 U.S.C. 791a-825r).
    h. Applicant Contact: Donald R. Lincoln, Special Counsel for the 
City of Escondido, Endeman, Lincoln, Turek & Heater, LLP, 600 ``B'' 
Street, Suite 2400, San Diego, CA 92101-4582, (619) 544-0123; and Don 
A. Smith, Director of Water Resources, Vista Irrigation District, 1391 
Engineer Street, Vista, CA 92081, (207) 945-5621.
    i. FERC Contact: Carolyn Templeton, (202) 502-8785, or 
[email protected].
    j. This application has been accepted for filing and is now ready 
for environmental analysis.
    k. Deadline for filing comments, motions to intervene, protests, 
recommendations, and terms and conditions: 60 days from the issuance 
date of this notice; reply comments are due 105 days from the issuance 
date of this notice.
    All documents may be filed electronically via the Internet. See 18 
CFR 385.2001(a)(1)(iii) and the instructions on the Commission's Web 
site 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 [email protected] or toll free at 1-866-208-3676, 
or for TTY, (202) 502-8659. Although the Commission strongly encourages 
electronic filing, documents may also be paper-filed. To paper-file, 
mail an original and seven copies to: Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, 
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street, NE., 
Washington, DC 20426. Please include the project number (P-176-018) on 
any documents filed.
    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

[[Page 12720]]

also serve a copy of the document on that resource agency.
    l. Description of Project: Escondido and Vista are the joint 
current owners and operators of the currently licensed Escondido 
Hydroelectric Project facilities and hold the current Commission 
license for the Escondido Hydroelectric Project. The primary purpose of 
the project has historically been for water delivery for consumptive 
purposes, including agricultural and municipal-industrial uses.
    The most upstream component of the Escondido Hydroelectric Project 
is the Escondido canal diversion dam, a concrete structure located on 
the San Luis Rey River within the La Jolla Indian Reservation 
approximately 10 miles downstream from Lake Henshaw. The dam diverts 
San Luis Rey River water into the 13.6-mile-long Escondido canal that 
extends from a diversion dam to Lake Wohlford. The canal traverses the 
La Jolla, Rincon, and San Pasqual Indian reservations, as well as other 
Federal and private lands. Historically, the canal has delivered 10 to 
15 percent of the waters diverted into the Escondido canal to the 
Rincon Indian Reservation. Lake Wohlford stores the water obtained from 
the San Luis Rey River and Escondido Creek watersheds, which is then 
used consumptively by Escondido and Vista. Water is delivered from Lake 
Wohlford through a 4,022-foot-long penstock through the Bear Valley 
powerhouse or bypasses the powerhouse. The powerhouse location takes 
advantage of the 495 feet of elevation drop from Lake Wohlford to the 
water delivery point. From the Bear Valley powerhouse, water is 
delivered via underground conduits to Escondido's water treatment 
plant. From the treatment plant, water is distributed for consumptive 
uses on a prorated basis into the distribution systems of both 
Escondido and Vista.
    The hydroelectric generation component of the water conveyance 
system consists of the existing Bear Valley powerhouse, which has a 
nameplate generation capacity of 1.5 megawatt. The powerhouse consists 
of two 1,010-horsepower impulse turbines and two 750 kilowatt (kW) 
generators which operate at a gross head of 495 feet. Two 16-inch 
submerged sleeve valves allow for water delivery from the Project when 
it is necessary to bypass the turbines due to maintenance or other 
operational constraints. The average annual production was 4,903,000 
kilowatt-hours (kWh) per year for fiscal year 1987 through 2006. The 
capacity and energy is sold to San Diego Gas & Electric Company (at 
avoided cost rates).
    In a concurrent filing, the applicants have filed an application 
for surrender of the remaining facilities of the Escondido 
Hydroelectric Project.
    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. 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.
    p. Protests or Motions to Intervene--Anyone may submit a protest or 
a motion to intervene in accordance with the requirements of Rules of 
Practice and Procedure, 18 CFR 385.210, 385.211, and 385.214. In 
determining the appropriate action to take, the Commission will 
consider all protests 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 protests or motions to intervene must be 
received on or before the specified deadline date for the particular 
application.
    q. All filings must (1) bear in all capital letters the title 
``PROTEST,'' ``MOTION TO INTERVENE,'' ``COMMENTS,'' ``REPLY COMMENTS,''
    ``RECOMMENDATIONS,'' or ``TERMS AND CONDITIONS;'' (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, or terms and 
conditions 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. Any of these documents 
must be filed by providing the original and eight copies to: The 
Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street, NE., 
Washington, DC 20426. An additional copy must be sent to Director, 
Division of Hydropower Administration and Compliance, Office of Energy 
Projects, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, at the above address. 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.
    r. With this notice, we are initiating consultation with the 
California State Historic Preservation Officer, as required by section 
106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, and the regulations of 
the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, 36 CFR 800.4.

    Dated: March 1, 2011.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2011-5210 Filed 3-7-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P