[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 233 (Wednesday, December 6, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57596-57597]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-26246]



[[Page 57596]]

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No. 2299-082]


Turlock Irrigation District, Modesto Irrigation District; Notice 
of Application Accepted for Filing, Soliciting Motions To Intervene and 
Protests, 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: Major License.
    b. Project No.: 2299-082.
    c. Date filed: October 11, 2017.
    d. Applicant: Turlock Irrigation District and Modesto Irrigation 
District (Districts).
    e. Name of Project: Don Pedro Hydroelectric Project.
    f. Location: The Don Pedro Project is located on the Tuolumne River 
in Tuolumne County, California. Portions of the project occupy public 
lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management.
    g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act, 16 U.S.C. 791(a)-825(r).
    h. Applicant Contacts: Steve Boyd, Turlock Irrigation District, 333 
East Canal Drive, Turlock, California 95381-0949, (209) 883-8300; and 
Anna Brathwaite, Modesto Irrigation District, P.O. Box 4060, Modesto, 
CA 95352, (209) 526-7384.
    i. FERC Contact: Jim Hastreiter at (503) 552-2760 or 
[email protected].
    j. Deadline for filing motions to intervene and protests, 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 
motions to intervene, protests, 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-2299-082.
    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. The Don Pedro Project consists of the following existing 
facilities: (1) A 580-foot-high, 1,900-foot-long earth and rockfill dam 
with a gross storage capacity of 2,030,000 acre-feet, located on the 
Tuolumne River 54.8 miles upstream of its confluence with the San 
Joaquin River; (2) a 30-foot-high, 45-foot-wide, 135-foot-long gated 
spillway including three radial gates each 45-foot-wide by 30-foot-
high; (3) a 995-foot-long ungated ogee spillway with a crest elevation 
of 830 feet; (4) a set of outlet works located at the left abutment of 
the dam consisting of three individual gate housings, each containing 
two 4-foot-by-5-foot slide gates; (5) a 3,500-foot-long-concrete lined 
tunnel with a total hydraulic capacity of 7,500 cubic feet per second; 
(6) a 2,960-foot-long power tunnel located in the left abutment of the 
dam that transitions from an 18-foot concrete-lined section to a 16-
foot steel-lined section; (7) a 21-foot-high, 12-foot-wide emergency 
closure fixed-wheel gate; (8) a powerhouse located immediately 
downstream of the dam containing a 72-inch hollow jet valve and four 
Francis turbine-generator units with a nameplate capacity of 168 
megawatts; (9) a switchyard located on top of the powerhouse; (10) a 
75-foot-high earth and rockfill Gasburg Creek dike with a slide-gate 
controlled 18-inch-diameter conduit located near the downstream end of 
the spillway; (11) three small embankments dikes (dike A is located 
between the main dam and spillway and dikes B and C are located east of 
the main dam); (12) recreation facilities on Don Pedro reservoir, 
including Fleming Meadows, Blue Oaks, and Moccasin Point; and (13) 
appurtenant facilities and features including access roads. The 
project's estimated average annual generation is about 550,000 
megawatt-hours.
    The Districts propose to: (1) Conduct coarse sediment augmentation 
from river mile (RM) 39 to RM 52 over a 10-year period; (2) provide 
gravel mobilization flows of 6,000 to 7,000 cfs during years when 
sufficient spill is projected to occur; (3) conduct a five-year program 
of experimental gravel cleaning; (4) implement a boulder placement 
program to improve aquatic habitat between RM 42 and RM 50; (5) 
contribute $50,000 per year to the California Division of Boating and 
Waterways to assist with the removal of water hyacinth and other non-
native flora; (6) implement a fall-run Chinook spawning improvement 
superimposition reduction program; (7) implement a predator control and 
suppression program that would include construction and operation of a 
fish counting/barrier weir and active predator control and suppression; 
(8) develop a fall-run Chinook salmon restoration hatchery; (9) install 
an improved take-out facility at RM 78 at Ward's Ferry and a new take-
out and put-in facility at RM 25.7; (10) implement flow-related 
measures including the construction of infiltration galleries and the 
provision of base flows and pulse flows designed to benefit specific 
salmonid life stages and provide for recreational boating; (11) monitor 
the effectiveness of gravel, aquatic habitat and predator control 
measures; and (12) implement management plans for fire prevention and 
response, spill prevention and countermeasures, aquatic invasive 
species, woody debris, terrestrial resources, recreation resources, 
historic properties, and transportation.
    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.
    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. Anyone may submit comments, a protest, or a motion to intervene 
in accordance with the requirements of Rules of Practice and Procedure, 
18 CFR 385.210, .211, and .214. In determining

[[Page 57597]]

the appropriate action to take, the Commission will consider all 
protests or other comments filed, but only those who file a motion to 
intervene in accordance with the Commission's Rules may become a party 
to the proceeding. Any comments, protests, or motions to intervene must 
be received on or before the specified comment date for the particular 
application.
    All filings must (1) bear in all capital letters the title PROTEST, 
MOTION TO INTERVENE, 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 protesting or 
intervening; 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. A copy of 
any protest or motion to intervene must be served upon each 
representative of the applicant specified in the particular 
application. A copy of all other filings in reference to this 
application 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.
    o. Procedural Schedule:
    The application will be processed according to the following 
revised Hydro Licensing Schedule. Revisions to the schedule may be made 
as appropriate.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                 Milestone                           Target date
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Filing of recommendations, preliminary      December 2017.
 terms and conditions, and preliminary
 fishway prescriptions.
Commission issues Draft Environmental       July 2018.
 Statement (EIS).
Comments on Draft EIS.....................  September 2018.
Modified Terms and Conditions.............  November 2018.
Commission Issues Final EIS...............  February 2019.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    p. Final amendments to the application must be filed with the 
Commission no later than 30 days from the issuance date of this notice.
    q. A license applicant must file no later than 60 days following 
the date of issuance of the notice of acceptance and 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: November 30, 2017.
Nathaniel J. Davis, Sr.,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2017-26246 Filed 12-5-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6717-01-P