[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 143 (Wednesday, July 25, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 43584-43585]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-18103]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No. 13011-003]


Shelbyville Hydro LLC; Notice of Application Ready for 
Environmental Analysis and Soliciting Comments, Recommendations, Terms 
and Conditions, and Prescriptions

    Take notice that the following hydroelectric application has been 
filed with the Commission and is available for public inspection.
    a. Type of Application: Major License.
    b. Project No.: 13011-003.
    c. Date filed: October 28, 2011.
    d. Applicant: Shelbyville Hydro LLC (Shelbyville Hydro), a wholly-
owned subsidiary of Symbiotics LLC.
    e. Name of Project: Lake Shelbyville Dam Hydroelectric Project.
    f. Location: On the Kaskaskia River, in Shelby County, Illinois at 
an existing dam owned and operated by the U.S. Corps of Engineers 
(Corps). The project would occupy 3.24 acres of federal lands managed 
by the Corps.
    g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act 16 U.S.C. 791(a)-825(r).
    h. Applicant Contact: Mr. Brent L. Smith, Chief Operating Officer, 
Symbiotics LLC 371 Upper Terrace, Suite 2, Bend, OR 97702; Telephone 
(541)-330-8779.
    i. FERC Contact: Lesley Kordella, (202) 502-6406 or 
[email protected].
    j. Deadline for filing comments, terms and conditions, 
recommendations, and prescriptions: 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.
    The Commission's Rules of Practice and Procedures 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.
    k. This application has been accepted for filing and is ready for 
environmental analysis.
    l. Project Description: The project would be located at an existing 
dam owned and operated by the Corps (St. Louis District). The existing 
Lake Shelbyville Dam was constructed in 1963 for the purposes of flood 
control, recreation development, water supply, navigation release, and 
fish and wildlife conservation. In August of 1970, the Corps closed the 
gates to start the initial filling of the lake. The West Okaw and 
Kaskaskia rivers were inundated for 17 miles upstream of the dam.
    The Lake Shelbyville Dam is an earthen embankment with an elevation 
of 643 feet above mean sea level (MSL). The dam is 3,025 feet long and 
rises 108 feet above the river bed. The concrete spillway is located at 
593 feet MSL and is topped by three Tainter gates that are 
approximately 45 feet wide by 37 feet high. The two regulating outlet 
structures release water through the face of the spillway. The 
impoundment above the Lake Shelbyville Dam, referred to as Lake 
Shelbyville, varies according to flood control operations controlled by 
the Corps. Lake Shelbyville has a maximum storage capacity of 684,000 
acre-feet. Of the 684,000 acre-feet of storage, 474,000 acre-feet have 
been designated for flood control. The average depth of the reservoir 
is 16 feet and the maximum is 67 feet.
    The proposed Lake Shelbyville Project would consist of: (1) A trash 
rack with 4-inch spacing integrated into the Corps' existing west 
intake structure; (2) a steel liner installed in the Corps' existing 
west outlet chamber transitioning to a bifurcation; (3) a 13-foot-
diameter bifurcation and a river release valve installed at the west 
outlet structure; (4) a 13-foot-diameter penstock at the bifurcation 
after which it reduces to a 12-foot-diameter, 575-foot-long steel 
penstock; (5) a 60-foot-long, 50-foot-wide, 68-foot-high concrete 
powerhouse containing a 6.8-megawatt Kaplan turbine-generator with a 
flow of 130 to 1,500 cubic feet per second (cfs) at a net head of 33 to 
77 feet; (6) an approximately 24.5-foot-wide, 30-foot-long, 6.7-foot-
tall draft tube; (7) a 25 to 105-foot-wide, 49-foot-long tailrace; (8) 
a 12.47-kilovolt, 407-foot-long buried transmission line connecting the 
project to an existing Shelby Electric Cooperative substation located 
900 feet downstream of the dam; and (9) appurtenant facilities. The 
project boundary would include 3.24 acres of federal lands owned by the 
Corps. The annual average energy production is estimated to be 20.3 
gigawatt-hours.
    The project would operate in a run-of-release mode utilizing 
releases from Lake Shelbyville as they are dictated by the Corps, with 
no proposed change to the Corps' facility operation. Power generation 
would be seasonally variable as flow regimens and pool levels are set 
forth by the Corps. The project would generate power using flows 
between 130 and 1,500 cfs. When flows are below 130 cfs, all flows 
would be passed through the Corps' existing outlet

[[Page 43585]]

structure and the project would then be offline. When flows are greater 
than 1,500 cfs, excess flow would be passed through the existing outlet 
structure.
    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.
    All filings must (1) bear in all capital letters the title 
``COMMENTS'', ``REPLY COMMENTS'', ``RECOMMENDATIONS,'' ``TERMS AND 
CONDITIONS,'' or ``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 submitting the filing; 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. Each filing must be 
accompanied by proof of service on all persons listed on the service 
list prepared by the Commission in this proceeding, in accordance with 
18 CFR 4.34(b), and 385.2010.
    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. Public notice of the filing of the initial development 
application, which has already been given, established the due date for 
filing competing applications or notices of intent. Under the 
Commission's regulations, any competing development application must be 
filed in response to and in compliance with public notice of the 
initial development application. No competing applications or notices 
of intent may be filed in response to this notice.
    o. A license applicant must file no later than 60 days following 
the date of issuance of this notice: (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.

    Dated: July 18, 2012.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2012-18103 Filed 7-24-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P