On May 7, 9:36=EF=BF=BDam, "Alan Page" <alp...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> =EF=BF=BD =EF=BF=BD
From...http://www.choteauacantha.com/articles/2008/05/=
07/news/doc4820c84ba50...
>
> Hydro project
> Gibson dam hydro project sets new line route
> By Nancy Thornton - Acantha re****ter
> Published:
> Wednesday, May 7, 2008 4:06 AM MDT
> A Wa****ngton company that holds a permit to develop a hydroelectric
plant =
at
> Gibson Dam along the Rocky Mountain Front has abandoned plans to run its
> transmission line up to Choteau in favor of extending the line nearly
due
> east out of Sun Canyon, along an existing utility easement to U.S.
Highway=
> 287.
>
> The new route is discussed in the project's 44-page draft license
> application and a 77-page preliminary draft environmental *****sment
> released for public comment on April 11.
>
> Gibson Dam Hydroelectric Co. LLC, of Bellingham, Wash., (Gibson Hydro)
> currently holds a preliminary permit from the Federal Energy Regulatory
> Commission for a project to use existing water releases from the dam to
> generate renewable energy.
>
> Gibson Hydro, which is a partner****p of Whitewater Engineering of
Bellingh=
am
> and Greenfields Irrigation District of Fairfield, started the process to
> harness Gibson Dam's hydropower nearly five years ago.
>
> Gibson Dam and its penstocks, intake pipes, valves and its stilling
basin =
at
> the bottom outlet are owned by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, and
> administered through the Upper Missouri Regional Office in Billings.
> Greenfields Irrigation District, through a formal agreement with
> Reclamation, operates and maintains the facility.
>
> The dam and its reservoir, measuring 5.5 miles long by one mile wide,
are
> located in the Lewis and Clark National Forest where they capture water
fr=
om
> the 575-square mile Sun River watershed. The river flows out the Sun
River=
> Canyon, a popular recreational area west of Augusta.
>
> The project would include a powerhouse near the dam's base, a
maintenance
> building about 1,400 feet downstream from the powerhouse next to
existing
> dam facilities, and 25.84 miles of transmission line extending east from
t=
he
> powerhouse to tie into Sun River Electric Cooperative's existing
69-kilovo=
lt
> line at Jackson's Corner.
>
> The plans include upgrading Sun River Electric's existing line on new
> armless poles, which also will carry three higher voltage lines, from
the
> powerhouse to a new switchyard adjacent to U.S. Highway 287. The company
> plans to build a substation on federal land operated by Bureau of Land
> Management where the line changes from 34.5 kVs to 69 kVs 4.5 miles east
o=
f
> the national forest boundary where Sun River Electric's existing 7.2 kV
> electrical distribution line transitions from underground to overhead.
>
> The revised route as proposed on April 11 would include 1.03 miles of
> underground line and 3.7 miles of overhead line inside the canyon, and
4.9=
> miles of underground line extending east from the canyon to the proposed
B=
LM
> substation. The remaining 20 miles to Jackson's Corner would be
overhead,
> rebuilding the existing line. Some of the underground line would be
placed=
> under the existing road where applicable.
>
> Also revised between earlier Gibson Hydro do***ents and the newly
released=
> draft license application is a proposed mainte-nance building/control
hous=
e
> that has been moved east from its former proposed location to a location
> adjacent to the existing Reclamation building. The dimensions of the
> powerhouse also changed from 120-by-80-feet wide to 120-by-60-feet wide.
>
> According to the draft license application, the project would not alter
th=
e
> amount or timing of irrigation water stored or released from the
reservoir=
,
> would not alter flows in the Sun River below Gibson Dam, and would not
> change any point of irrigation use, but would merely use existing flows
to=
> generate power.
>
> According to the company's environmental *****sment, the proposed
project
> would have a beneficial cooling effect on Sun River water, which
benefits
> fisheries downstream. Turbine mortality of fish would be 24 percent to
32
> percent, compared to 60 percent to 80 percent for existing conditions.
>
> No significant increase in transmission line collisions is expected for
> raptors or other birds that use the canyon area, the re****t states,
since
> partial burial of the lines would result in a net decrease in
aboveground
> lines, and raptor-proof poles.
>
> Compared with the existing 7.2 kV power poles, the taller 69 kV power
pole=
s
> would be visible from a slightly greater distances to vehicle traffic on
S=
un
> Canyon Road and other local roads, the re****t states, but the overall
impa=
ct
> to aesthetic resources would be small.
>
> The company also released two other re****ts that are now available on
the
> company Web site,www.gibsonhydro.com. They are a 216-page record of
> correspondence and a 42-page visual resources survey re****t. However,
the
> latter re****t includes information on the abandoned route to Choteau,
and
> not the new route to U.S. Highway 287.
>
> The substantial record of correspondence is evidence of the high
interest =
in
> the project, especially for people who are concerned that 43-foot-tall
and=
> 56-foot-tall power poles would have a negative visual impact for
visitors =
to
> the canyon and the Rocky Mountain Front. At least one large landowner,
Dee=
p
> Creek Ranch, opposed the former route to Choteau which would have run
nort=
h
> to South Belleview Road and then east to a NorthWestern Energy
substation
> near Rattles**** Butte a few miles south of Choteau.
