[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 176 (Wednesday, September 11, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 73644-73645]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-20592]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No. 2997-031]


South Sutter Water 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: New Major License.
    b. Project No.: 2997-031.
    c. Date filed: July 1, 2019, and amended December 28, 2023.
    d. Applicant: South Sutter Water District.
    e. Name of Project: Camp Far West Hydroelectric Project.
    f. Location: The existing project is located on the Bear River in 
Yuba, Nevada, and Placer Counties, California. The project, with the 
proposed project boundary modifications, would occupy a total of 2,674 
acres. No federal or tribal lands occur within or adjacent to the 
project boundary or along the Bear River downstream of the project.
    g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act 16 U.S.C. 791a-825r.
    h. Applicant Contact: Mr. Hayden Cornwell, General Manager, South 
Sutter Water District, 2464 Pacific Avenue, Trowbridge, California 
95659.
    i. FERC Contact: Quinn Emmering, (202) 502-6382, 
[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.
    All timely responses to our March 16, 2021 Notice of Application 
Ready for Environmental Analysis and Soliciting Comments, 
Recommendations, Terms and Conditions, and Prescriptions will still be 
considered. To the extent that the amendment necessitates any changes 
to, or new comments, recommendations, or terms and conditions, we 
encourage refiling updated responses.
    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 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/Quick.aspx. 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: 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. All 
filings must clearly identify the project name and docket number on the 
first page: Camp Far West Hydroelectric Project (P-2997-031).
    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 and is ready for 
environmental analysis at this time.
    l. The existing Camp Far West Hydroelectric Project operates to 
provide water during the irrigation season, generate power, and meet 
streamflow requirements for the Bear River. The project includes: (1) a 
185-foot-high, 40-foot-wide, 2,070-foot-long, zoned, earth-filled main 
dam; (2) a 45-foot-high, 20-foot-wide, 1,060-foot-long, earth-filled 
south wing dam; (3) a 25-foot-high, 20-foot-wide, 1,460-foot-long, 
earth-filled north wing dam; (4) a 15-foot-high, 20-foot-wide, 1,450-
foot-long, earth-filled north dike; (5) a 1,886-acre reservoir with a 
gross storage capacity of about 93,737 acre-feet at the normal maximum 
water surface elevation (maximum water elevation) of 300 feet (NGVD 
29); (6) an overflow spillway with a 15-foot-wide concrete approach 
apron, 300-foot-long ungated, ogee-type concrete structure, and a 77-
foot-long downstream concrete chute with concrete sidewalls; (7) a 
1,200-foot-long, unlined, rock channel that carries spill downstream to 
the Bear River; (8) a 22-

[[Page 73645]]

foot-high, concrete, power intake tower with openings on three sides 
protected by steel trashracks; (9) a 25-foot-4-inch-high, concrete, 
intake tower with openings on three sides, each of which is protected 
by steel trashracks that receives water for the outlet works; (10) a 
760-foot-long, 8-foot-diameter concrete tunnel through the left 
abutment of the main dam that conveys water from the power intake to 
the powerhouse; (11) a steel-reinforced, concrete powerhouse with a 
6.8-megawatt, vertical-shaft, Francis-type turbine, which discharges to 
the Bear River at the base of the main dam; (12) a 350-foot-long, 48-
inch-diameter steel pipe that conveys water from the intake structure 
to a valve chamber for the outlet works; (13) a 400-foot-long, 7.5-
foot-diameter concrete-lined horseshoe tunnel that connects to the 
valve chamber; (14) a 48-inch-diameter, outlet valve with a capacity of 
500 cubic feet per second that discharges directly into the Bear River; 
(15) a fenced switchyard adjacent to the powerhouse; (16) two 
recreation areas with campgrounds, day-use areas, boat ramps, 
restrooms, and sewage holding ponds; and (17) a water system that 
includes two pumps in the reservoir delivering water to a treatment 
facility that is piped to a 60,000-gallon storage tank to supply water 
to recreation facilities. The project has no transmission facilities. 
The estimated average annual generation (1976 to 2014) is 20,381 
megawatt-hours.
    South Sutter Water District proposes to: (1) raise the normal 
maximum water surface elevation (NMWSE) of the project reservoir by 
approximately 5 feet from an elevation of 300 feet to an elevation of 
304.8 feet; (2) raise the crest of the existing spillway from an 
elevation of 300 feet to an elevation of 304.8 feet to accommodate the 
proposed pool raise; (3) construct an ogee-type weir secondary spillway 
structure at an elevation of 304.8 feet; (4) excavate a new unlined 
spillway inlet channel to divert water from the reservoir into the new 
secondary spillway; (5) construct a new 805-foot-long unlined outlet 
channel to convey water back from the secondary spillway to the 
existing spillway; (6) construct a 300-foot-long bridge to provide 
access to the secondary spillway and allow vehicles to pass over the 
dam and along Blackford Road; (7) modify the existing Blackford Road by 
raising the west end 15 feet to accommodate the approach to the new 
bridge; (8) relocate, reroute, or realign approximately 104 recreation 
facilities and replacement or rehabilitation of recreation facilities 
to maintain their proper functioning condition; (9) add an existing 
0.25-mile road as a primary project road to access the powerhouse and 
switchyard; and (10) modify the project boundary to account for: the 
removal of the 1.9-mile-long transmission line from the license in 
1991; corrections based on current project operation and maintenance; 
and changes to the project boundary to account for the new reservoir 
surface level.
    m. A copy of the application can be viewed on the Commission's 
website 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 at [email protected] or call toll-free, (866) 208-3676 
or (202) 502-8659 (TTY).
    All filings must (1) bear in all capital letters the title 
``COMMENTS'', ``REPLY COMMENTS'', ``RECOMMENDATIONS,'' ``TERMS AND 
CONDITIONS,'' or ``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 on the service 
list prepared by the Commission in this proceeding, in accordance with 
18 CFR 4.34(b) and 385.2010.
    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].
    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.
    n. The applicant must file no later than 60 days following the date 
of issuance of this notice: (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.
    o. Procedural schedule: The application will be processed according 
to the following schedule. Revisions to the schedule will be made as 
appropriate.

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                 Milestone                              Date
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Deadline for Filing Comments,               November 4, 2024.
 Recommendations, and Agency Terms and
 Conditions/Prescriptions.
Licensee's Reply to REA Comments..........  December 19, 2024.
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    p. Final amendments to the application must be filed with the 
Commission no later than 30 days from the issuance date of this notice.

    Dated: September 5, 2024.
Debbie-Anne A. Reese,
Acting Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2024-20592 Filed 9-10-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P