[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 166 (Tuesday, August 27, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 68607-68609]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-19202]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No. 5737-032]


Santa Clara Valley Water District; Notice of Scoping Meetings, 
Environmental Site Review, and Soliciting Scoping Comments

    On February 20, 2024, and supplemented on May 20, May 28, July 2, 
and July 3, 2024, Santa Clara Valley Water District (applicant) filed 
an application to retrofit the dam and to surrender the project 
exemption for the Anderson Dam Hydroelectric Project No. 5737. The 
staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or Commission) 
will prepare a document in accordance with the National Environmental 
Policy Act (NEPA) that will discuss the environmental impacts of the 
proposed dam retrofit and surrender of the project exemption for the 
Anderson Dam Hydroelectric Project located on Coyote Creek, in Santa 
Clara County, California (NEPA document). The Commission will use this 
NEPA document in its decision-making process to identify potential 
adverse and beneficial impacts of the proposed project surrender and 
reasonable alternatives.
    This notice initiates the start of a scoping process the Commission 
will use to gather input from the public and interested agencies about 
issues regarding the project. As part of the NEPA review process, the 
Commission takes into account concerns the public may have about 
proposals and the environmental impacts that could result from its 
action. This process is referred to as ``scoping.'' The main goal of 
the scoping process is to focus the analysis in the NEPA document on 
the important environmental issues. Additional information about the 
Commission's NEPA process is described below in the NEPA Process 
section of this notice.
    By this notice, the Commission staff requests public comments on 
the scope of issues to address in the NEPA document. Specifically, we 
request comments on potential alternatives and impacts, as well as 
identification of any relevant information, studies, or analyses of any 
kind concerning impacts affecting the quality of the human environment. 
To ensure that your comments are timely and properly recorded, please 
submit your comments within 60 days of this scoping notice, i.e., by 
October 21, 2024.\1\ Comments may be submitted in written or oral form. 
Further details on how to submit comments are provided in the Public 
Participation section of this notice.
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    \1\ The Commission's Rules of Practice and Procedure provide 
that if a filing deadline falls on a Saturday, Sunday, holiday, or 
other day when the Commission is closed for business, the filing 
deadline does not end until the close of business on the next 
business day. 18 CFR 385.2007(a)(2). Because the 60-day filing 
deadline falls on a Sunday (i.e., October 20, 2024), the filing 
deadline is extended until the close of business on Monday, October 
21, 2024.
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Public Participation

    There are four methods you can use to submit your comments to the 
Commission. The Commission encourages electronic filing of comments and 
has staff available to assist you at (866) 208-3676 or 
[email protected]. Please carefully follow these instructions 
so that your comments are properly recorded.
    (1) You can file your comments electronically using the eComment 
feature, which is located on the Commission's website (www.ferc.gov) 
under the link to FERC Online. Using eComment is an easy method for 
submitting brief, text-only comments on a project;
    (2) You can file your comments electronically by using the eFiling 
feature, which is located on the Commission's website (www.ferc.gov) 
under the link to FERC Online. With eFiling, you can provide comments 
in a variety of formats by attaching them as a file with your 
submission. New eFiling users must first create an account by clicking 
on ``eRegister.'' You will be asked to select the type of filing you 
are making; a comment on a particular project is considered a ``Comment 
on a Filing''; or

[[Page 68608]]

    (3) You can file a paper copy of your comments by mailing them to 
the Commission. Be sure to reference the project docket number (Project 
No. 5737-032) on your letter. Submissions sent via the U.S. Postal 
Service must be addressed to: Debbie-Anne A. Reese, Acting Secretary, 
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE, Room 1A, 
Washington, DC 20426. Submissions sent via any other carrier must be 
addressed to: Debbie-Anne A. Reese, Acting Secretary, Federal Energy 
Regulatory Commission, 12225 Wilkins Avenue, Rockville, Maryland 20852.
    (4) SCOPING SESSIONS:
    Commission staff will hold two public scoping meetings to receive 
input on the scope of the environmental issues that should be analyzed 
in the NEPA document. All interested individuals, resource agencies, 
Native American Tribes, and NGOs are invited to attend one or both of 
the meetings to provide comments for the public record. The times and 
locations of these meetings are as follows:

Evening Scoping Meeting

DATE: Wednesday, September 18, 2024
TIME: 6:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m. Pacific Time (PT)
PLACE: Hiram Morgan Hill Room, Community and Cultural Center
ADDRESS: 17000 Monterey Road, Morgan Hill, CA 95037

Daytime Scoping Meeting

DATE: Thursday, September 19, 2024
TIME: 9:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m. (PT)
PLACE: El Toro Room, Community and Cultural Center
ADDRESS: 17000 Monterey Road, Morgan Hill, CA 95037

    The meetings will be recorded by a stenographer and become part of 
the formal record of the Commission proceeding on the project. 
Individuals, NGOs, Native American Tribes, and agencies with 
environmental expertise and concerns are encouraged to attend the 
meeting and to assist the staff in defining and clarifying the issues 
to be addressed in the NEPA document.
    Additionally, the Commission offers a free service called 
eSubscription which makes it easy to stay informed of all issuances and 
submittals regarding the dockets/projects to which you subscribe. These 
instant email notifications are the fastest way to receive notification 
and provide a link to the document files which can reduce the amount of 
time you spend researching proceedings. Go to https://www.ferc.gov/ferc-online/overview to register for eSubscription.

