[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 50 (Monday, March 16, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13531-13532]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-05870]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No. 308-007]


PacifiCorp Energy; Notice of Application Ready for Environmental 
Analysis, and Soliciting Comments, Recommendations, Preliminary Terms 
and Conditions, and Preliminary Fishway Prescriptions

    Take notice that the following hydroelectric application has been 
filed with the Commission and is available for public inspection.
    a. Type of Application: Subsequent License (Minor Project).
    b. Project No.: 308-007.
    c. Date filed: February 28, 2014.
    d. Applicant: PacifiCorp Energy (PacifiCorp).
    e. Name of Project: Wallowa Falls Hydroelectric Project.
    f. Location: The existing project is located on Royal Purple Creek 
and the East and West Forks of the Wallowa River in Wallowa County, 
Oregon. The project would occupy 12.7 acres of federal land managed by 
the United States Forest Service.
    g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act 16 U.S.C. 791 (a)-825 (r).
    h. Applicant Contact: Russ Howison, Relicensing Project Manager, 
PacifiCorp Energy, 825 NE Multnomah, Suite 1500, Portland, OR 97232; 
Telephone (503) 813-6626.
    i. FERC Contact: Matt Cutlip, (503) 552-2762 or 
[email protected].
    j. Deadline for filing comments, recommendations, preliminary terms 
and conditions, and preliminary prescriptions: 60 days from the 
issuance date of this notice; reply comments are due 105 days from the 
issuance date of this notice.
    The Commission strongly encourages electronic filing. Please file 
comments, recommendations, preliminary terms and conditions, and 
preliminary fishway prescriptions 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-308-007.
    The Commission's Rules of Practice 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 now ready 
for environmental analysis.
    l. Project Description: The existing Wallowa Falls Hydroelectric 
Project consists of the following existing facilities: (1) A 2-foot-
high, 9-foot-long concrete diversion dam with a 1-foot-wide spillway on 
Royal Purple Creek; (2) a 240-foot-long, 8-inch-diameter wood-stave and 
polyvinylchloride pipeline conveying water from the Royal Purple Creek 
diversion dam to an impoundment; (3) an 18-foot-high, 125-foot-long, 
buttressed rock-filled timber crib dam with impervious gravel and 
asphalt core and a 30-foot-wide spillway on the East Fork Wallowa River 
(East Fork); (4) a 0.2-acre impoundment; (5) a 2-foot-high by 2-foot-
wide concrete intake structure with a headgate and steel trash rack; 
(6) a low-level sluiceway with a steel trash rack and cast iron gate 
connecting to a 2-foot-diameter steel pipe passing through the

[[Page 13532]]

dam to provide instream flow releases to the bypassed reach; (7) a 
5,688-foot-long steel penstock varying in diameter from 24 to 16 inches 
and consisting of buried sections or above-ground sections supported on 
timber crib trestles; (8) a powerhouse containing one impulse turbine-
generator unit with an installed capacity of 1,100 kilowatts; (9) a 40-
foot-long concrete-lined tailrace which conveys powerhouse flows to a 
1,000-foot-long unlined and braided tailrace channel discharging into 
the West Fork Wallowa River (West Fork); (10) a 20-foot-long, 7.2-
kilovolt transmission line which connects to the Wallowa Falls 
substation; and (11) appurtenant facilities.
    The project currently generates an average of 7 million kilowatt-
hours annually. The dams and existing project facilities are owned by 
PacifiCorp. The project is operated run-of-river. Up to 1 cubic feet 
per second (cfs) of flow is diverted from Royal Purple Creek and 
discharged into the impoundment. Up to 16 cfs of water (i.e., 15 cfs 
maximum from East Fork and 1 cfs from Royal Purple Creek) is diverted 
through the intake structure at the East Fork dam into the steel 
penstock and conveyed to the powerhouse where it flows through the 
single impulse turbine and discharges through the tailrace into the 
West Fork. The project's current license requires a minimum instream 
flow release of 0.5 cfs or inflow, whichever is less, in the bypassed 
reach. The current license also mandates that PacifiCorp restrict 
sediment flushing from the impoundment to the period from May 1 to 
August 30 to protect kokanee salmon.
    PacifiCorp proposes to modify the existing facilities by: (1) 
Extending the existing 8-inch Royal Purple Creek diversion pipe 
approximately 20 feet to discharge directly into the East Fork upstream 
of the project impoundment to reduce erosion, (2) realigning the 
existing tailrace channel and constructing a permanent fish passage 
barrier and concrete outfall at its confluence with the West Fork to 
prevent fish from entering the tailrace channel, (3) improving existing 
and constructing new recreational facilities to enhance recreation in 
the project area, and (4) installing and operating flow monitoring 
equipment at the historic U.S. Geological Survey gage in the East Fork 
bypassed reach to monitor compliance with minimum flows. PacifiCorp 
also proposes to: Increase the minimum flow release in the bypassed 
reach to 4 cfs from November through April and 5 cfs from May through 
October, and modify the sediment management program to only enable 
sediment flushing during the high-flow month of June.
    PacifiCorp proposes to modify the project boundary by adding about 
8.4 acres to encompass a total of 26.4 acres of land necessary for 
project purposes and for operation and maintenance.
    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,'' ``PRELIMINARY 
TERMS AND CONDITIONS,'' or ``PRELIMINARY FISHWAY 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 in 
the service list prepared by the Commission in this proceeding, in 
accordance with 18 CFR 4.34(b) and 385.2010.
    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 
revised Hydro Licensing Schedule. Revisions to the schedule may be made 
as appropriate.

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              Milestone                           Target date
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Filing of recommendations,             May 2015.
 preliminary terms and conditions,
 and preliminary fishway
 prescriptions.
Commission issues EA.................  September 2015.
Comments on EA.......................  October 2015.
Modified terms and conditions........  December 2015.
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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 this notice.
    p. A license applicant must file no later than 60 days following 
the date of issuance of the notice of ready for environmental analysis 
provided for in 5.22: (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: March 6, 2015.
Nathaniel J. Davis, Sr.,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2015-05870 Filed 3-13-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P