[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 248 (Thursday, December 26, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 78355-78356]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-30833]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No. 12747-002]


San Diego County Water Authority; Notice of Preliminary Permit 
Application Accepted For Filing and Soliciting Comments, Motions To 
Intervene, and Competing Applications

    On July 1, 2013, the San Diego County Water Authority filed an 
application for a preliminary permit, pursuant to section 4(f) of the 
Federal Power Act, proposing to study the feasibility of the San 
Vicente Pumped Storage Water Power Project No. 12747 to be located on 
at the existing San Vicente dam and reservoir on San Vicente Creek in 
San Diego County, California. The proposed project would consist of the 
existing San Vicente reservoir functioning as the lower reservoir of 
the project and one of four alternatives as an upper reservoir. 
Specific details about each of these alternatives are described below. 
The sole purpose of a preliminary permit, if issued, is to grant the 
permit holder priority to file a license application during the permit 
term. A preliminary permit does not authorize the permit holder to 
perform any land-disturbing activities or otherwise enter upon lands or 
waters owned by others without the owners' express permission.
    All four of the alternatives would use the San Vicente reservoir, 
as the lower reservoir of the pumped storage project. The San Vicente 
reservoir portion of the project consists of: (1) An existing dam, 
currently being raised to a dam height of 337 feet, and a length of 
1,442 feet; and (2) an existing impoundment, that upon completion of 
the dam raise will have a surface area of 1,600 acres, and storage 
capacity of 247,000 acre-feet with a normal maximum water surface 
elevation of 767 feet above mean sea level (msl).
    There are four alternatives for the upper reservoir, as described 
below.
    Alternative Site A is located near Iron Mountain 3 miles northwest 
of San Vicente reservoir and includes: (1) A proposed 235-foot-high, 
1,250-foot-long upper dam; (2) a proposed reservoir with a surface area 
of 93 acres having a storage capacity of 8,070 acre-feet and a normal 
maximum water surface elevation of 2,110 feet msl; (3) a proposed 
12,300-foot-long, 20-foot-diameter concrete power tunnel; (4) two 
proposed 500-foot-long steel-lined penstocks; (5) a proposed powerhouse 
containing two generating units having a total installed capacity of 
500 megawatts (MW); (6) a proposed 3,300-foot-long, 24-foot-diameter 
concrete tailrace; (7) a proposed 14,000-foot-long, 230-kilovolt 
transmission line; and (8) appurtenant facilities.
    Alternative Site B is located near Foster Canyon, approximately 0.5 
mile northwest of San Vicente reservoir and includes: (1) A proposed 
215-foot-high, 4,500-foot-long upper dam; (2) a proposed upper 
reservoir with a surface area of 100 acres having a storage capacity of 
12,200 acre-feet and a normal maximum water surface elevation of 1,490 
feet msl; and (3) appurtenant facilities.
    Alternative Site C is located approximately 1.8 miles southeast of 
the San Vicente reservoir and includes: (1) A proposed 200-foot-high, 
2,200-foot-long upper dam; (2) a proposed upper

[[Page 78356]]

reservoir with a surface area of 60 acres having a storage capacity of 
6,800 acre-feet and a normal maximum water surface elevation of 1,600 
feet msl; and (3) appurtenant facilities.
    Alternative Site D is located approximately 1.8 miles southeast of 
the San Vicente reservoir. The reservoir would have a water surface 
area of 80 acres at a full pond elevation of 1,800 feet msl.
    Each alternative would interconnect via a 230-kilovolt primary 
transmission line to the existing San Diego Gas and Electric Sunrise 
Powerlink 500-kV transmission line located approximately one half mile 
northwest of the project.
    The applicant proposes to investigate potential power development 
in the range of 240 to 500 MW. The proposed project would have a 
maximum estimated annual generation of up to 1,000 gigawatt-hours, 
which would be sold to a local utility.
    Applicant Contact: Frank Belock, Deputy General Manager, San Diego 
County Water Authority, 4677 Overland Avenue, San Diego CA 92123; 
phone: (858) 522-6788.
    FERC Contact: Joseph P. Hassell, 202-502-8079
    Deadline for filing comments, motions to intervene, competing 
applications (without notices of intent), or notices of intent to file 
competing applications: 60 days from the issuance of this notice. 
Competing applications and notices of intent must meet the requirements 
of 18 CFR 4.36 (2013).
    The Commission strongly encourages electronic filing. Please file 
comments, motions to intervene, notices of intent, and competing 
applications using the Commission's eFiling system at 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], (866) 208-3676 (toll free), or (202) 502-
8659 (TTY). In lieu of electronic filing, please send a paper copy to: 
Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street, NE., 
Washington, DC 20426. The first page of any filing should include 
docket number P-12747-002.
    More information about this project, including a copy of the 
application, can be viewed or printed on the ``eLibrary'' link of 
Commission's Web site at http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/elibrary.asp. 
Enter the docket number (P-12747-002) in the docket number field to 
access the document. For assistance, contact FERC Online Support.

    Dated: December 19, 2013.
 Kimberly D. Bose,
 Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2013-30833 Filed 12-24-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P