[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 85 (Wednesday, May 2, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 25997-25998]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-10534]


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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 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     June 2012.
 for 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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[[Page 25998]]

    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 24, 2012.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2012-10534 Filed 5-1-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P