[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 42 (Wednesday, March 5, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11309-11310]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2025-03501]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Project No. 1403-068]
Yuba County Water Agency; Notice of Application Ready for
Environmental Analysis and Soliciting Comments, Recommendations, Terms
and Conditions, and 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.: 1403-068.
c. Date Filed: November 14, 2023.
d. Applicant: Yuba County Water Agency.
e. Name of Project: Narrows Hydroelectric Project.
f. Location: The existing project is located on the Yuba River in
Nevada County, California, approximately 23 miles northeast of the City
of Marysville. The project affects 0.55 acres of Federal land managed
by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act 16 U.S.C. 791a-825r.
h. Applicant Contact: Mr. Willie Whittlesey, General Manager, Yuba
County Water Agency, 1220 F Street, Marysville, CA 95901; phone: (530)
741-5000 or email: [email protected].
i. FERC Contact: Rebecca Kipp, (202) 502-8846 or
[email protected].
j. Deadline for filing comments, recommendations, terms and
conditions, and 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
comments, recommendations, terms and conditions, and 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/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:
Debbie-Anne A. Reese, 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,
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: Narrows Hydroelectric
Project (P-1403-068).
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 Narrows Project consists of: (1) an adit portal connecting
to the Corps' tunnel from Englebright Dam; (2) a 1,077-foot-long tunnel
that connects the adit portal to the project penstock; (3) a 266-foot-
long steel penstock pipe that connects the project tunnel to the
project powerhouse; and (4) a reinforced concrete powerhouse containing
a single 12-megawatt Francis turbine capable of passing up to 730 cubic
feet per second (cfs). There are no recreation facilities at the
project. The estimated average annual generation of the project is
52,887 megawatt-hours.
The Narrows Project operates as a run-of-river facility primarily
through remote control using a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition
system. YCWA coordinates operations of the Narrows 1 powerhouse, which
is a facility of the Narrows Project and the Narrows 2 powerhouse,
which is a facility of YCWA's Yuba River Development Project No. 2246
located on the north bank of the river at the base of Englebright, to
meet downstream flow requirements and irrigation water demands as
follows: (1) lower flow requirements: when the required releases are
less than the Narrows 1 powerhouse's current capacity, only Narrows 1
powerhouse operates; (2) moderate flow requirement up to 900 cfs: when
the required releases exceed the Narrows 1 powerhouse's capacity but
under 900 cfs, the Narrows 1 powerhouse operates at full capacity. The
remaining required release is provided via Narrows 2 full or partial
bypass; (3) high flow requirement over 900 cfs: when the release is
over 900 cfs, the Narrows 2 powerhouse operates either independently or
in conjunction with Narrows 1; (4) transitioning Narrows 1 online: if
Narrows 2 is operating but Narrows 1 needs to come online,
synchronization to the grid occurs while reducing Narrows 2 output; (5)
as Narrows 1 gradually increases its load and water releases, Narrows 2
decreases its release to maintain the overall required flow; and (6)
transitioning Narrows 2 online: if Narrows 1 is operating and Narrows 2
needs to come online, synchronization to the grid occurs while reducing
Narrows 1 output, allowing Narrows 2
[[Page 11310]]
to supplement Narrows 1 load to meet the release requirements.
Yuba County Water Agency is not proposing any changes to project
facilities or operation.
m. A copy of the application is available for review 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, (886) 208-3676 or TTY (202) 502-8659.
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,
community organizations, 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. Procedural Schedule: The application will be processed according
to the following schedule. Revisions to the schedule will be made as
appropriate.
Deadline for Filing Comments, Recommendations, and Agency Terms and
Conditions/Prescriptions--April 2025
Licensee's Reply to REA Comments--June 2025
o. Final amendments to the application must be filed with the
Commission no later than 30 days from the issuance date of this notice.
Dated: February 26, 2025.
Debbie-Anne A. Reese,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2025-03501 Filed 3-4-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P