[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 236 (Monday, December 13, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 70832-70833]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-26904]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No. 6470-008]


Winooski Hydroelectric Company, Vermont; Notice Soliciting 
Scoping Comments

    Take notice that the following hydroelectric application has been 
filed with the Commission and is available for public inspection.
    a. Type of Application: Subsequent Minor License.
    b. Project No.: 6470-008.
    c. Date Filed: July 30, 2021.
    d. Applicant: Winooski Hydroelectric Company (WHC).
    e. Name of Project: Winooski 8 Hydroelectric Project (project).
    f. Location: On the Winooski River in Washington County, Vermont. 
The project does not occupy any federal land.
    g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act, 16 U.S.C. 791(a)-825(r).
    h. Applicant Contact: Mathew Rubin, General Partner, Winooski 
Hydroelectric Company, 26 State Street, Montpelier, Vermont 05602; 
(802) 793-5939; or email at [email protected].
    i. FERC Contact: Kristen Sinclair at (202) 502-6587, or 
[email protected].
    j. Deadline for filing scoping comments: February 5, 2022.
    The Commission strongly encourages electronic filing. Please file 
scoping comments using the Commission's eFiling system at https://ferconline.ferc.gov/FERCOnline.aspx. Commenters can submit brief 
comments up to 6,000 characters, without prior registration, using the 
eComment system at https://ferconline.ferc.gov/QuickComment.aspx. 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, you may submit a paper copy. 
Submissions sent via the U.S. Postal Service must be addressed to: 
Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 
First Street NE, Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426. Submissions sent via 
any other carrier must be addressed to: Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, 
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 12225 Wilkins Avenue, Rockville, 
Maryland 20852. All filings must clearly identify the project name and 
docket number on the first page: Winooski 8 Hydroelectric Project (P-
6470-008).

[[Page 70833]]

    The Commission's Rules of Practice and Procedure 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. The application is not ready for environmental analysis at this 
time.
    l. The existing project consists of: (1) A 222.5-foot-long, 26-
foot-high concrete gravity dam impounding a reservoir with a storage 
capacity of approximately 20 acre-feet at an elevation of 611.0 feet 
(when the flashboards are not in place) and 615.0 feet (when the 
flashboards are in place); (2) a 148-foot-long spillway with 4-foot-
high flashboards built into the crest of the dam; (3) a 24-foot-long, 
hydraulically operated crest gate; (4) a 1,100-square-foot forebay 
located adjacent to the project impoundment; (5) a 33.5-foot-wide, 28-
foot-high concrete intake structure containing three separate intake 
bays each fitted with a hydraulically operated trashrack with 2-inch 
spacing between the bars; (6) a 1,550-square-foot powerhouse that 
contains two semi-Kaplan turbines and one fixed propeller turbine for a 
total installed capacity of 856 kilowatts; (7) a 100-foot-long 
tailrace; (8) a 1,000 kilovolt-amp station transformer; (9) a 30-foot 
long, 13-kilovolt transmission line and (10) appurtenant facilities. 
The project creates an approximately 160-foot-long bypassed reach of 
the Winooski River.
    WHC voluntarily operates the project in a run-of-river mode. 
Article 24 of the current license requires WHC to: (1) Maintain a year-
round minimum flow of 25 cubic feet per second (cfs) in the bypassed 
reach (currently via discharge releases from Unit 1).
    WHC proposes to: (1) Continue operating the project in a run-of-
river mode; (2) continue its current practice of increasing generation 
flows above inflow rates when the reservoir is drawdown for 
maintenance, and storing 10 percent of inflow to refill the 
impoundment; (3) conduct a mussel survey during the first planned 
impoundment drawdown following the issuance of a new license; (4) 
implement a proposed Sediment Dredging Management Plan; (5) increase 
minimum flows in the bypassed reach to 41 cfs during daytime hours from 
May 1 through October 31 and to 36 cfs the remainder of the year (i.e., 
during nighttime hours from May 1 through October 31 and during day and 
night from November 1 through April 30) through a combination of spill 
and flow through Unit 1 to enhance aesthetics and aquatic habitat in 
the bypassed reach; (6) when inflow drops below proposed minimum flow 
levels, prioritize spill flows over the dam rather than discharging 
flows through Unit 1; and (7) continue to consult with the Vermont 
Division of Historic Preservation before beginning any land-disturbing 
activities or alterations to known historic structures within the 
project boundary.
    WHC also proposes to add 3.6 acres to the existing project boundary 
to enclose the 4,100-foot-long dirt road currently used by WHC to 
access the dam and powerhouse, and to enclose an existing unimproved 
recreation site that provides access to the river for boating and 
fishing activities downstream of the dam.
    m. In addition to publishing the full text of this document in the 
Federal Register, the Commission provides all interested persons an 
opportunity to view and/or print the contents via the internet through 
the Commission's Home Page (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 at [email protected] or call toll-free, (866) 208-3676 or 
TYY, (202) 502-8659.
    n. You may also register online at https://ferconline.ferc.gov/FERCOnline.aspx to be notified via email of new filings and issuances 
related to this or other pending projects. For assistance, contact FERC 
Online Support.
    o. Scoping Process
    Commission staff will prepare either an environmental assessment 
(EA) or an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) that describes and 
evaluates the probable effects, if any, of the licensee's proposed 
action and alternatives. The EA or EIS will consider environmental 
impacts and reasonable alternatives to the proposed action. The 
Commission's scoping process will help determine the required level of 
analysis and satisfy the NEPA scoping requirements, irrespective of 
whether the Commission prepares an EA or an EIS. At this time, we do 
not anticipate holding on-site scoping meetings. Instead, we are 
soliciting written comments and suggestions on the preliminary list of 
issues and alternatives to be addressed in the NEPA document, as 
described in scoping document 1 (SD1), issued December 7, 2021.
    Copies of the SD1 outlining the subject areas to be addressed in 
the NEPA document were distributed to the parties on the Commission's 
mailing list and the applicant's distribution list. Copies of SD1 may 
be viewed on the web 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, call 1-866-
208-3676 or for TTY, (202) 502-8659.

    Dated: December 7, 2021.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2021-26904 Filed 12-10-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P