[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 24 (Friday, February 4, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 6530-6531]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-02372]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No. 6240-064]


Watson Associates; 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.: 6240-064.
    c. Date Filed: August 27, 2021.
    d. Applicant: Watson Associates.
    e. Name of Project: Watson Dam Project.
    f. Location: On the Cocheco River in Strafford County, New 
Hampshire. 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: Mr. John Webster, Watson Associates, P.O. Box 
178, South Berwick, ME 03908; Phone at (207) 384-5334, or email at 
[email protected].
    i. FERC Contact: Michael Watts at (202) 502-6123, or 
[email protected].
    j. Deadline for filing scoping comments: March 2, 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

[[Page 6531]]

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: Watson Dam Project (P-6240-064).
    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 Watson Dam Project (Figure 2) consists of: (1) A 
292.5-foot-long, 12-foot-high concrete gravity dam that includes the 
following sections: (a) A 54-foot-long right abutment; (b) a 111-foot-
long right spillway section with 24-inch-high flashboards and a crest 
elevation of 110.1 North American Vertical Datum of 1988 (NAVD 88) at 
the top of the flashboards; (c) a 12-foot-long, 11. 5-foot-wide 
concrete spillway center pier; (d) an 80-foot-long left spillway 
section with 24-inch-high flashboards and a crest elevation of 110.2 
feet NAVD 88 at the top of the flashboards; and (e) a 24-foot-long left 
abutment; (2) an impoundment with a surface area of 54 acres and a 
storage capacity of 300 acre-feet at an elevation of 110.1 feet NAVD 
88; (3) a 26-foot-long, 24-foot-wide intake structure in the left 
abutment that is equipped with an 8.5-foot-diameter headgate and 
trashrack with 2-inch clear bar spacing; (4) a 26.5-foot-long, 34-foot-
wide wood and steel powerhouse containing one 265-kilowatt vertical 
Flygt submersible turbine-generator unit; (5) a 250-foot-long, 20-foot-
wide tailrace that discharges into the Cocheco River; (6) a 0.48/12.47-
kilovolt (kV) step-up transformer and an 80-foot-long, 12.47 kV 
transmission line that connect the project to the local utility 
distribution system; and (7) appurtenant facilities. The project 
creates an approximately 250-foot-long and a 400-foot-long bifurcated 
bypassed reaches of the Cocheco River.
    Watson Associates voluntarily operates the project in a run-of-
river mode using an automatic pond level control system to regulate 
turbine operation, such that outflow from the project approximates 
inflow. Downstream fish passage is provided by a bypass facility 
located next to the project's intake on the left side of the dam. There 
is no upstream fish passage facility at the project.
    Article 26 of the current license requires a minimum flow of 83 cfs 
or inflow to the impoundment, whichever is less, from the project, to 
protect and enhance aquatic resources in the Cocheco River. Watson 
Associates is required to operate the downstream fish passage facility 
from October 1 through November 15 of each year.
    The average annual energy production of the project is 
approximately 1,100. MWh.
    Watson Associates proposes to: (1) Continue to operate the project 
in a run-of-river mode; (2) continue to provide downstream fish passage 
through the bypass facility; and (3) consult with the New Hampshire 
State Historic Preservation Officer before beginning any land-
disturbing activities or alterations to known historic structures 
within the project boundary.
    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 January 31, 2022.
    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: January 31, 2022.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2022-02372 Filed 2-3-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P