Site Visit

DATE: Tuesday September 17, 2024
TIME: 8:30 a.m. (PT)
PLACE: Boarding of buses at the parking lot of the Morgan Hill 
Community Center, 17000 Monterey Road, Morgan Hill, CA 95037

    Commission staff will hold a limited site visit with Valley Water 
covering Anderson Dam Seismic Retrofit Project, Coyote Percolation Dam, 
and Ogier Ponds on September 17, 2024. Due to active construction at 
Anderson Dam and the downstream Coyote Percolation Dam, the site visit 
will be limited to publicly accessible areas only. Interested 
individuals, agencies, Tribes, and NGOs are invited to attend and must 
register in advance with Valley Water. Space may be limited, therefore, 
interested participants must confirm their planned participation by 
September 9, 2024, by contacting Jiana Escobar at Valley Water via 
phone, 408-630-2266 or email, [email protected]. All 
confirmed site visit participants should wear closed-toe shoes or 
boots. Boarding of buses for confirmed participants will start at 8:30 
a.m. at the Morgan Hill Community Center parking lot located at 17000 
Monterey Road, Morgan Hill, CA 95037. Buses will return to the 
Community Center at approximately 11:30 a.m.

Summary of the Proposed Surrender

    On February 20, 2024, as supplemented on May 20, May 28, and July 
2, and July 3, 2024, Valley Water filed an application to retrofit the 
Anderson Dam and to surrender the project exemption for the Anderson 
Dam Hydroelectric Project, located on Coyote Creek in Santa Clara 
County, California. The project does not occupy federal lands.
    The proposed action includes: (1) the drawdown of the Anderson 
reservoir to perform a seismic retrofit of the dam which would include 
removing Anderson Dam in stages and rebuilding the dam and spillway to 
meet public safety requirements, (2) decommissioning the hydroelectric 
facility, (3) implementing conservation measures downstream of the dam 
on Coyote Creek, and (4) surrendering the hydroelectric project 
exemption. Construction to retrofit the dam would take approximately 
seven years to complete, proposed to begin in 2026. The proposal 
includes various environmental monitoring plans, site restoration 
activities, and mitigation measures including improvements to Ogier 
Ponds and enhancements to the fish passage facilities at the Coyote 
Percolation Dam located downstream and outside of the Anderson Dam 
Hydroelectric Project on Coyote Creek. After the surrender, Valley 
Water would continue to maintain Anderson Reservoir and the rebuilt dam 
under specific operational conditions discussed in the surrender 
application.

The NEPA Process

    The NEPA document issued by the Commission will discuss impacts 
that could occur as a result of the proposed dam retrofit and surrender 
under the following general resource areas:

 geology and soils
 water quantity
 water quality
 aquatic resources
 terrestrial resources
 threatened and endangered species
 recreation
 land use
 aesthetic resources
 socioeconomics
 cultural resources
 air quality, noise, and greenhouse gases
 environmental justice

    A description of specific potential effects resulting from the 
proposed surrender is included in our Scoping Document. Your comments 
will help Commission staff identify and focus on the issues that might 
have an effect on the human environment and potentially eliminate 
others from further study and discussion in the NEPA document.
    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is a cooperating agency in the 
preparation of the NEPA document.
    The NEPA document will present Commission staff's independent 
analysis of the issues. Staff will prepare a draft NEPA document which 
will be issued for public comment. The comment period will be specified 
in the notice of availability of the NEPA document. Commission staff 
will consider all timely comments received during the comment period on 
the draft NEPA document and revise the document, as necessary, before 
issuing a final NEPA document. The draft and final NEPA document will 
be available in electronic format in the public record through 
eLibrary. If eSubscribed, you will receive email notification when 
environmental documents are issued.

Alternatives Under Consideration

    As part of our review in the NEPA document, the Commission will 
consider a range of reasonable alternatives, which include: 
alternatives that are technically and economically feasible; meet the 
purpose and need for the proposed action; and meet the goals of the 
applicant.\2\ Alternatives that do

[[Page 68609]]

not meet these requirements will be summarized and dismissed from 
further consideration in the NEPA document. Staff will also consider 
the no-action alternative. Currently, we are considering one 
alternative to the proposed action that potentially meets the above 
criteria: the applicants' proposed action with staff modifications.
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    \2\ 40 CFR 1508.1(z)
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    The alternatives we are considering may be expanded based on the 
comments we receive, provided they meet the required criteria. With 
this notice, we ask commenters to identify other potential alternatives 
for consideration.

Additional Information

    Additional information about the project is available on the FERC 
website at www.ferc.gov using the eLibrary link. Click on the eLibrary 
link, click on ``General Search'' and enter the docket number in the 
``Docket Number'' field, excluding the last three digits (i.e., P-
5737). Be sure you have selected an appropriate date range. For 
assistance, please contact FERC Online Support at 
[email protected] or (866) 208-3676, or for TTY, contact (202) 
502-8659. The eLibrary link also provides access to the texts of all 
formal documents issued by the Commission, such as orders, notices, and 
rulemakings.
    The Commission's Office of Public Participation (OPP) supports 
meaningful public engagement and participation in Commission 
proceedings. OPP can help members of the public, including landowners, 
environmental justice communities, Tribal members and others, access 
publicly available information and navigate Commission processes. For 
public inquiries and assistance with making filings such as 
interventions, comments, or requests for rehearing, the public is 
encouraged to contact OPP at (202) 502-6595 or [email protected].
    If you have further questions, you may also contact Jennifer Ambler 
at [email protected] or 202-502-8586.

    Dated: August 21, 2024.
Debbie-Anne A. Reese,
Acting Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2024-19202 Filed 8-26-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P