[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 215 (Thursday, November 6, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 65935-65936]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-26391]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No. 14642-000]


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

    On October 16, 2014, the San Diego County Water Authority, 
California, filed an application for a preliminary permit, pursuant to 
section 4(f) of the Federal Power Act (FPA), proposing to study the 
feasibility of the San Vicente Pumped Storage Project (Project) to be 
located at San Vicente reservoir, in Lakeside, California. 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.
    The lower reservoir portion of the proposed project would consist 
of the following: (1) The existing San Vicente reservoir with a storage 
capacity of 246,000 acre-feet and a surface area of 1,600 acres at a 
normal maximum operating elevation of 766 feet above mean sea level 
(msl); (2) the existing 1,430-foot-long, 337-foot-high San Vicente 
roller compacted concrete (RCC) gravity dam; (3) a lower reservoir 
inlet/outlet structure equipped with trash racks and one or two slide 
gates; (4) a 230-kilovolt (kV) substation containing step-up 
transformers, circuit breakers, and disconnect switches; (5) a 
switchyard constructed at the point of interconnection; (6) an 
approximately 5-mile-long, 230-kV overhead or underground transmission 
line that would extend from the northern end of San Vicente reservoir 
to the 230-kV Sycamore substation and interconnect with San Diego Gas 
and Electric's 500-kV Sunrise Powerlink; and (7) appurtenant 
facilities.
    The upper reservoir portion of the proposed project would include 
one of the following four alternatives.

Alternative A--Iron Mountain

    Alternative Site A, located near Iron Mountain, approximately 3 
miles northwest of the San Vicente reservoir, would consist of: (1) A 
reservoir with a storage capacity of 6,100 acre-feet and a surface area 
of 93 acres at a full pond elevation of 2,110 feet msl; (2) three RCC 
saddle dams measuring respectively: (i) 1,425 feet long and 35 feet 
high, (ii) 1,340 feet long and 75 feet high, and (iii) 838 feet long 
and 15 feet high; (3) a 235-foot-long, 85-foot wide, 131-foot-tall 
subsurface powerhouse containing two 250-MW vertical Francis variable 
speed reversible pump/turbine/generator units; (4) a 1,358-foot-long, 
12-foot-diameter concrete-lined tailrace tunnel; (5) an upper reservoir 
inlet/outlet structure; (6) two 171-foot-long, 16-foot-diameter steel-
lined penstocks; (7) a 1,350-foot-long, 230-kV, underground 
transmission line extending from the upper reservoir to the northern 
end of San Vicente reservoir; and (8) appurtenant facilities. This 
alternative would annually generate an estimated 1,022 gigawatt-hours 
(GWh).

Alternative B--Foster Canyon

    Alternative Site B, located near Foster Canyon, approximately one-
half mile northwest of the San Vicente reservoir, would consist of: (1) 
A reservoir with a storage capacity of 7,800 acre-feet and a surface 
area of 100 acres at a full pond elevation of 1,490 feet msl; (2) five 
RCC saddle dams measuring, respectively: (i) 1,760 feet long and 160 
feet high, (ii) 838 feet long and 80 feet high, (iii) 838 feet long and 
80 feet high, (iv) 1,006 feet long and 240 feet high, and (v) 3,100 
feet long and 30 feet high; (3) a 235-foot-long, 88-foot-wide, 147-
foot-tall subsurface powerhouse containing two 250-MW vertical Francis 
variable speed reversible pump/turbine/generator units; (4) a 2,244-
foot-long, 18-foot-diameter concrete-lined tailrace tunnel; (5) an 
upper reservoir inlet/outlet structure; (6) two 326-foot-long, 22-foot-
diameter steel-lined penstocks; (7) a 2,200-foot-long, 230-kV, 
underground transmission line extending from the upper reservoir to the 
northern end of San Vicente reservoir; and (8) appurtenant facilities. 
This alternative would annually generate an estimated 1,022 GWh.

Alternative Site C--Northeast

    Alternative Site C, located 0.8 mile northeast of the San Vicente 
reservoir, would consist of: (1) A reservoir with a storage capacity of 
7,700 acre-feet and a surface area of 60 acres at a full pond elevation 
of 1,600 feet msl; (2) four RCC saddle dams measuring, respectively: 
(i) 1,176 feet long and 260 feet high, (ii)1,508 feet long and 20 feet 
high, (iii) 2,500 feet long and 20 feet high, and (iv) 2,700 feet long 
and 20 feet high; (3) a 267-foot-long, 93-foot-wide, 179-foot-high 
subsurface powerhouse, containing two 250-MW vertical Francis variable 
speed reversible pump/turbine-motor/generator units; (4) a 1,252-foot-
long, 17-foot-diameter, concrete-lined tailrace tunnel connecting the 
pump/turbine draft tubes with the lower reservoir inlet/outlet 
structure; (5) an upper reservoir inlet/outlet structure equipped with 
trash racks and one or two slide gates; (6) two 297-foot-long, 22-foot-
diameter steel-lined penstocks; (7) a 1,200-foot-long, 230-kV, 
underground transmission line from the upper reservoir to the northern 
end of San Vicente reservoir; and (8) appurtenant facilities. This 
alternative would annually generate an estimated 1,022 GWh.

Alternative Site D--Southeast

    Alternative Site D, located 1.8 miles southeast of the San Vicente 
reservoir, would include: (1) A reservoir with a storage capacity of 
4,500 acre-feet and a surface area of 80 acres at a full pond elevation 
of 1,800 feet msl; (2) a 2,263-foot-long, 285-foot-high RCC dam; (3) a 
235-foot-long, 85-foot-wide, 131-foot-tall subsurface powerhouse 
containing two 250-MW vertical Francis variable speed reversible pump/
turbine-motor/generator units; (4) a 1,415-foot-long, 13-foot-diameter 
concrete-lined tailrace tunnel; (5) an upper reservoir inlet/outlet 
structure; (6) two 180-foot-long, 17-foot-diameter steel-lined 
penstocks; (7) a 1,400-foot-long, 230-kV, underground transmission line 
extending from the upper reservoir to the northern end of San Vicente 
reservoir; and (8) appurtenant facilities. This alternative would 
annually generate an estimated 715 GWh.
    Applicant Contact: Ms. Maureen Stapleton, General Manager, San 
Diego County Water Authority, 4677 Overland Avenue, San Diego, 
California 92123; phone: (858) 522-6781.
    FERC Contact: Joseph Hassell, phone: (202) 502-8079.
    Deadline for filing comments, motions to intervene, competing 
applications

[[Page 65936]]

(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.
    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-14642-000.
    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-14642) in the docket number field to access 
the document. For assistance, contact FERC Online Support.

    Dated: October 30, 2014.
 Kimberly D. Bose,
 Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2014-26391 Filed 11-5-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P