>
> Whether the new route selection will pass muster with folks remains to
be
> seen. Gibson Hydro is inviting comments on its latest proposal per FERC
> rules. That federal agency would issue a license to build the
$24-million
> hydroelectric plant and transmission line later this year, if it is
> approved, although the agency has the option to issue its own
environmenta=
l
> *****sment, which would include another round of comments. Once
approved,
> construction might begin during the fall of 2010 with construction being
> completed in June 2011.
>
> Projected costs and financing options are listed in the draft license
> application.
>
> According to Gibson Hydro, the Jackson Corner alternative was selected
> because it follows the existing electrical line right-of-way extending
fro=
m
> the Sun Canyon to Jackson's Corner. "By upgrading the existing line and
> staying within the existing right-of-way, the need for two transmission
> lines extending from Sun Canyon was eliminated. The existing
distribution
> line in Sun Canyon would be under-built on the new transmission line and
t=
he
> distribution wood poles would be removed to prevent dual lines in the
> right-of-way," the re****t states.
>
> Gibson Hydro is working with the existing line owner, Sun River Electric
> Cooperative, to coordinate the planned work both within and outside the
> canyon.
>
> According to Sun River Electric's general manager Scott Odegard, the
> right-of-way was acquired decades ago and is composed of land easements
of=
> varying widths. He said he did not know the widths without looking at
the
> do***ents.
>
> He said Sun River Electric is still working with Gibson Hydro and
continue=
s
> to sup****t the project, citing it as a source of renewable energy.
>
> Gibson Hydro proposes two widths in its draft license application, 60
feet=
> and 60 meters (197 feet.) The distinction is im****tant because many Sun
> River Electric easements are only 20 feet wide, and Gibson Hydro would
hav=
e
> to negotiate for more land if it wants a wider easement.
>
> In an e-mail last week, project manager Steve Marmon gave details about
th=
e
> two widths. He said the purpose of a 60-meter wide corridor is to allow
a
> small amount of alignment flexibility, within the corridor during final
> design and construction. The flexibility would be used to adjust for and
> accommodate landowner wishes, as well as sensitive plants, wetlands,
> historic properties, and/or terrain features. Once constructed, the vast
> majority of the transmission line would be accommodated to a final
60-foot=
> wide right-of-way, with the exception of only those locations where it
is
> necessary for a greater width, and a revised project boundary would be
> submitted.
>
> Marmon said that an example of a location that would require a width
great=
er
> than 60 feet is where guy-line anchors extend beyond 30 feet from
> centerline.
>
> "We understand the im****tance of occupying the smallest footprint
feasible=
> for the final transmission line right-of-way, and it is our intent to
> continue working with the various land owners and resource agencies with
> this goal in mind," Marmon said.
>
> The transmission line would cross both public and private lands
affecting
> 647.9 acres for buildings or right of way.
>
> Jim Lange, a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service wetland district manager for
t=
he
> 11-county Benton Lake Complex, said he would review the new transmission
> route and would make written comments and suggestions of alternative
route=
s,
> if his agency determines the need. The transmission route crosses the
> private "Boadle tract," where FWS has a perpetual conservation easement.
>
> The easement agreement was probably made subject to existing electric
line=
s,
> he said, and that would be determined as part of the review. Lange added
> that his agency would do its best to protect FWS' interest.
>
> The federal Natural Resources and Conservation Service also has an
interes=
t
> in the Boadle tract, having a 30-year agreement with the landowner for
the=
> property to be a part of the Wetland Reserve Program.
>
> The re****t contains details about the hydroelectric energy and the power
> plant operation under various conditions. Power generation would vary
> according to the amount of water being released. The capacity of the
plant=
's
> four turbines would total 15 megawatts, however, the company estimates a
> 30-percent "plant factor," being the ratio of the actual output of the
pow=
er
> plant and its output if it had operated at full capacity over a defined
ti=
me
> period.
>
> The plant would produce an estimated average 40 million kilowatt-hours
per=
> year, or enough energy to power 375 households for a year, based on
> Department of Energy consumer data.
>
> The company has not found a buyer yet for the electricity it expects to
> generate and is still discussing with NorthWestern Energy the
feasibility =
of
> bringing its power onto the regional electrical grid. Sun River Electric
> would "wheel" Gibson Hydro's power; however, Sun River Electric cannot
> purchase the power because it has an "all-requirements" contract with
its
> power suppliers.
>
> According to Gibson Hydro, the costs of constructing and operating the
> project are at or below certain "long-run avoided costs," the marginal
cos=
t
> for the same amount of energy obtained from another means. "The project
is=
> thus economical given current forecasts of energy prices," the
application=
> states.
>
> After incor****ating comments received on the draft license application
and=
> environmental *****sment, the company will submit the final license
> application and *****sment to FERC, anticipated in August 2008.
>
> Written comments are due no later than July 11. The do***ents are
availabl=
e
> to download at the company's Web site and paper copies are available for
> viewing at area libraries.
>
> Written comments should be sent to Whitewater Engineering Corp., Attn:
Ste=
ve
> Marmon, Project Manager, Gibson Dam Hydroelectric Project, FERC No.
> 12478-001, 3633 Alderwood Ave., Bellingham, WA 98225 or via FAX to
> 360-733-3056 or via e-mail to smarmon @[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
> Questions should be directed to Marmon at 360-738-9999 or via e-mail.
>
> --
>
> Alan
>
> www.best-page.us
>
> =EF=BF=BD =EF=BF=BD =EF=BF=BD =EF=BF=BD =EF=BF=BD =EF=BF=BD =EF=BF=BD
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> What a Wonderful Web We Weave
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Sally
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