[Federal Register: May 16, 2003 (Volume 68, Number 95)]
[Notices]
[Page 26600-26601]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr16my03-75]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
Notice of Combined Initial Information Meeting and Scoping
Meeting, Project Site Visit, and Solicitation of Scoping Comments for
an Applicant-Prepared Environmental Assessment Using the Alternative
Licensing Process
May 12, 2003.
a. Type of Application: Alternative licensing process.
b. Project No.: 2204-019.
c. Applicant: City and County of Denver, Colorado.
d. Name of Project: Williams Fork Reservoir Project.
e. Location: On the Williams Fork River near its confluence with
the Colorado River at Parshall, in Grand County, Colorado. No federal
lands would be affected.
f. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act, 16 U.S.C. 791(a)-825(r).
g. Applicant Contact: Kevin Urie, Denver Water, 1600 W. 12th Ave.,
Denver, CO 80204, (303) 628-5987.
h. FERC Contact: Dianne Rodman, at (202) 502-6077 or
dianne.rodman@ferc.gov. j. Deadline for filing scoping comments: August 4, 2003.
Comments should be addressed to: Mr. Kevin Urie, Project
Coordinator--Williams Fork Project Relicensing, Denver Water, 1600 W.
12th Ave., Denver, CO 80204.
All documents (original and eight copies) should also be filed
with: Magalie R. Salas, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission, 888 First Street, NE., Washington, DC 20426.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's (Commission) rules of
practice and procedure require all interveners 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 intervener 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.
Scoping comments may be filed electronically via the Internet in
lieu of paper. The Commission strongly encourages electronic filings.
See 18 CFR 385.2001(a)(1)(iii) and the instructions on the Commission's
Web site (http://www.ferc.gov) under the ``e-Filing'' link.
k. The existing project consists of: (1) The 209-foot-high, 670-
foot-long concrete thin arch dam with a crest elevation of 7,814 feet
above mean sea level (msl); (2) the Williams Fork reservoir with a
surface area of 1,628 acres and storage of 96,822 acre-feet at
elevation 7,811 feet msl; (3) a reinforced concrete penstock intake on
the face of the dam, with a 7-foot by 5-foot fixed wheel penstock gate
controlling flows into a 66-inch-diameter steel penstock running
through the dam; (4) river outlet works on the face of the dam, leading
to a 54-inch-diameter steel embedded pipe that conveys water to the
outlet works valves; (5) a 66-foot-long, 30-foot-wide, 60-foot-high
concrete powerhouse at the toe of the dam, containing one vertical-axis
turbine/generator with a capacity of 3,150 kilowatts (kW); (6) a
tailrace excavated in the streambed rock, carrying the combined
powerhouse and river outlet discharges; (7) a 60-foot by 40-foot
switchyard; (8) and appurtenant equipment.
The applicant proposes to submit a license application that may
request the Commission to first review the application for a small
hydroelectric power project exemption from licensing, or alternatively
for a new license. Under the exemption alternative, the applicant would
increase the project's generating capacity to 3,650 kW by installing a
second turbine/generator. Under the relicensing alternative, the
applicant would to continue to operate the existing turbine/generator
with a 3,150-kW capacity and would not install a second unit.
Scoping Process
The City and County of Denver, Colorado, acting by and through its
Board of Water Commissioners (Denver Water), intends to utilize the
Commission's alternative licensing process (ALP). Under the ALP, Denver
Water intends to prepare an Applicant Prepared Environmental Assessment
(APEA) and exemption/license application for the Williams Fork
Reservoir Hydroelectric Project.
Denver Water expects to file with the Commission, the APEA and the
exemption/license application for the Williams Fork Reservoir
Hydroelectric Project by December 31, 2004. Although Denver Water's
intent is to prepare an EA, there is the possibility that an
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) will be required. Nevertheless,
this meeting will satisfy the NEPA scoping requirements, irrespective
of whether an EA or EIS is issued by the Commission.
The purpose of this notice is to inform you of the opportunity to
participate in the upcoming scoping meetings identified below, and to
solicit your scoping comments.
Site Visit
On Wednesday, June 4, 2003, from 11 a.m. until 3:30 p.m., a site
visit of the project will be conducted. The site visit is intended to
provide the opportunity for interested individuals to learn more about
the project, its operations, and the surrounding environment. Those
wishing to attend should meet in Kremmling, Colorado by 11 a.m. at the
Colorado State University Cooperative Extension of Grand County office
(210 11th Street, Fairgrounds, Kremmling, CO, (970) 724-3436). Please
contact Mr. Joe Sloan of Denver Water at (303) 628-6320 by May 26,
2003, if you plan to attend the site visit.
Scoping Meetings
Denver Water and the Commission staff will hold two scoping
meetings, one in the daytime and one in the evening, to help us
identify the scope of issues to be addressed in the APEA.
The daytime scoping meeting will focus on resource agency concerns,
while the evening scoping meeting is primarily for public input. All
interested individuals, organizations, and agencies are invited to
attend one or both of the meetings, and to assist the staff in
identifying the environmental issues that should be analyzed in the
APEA. The times and locations of these meetings are as follows:
Daytime Meeting
Thursday, June 5, 2003, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Colorado State Cooperative
Extension, 210 11th Street, Fairgrounds, Kremmling, CO.
Evening Meeting
Thursday, June 5, 2003, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Colorado State Cooperative
Extension, 210 11th Street, Kremmling, CO.
To help focus discussions, an initial information package (IIP) and
Scoping Document 1 was mailed in April 2003, outlining the subject
areas to be addressed in the APEA to the parties on the mailing list.
Copies of the IIP and SD1 also will be available at the scoping
meetings. The IIP and SD1 are available for review at the Commission in
the Public Reference Room or may be
[[Page 26601]]
viewed on the Commission's Web site at http://www.ferc.gov using the
``FERRIS'' 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 FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov
or toll-free at 1-866-208-3676, or for TTY, (202) 502-8659.
Register online at http://www.ferc.gov/esubscribenow.htm to be
notified via email of new filings and issuances related to this or
other pending projects. For assistance, contact FERC Online Support.
Based on all written comments received, a Scoping Document 2 (SD2)
may be issued. SD2 will include a revised list of issues, based on the
scoping sessions.
Objectives
At the scoping meetings, the staff will: (1) Summarize the
environmental issues tentatively identified for analysis in the APEA;
(2) solicit from the meeting participants all available information,
especially quantifiable data, on the resources at issue; (3) encourage
statements from experts and the public on issues that should be
analyzed in the APEA, including viewpoints in opposition to, or in
support of, the staff's preliminary views; (4) determine the resource
issues to be addressed in the APEA; and (5) identify those issues that
require a detailed analysis, as well as those issues that do not
require a detailed analysis.
Procedures
The meetings will be recorded by a stenographer and will become
part of the formal record of the Commission proceeding on the project.
Individuals, organizations, and agencies with environmental
expertise and concerns are encouraged to attend the meetings and to
assist Denver Water in defining and clarifying the issues to be
addressed in the APEA.
Magalie R. Salas,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 03-12329 Filed 5-15-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P