[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 82 (Friday, April 27, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 25158-25159]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-10222]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Project No. 1256-031]
Loup River Public Power District; Notice of Application Tendered
for Filing With the Commission and Establishing Procedural Schedule for
Licensing and Deadline for Submission of Final Amendments
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.: 1256-031.
c. Date Filed: April 16, 2012.
d. Applicant: Loup River Public Power District (Loup Power
District).
e. Name of Project: Loup River Hydroelectric Project (Loup River
Project).
f. Location: On the Loup River, Loup Canal (a diversion canal off
the Loup River), and Platte River in Nance and Platte counties,
Nebraska. The project does not occupy federal lands.
g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act, 16 U.S.C. 791(a)-825(r).
h. Applicant Contact: Neal Suess, President/CEO, Loup Power
District, P.O. Box 988, 2404 15th Street,
[[Page 25159]]
Columbus, Nebraska 68602, Telephone (866) 869-2087.
i. FERC Contact: Lee Emery, (202) 502-8379 or [email protected].
j. This application is not ready for environmental analysis at this
time.
k. Project Description: The project consists of (upstream to
downstream): (1) A 1,320-foot-long, 6-foot-high diversion dam on the
Loup River; (2) an intake structure composed of eleven 24-foot-long by
5-foot-high steel intake gates located on the north bank of the Loup
River immediately upstream of the diversion dam; (3) three 20-foot-long
by 6-foot-high steel sluice gates located between the diversion dam and
the intake structure; (4) the 35-mile-long Loup Canal; (5) a 2-mile-
long settling basin located in the upper portion of the Loup Canal and
containing a floating hydraulic dredge and skimming weir; (6) the
Monroe Powerhouse containing three Francis-type, turbine-generating
units each with a rated capacity of 2.612 megawatts (MW); (7) a 760-
acre regulating reservoir, Lake Babcock, with a storage capacity of
2,270 acre-feet at its full pool elevation of 1,531 feet; (8) a 200-
acre regulating reservoir, Lake North, with a storage capacity of 2,080
acre-feet at an elevation of 1,531 feet; (9) a concrete control
structure in the south dike linking the two reservoirs; (10) a 60-foot-
long by 104-foot-wide by 40-foot-high inlet structure with trashracks;
(11) three 20-foot-diameter by 385-foot-long steel penstocks connecting
the inlet structure with a powerhouse (Columbus Powerhouse); (12) the
Columbus Powerhouse containing three Francis-type, turbine-generating
units each with a rated capacity of 15.2 MW; and (13) appurtenant
facilities. The project has a combined installed capacity of 53.4 MW.
The Monroe Powerhouse operates in a run-of-river mode (i.e., canal
inflow to the powerhouse closely approximates outflow from the
powerhouse with no storage of canal flow). The maximum hydraulic
capacity of the canal at the Monroe Powerhouse is 3,500 cubic feet per
second (cfs). The Monroe Powerhouse spans the canal and functions as an
energy-producing canal drop structure.
The Columbus Powerhouse operates as a daily peaking facility. The
water levels in Lake Babcock and Lake North are generally drawn down
about 2 to 3 feet to produce power during times of peak electrical
demand. In off-peak hours, when there is less demand for electricity,
the turbines are turned down or shut off, which allows Lake Babcock and
Lake North to refill, thereby allowing peaking operations to occur the
following day. The hydraulic capacity of the canal at the Columbus
Powerhouse is 4,800 cfs.
The minimum leakage rate at the Loup River diversion dam and sluice
gate structure is about 50 cfs. During hot weather conditions, Loup
Power District operates the diversion in a manner that allows flows of
between 50 to 75 cfs (including the leakage flow) to pass into the Loup
River downstream of the diversion to prevent high water temperatures
that could cause fish mortality.
Loup Power District proposes new and improved recreational
amenities at the project; however, there are no proposed changes to the
existing project facilities or operations.
Loup Power District proposes to remove three areas of land from the
project boundary that it finds are not necessary for project operations
or purposes. In addition, Loup Power District proposes to add three
parcels of land to the project boundary that it finds are needed for
project purposes.
l. Locations of the Application: 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.
m. You may also register online at http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/esubscription.asp to be notified via email of new filings and issuances
related to this or other pending projects. For assistance, contact FERC
Online Support.
n. Procedural Schedule:
The application will be processed according to the following
preliminary Hydro Licensing Schedule. Revisions to the schedule may be
made as appropriate.
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Milestone Target date
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Notice of Acceptance/Notice of Ready for June 2012.
Environmental Analysis.
Filing of recommendations, preliminary August 2012.
terms and conditions, and fishway
prescriptions.
Commission issues Draft EA.............. February 2013.
Comments on Draft EA.................... March 2013.
Modified terms and conditions........... May 2013.
Commission issues Final EA.............. August 2013.
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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 the notice
of ready for environmental analysis.
Dated: April 23, 2012.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2012-10222 Filed 4-26-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P