Notice2024-19202
Santa Clara Valley Water District; Notice of Scoping Meetings, Environmental Site Review, and Soliciting Scoping Comments
Primary source
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Published
August 27, 2024
Issuing agencies
Energy DepartmentFederal Energy Regulatory Commission
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 89 Issue 166 (Tuesday, August 27, 2024)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 166 (Tuesday, August 27, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 68607-68609]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[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
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#80c6e5f2e3cfeeece9eee5d3f5f0f0eff2f4c0e6e5f2e3aee7eff6"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="2f694a5d4c60414346414a7c5a5f5f405d5b6f494a5d4c01484059">[email protected]</span></a>. 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 (<a href="http://www.ferc.gov">www.ferc.gov</a>)
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 (<a href="http://www.ferc.gov">www.ferc.gov</a>)
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 <a href="https://www.ferc.gov/ferc-online/overview">https://www.ferc.gov/ferc-online/overview</a> 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, <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#97f6f9f3f2e5e4f8f9c8f1f2e5f4d7e1f6fbfbf2eee0f6e3f2e5b9f8e5f0"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="f2939c969780819d9cad94978091b284939e9e978b8593869780dc9d8095">[email protected]</span></a>. 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:
<bullet> geology and soils
<bullet> water quantity
<bullet> water quality
<bullet> aquatic resources
<bullet> terrestrial resources
<bullet> threatened and endangered species
<bullet> recreation
<bullet> land use
<bullet> aesthetic resources
<bullet> socioeconomics
<bullet> cultural resources
<bullet> air quality, noise, and greenhouse gases
<bullet> 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 <a href="http://www.ferc.gov">www.ferc.gov</a> 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
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#15537067765a7b797c7b70466065657a676155737067763b727a63"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="2a6c4f584965444643444f795f5a5a45585e6a4c4f5849044d455c">[email protected]</span></a> 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 <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#9ed1cecedef8fbecfdb0f9f1e8"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="9ad5cacadafcffe8f9b4fdf5ec">[email protected]</span></a>.
If you have further questions, you may also contact Jennifer Ambler
at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#09636c6767606f6c7b2768646b656c7b496f6c7b6a276e667f"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="107a757e7e797675623e717d727c756250767562733e777f66">[email protected]</span></a> 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
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