LIHI Certificate #156 – Piercefield Project, New York
| Nombre del proyecto | Piercefield |
| Certificado LIHI No. |
156 |
| Plazo de certificación de LIHI |
April 26, 2019 – April 25, 2029 |
| Dueño | Erie Boulevard Hydropower, LP, una subsidiaria de Brookfield Renewable Energy Group |
| Estado | Nueva York |
| Ubicación | River Mile 88.5 on the Raquette River |
| Capacidad instalada | 2.7 MW |
| Generación media anual | 16,520 MWh |
| Tipo de instalación | Modificado correr del río |
| Comisión Federal de Comercio No. | P-7387 issued 2005, expires 10/31/2035 |
The Piercefield Project is located on the Raquette River near the Town of Piercefield in Franklin and St. Lawrence Counties in New York. The project presa y central eléctrica were originally constructed in 1899 by the International Paper Company to provide mechanical power to the paper making process. The facility was converted to an electric generating station in 1926. Several other modifications took place in the early 1900s and later in the 1970s to replace timber sections of the structures with stronger concrete structures.
The Raquette River has a total drainage basin of 1,269 square miles at its mouth and originates in the Adirondack highlands at Blue Mountain Lake, Raquette Lake and Long Lake. The river flows generally north-northwest for more than 146 miles, through Potsdam, New York, and empties into the St. Lawrence River, near Massena, New York.
A total of 19 hydroelectric projects exist on the Raquette River, most of which are owned by the project owner including from upstream to downstream, Yaleville (LIHI #157), Upper Raquette (LIHI #14A), Middle Raquette (LIHI #14B), y Lower Raquette (LIHI #14C). The project itself is the southernmost and furthest upstream dam on the river.
The project includes: the dam, retaining wall, stop-log aliviadero, ojiva spillway, bypassed reach, powerhouse, one vertical Turbina Francis, and two horizontal double Turbinas Francis./p>
The dam is a 23-foot-high concrete and timber dam, approximately 300 feet long with a 495-foot-long retaining wall/dike on the right shoreline. A 700-foot-long retaining wall is located along the left shoreline. The aliviaderos include a 118-foot-long stanchion type Detener registro spillway and a 294-foot-long, 23-foot-high ogee spillway section with an Obermeyer inflatable 2-foot-high tablero de flash system, and a 110-foot-long forebay retaining wall. A 550-foot-long bypassed reach is created by the dam. The powerhouse contains one vertical Francis unit and two horizontal double Francis units with a combined capacity of 2.7 MW.
The project operates in a modified de pasada mode and impounds a 370-acre reservoir that extends 1.9 miles upstream. The project provides a minimum flow of 150 cfs in the tailrace and impoundment fluctuations are maintained within 1-foot from the top of the tableros de flash. This flow regime was developed in collaboration with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC), US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), the Adirondack Park Agency, and New York Rivers United. The parties involved concur that this flow regime provides adequate habitat downstream and maintains a stable vegetative buffer around the reservoir. An additional 20 cfs is provided farther down in the bypassed reach to provide attraction flows away from intakes to minimize fish arrastre and to provide downstream passage.
Waters within the project reach are designated as Class C. There are no impaired waters in the project vicinity and NYSDEC has confirmed that the project continues to meet every designated use group.
Downstream waterfalls and water features create natural barriers to passage for migratory fish species at the project. The project reach supports resident fish populations of yellow perch, walleye, rock bass, smallmouth bass, lake whitefish, fallfish, and golden shiner. Walleye are particularly abundant in the project area. The 150-cfs minimum flow requirement supports fishery resources downstream of the project and the 20-cfs downstream fish bypass provides adequate passage and trashracks with 1-inch spacing mitigate potential for entrainment. This design was approved by NYSDEC and USFWS for downstream passage protection.
The project lands consist of roughly 18 acres located in the Adirondack State Park, and is governed by Part 577 of the Wild, Scenic, and Recreational Rivers Act which restricts new structure development, promotes forest management, and requires a buffer zone from the river’s edges. The project operates under a flow and water level monitoring plan which minimizes effects to the shoreline via limiting impoundment fluctuations. This ensures an adequate vegetative buffer on the shoreline and minimizes erosion.
Threatened or endangered species potentially present in the project vicinity include the Northern long-eared bat, bald eagle and spruce grouse. The project is in compliance with USFWS Rule 4(d) concerning the protection of Northern long-eared bat populations as well as the NYSDEC Conservation Plan for bald eagles. These provisions primarily dictate avoidance of tree clearing operations during specific nesting periods. NYSDEC also determined that the project does not have any impact on spruce grouse populations. Via consultation with NYSDEC in 2019, it was concluded that bald eagle populations are doing very well in New York and project operations do not pose any threat to their success.
Historic properties in the project area include the Piercefield dam and powerhouse, built in 1899 by the International Paper Company to produce newsprint. The project owner developed a historic properties management plan in consultation with the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) in order to identify historic properties, provide protective maintenance, and facilitate improvements. The project owner trained its operation staff to provide weekly monitoring updates on the historic properties and files annual reports with the SHPO.
Recreational resources at the project include a boat launch, canoe put-in/take-out areas, and two designated bank fishing areas. The project owner provides a 750-cfs recreational release for five hours on the last Saturday in June. Public access is provided free of charge.
Estado de cumplimiento
No existen condiciones específicas de la instalación en el Certificado actual
2024: No material changes or compliance issues were identified. The project remains in compliance based on the annual review.
2023: No material changes or compliance issues were identified. The project remains in compliance based on the annual review.
2022: No material changes or compliance issues were identified. The project remains in compliance based on the annual review.
2021: No se informaron cambios ni problemas de cumplimiento. El proyecto sigue cumpliendo con los requisitos según la revisión anual.
2020: No se informaron cambios ni problemas de cumplimiento. El proyecto sigue cumpliendo con los requisitos según la revisión anual.
2019: La presentación de informes anuales para el Certificado actual aún no ha entrado en vigor.
Historial de certificaciones
1 de enero de 2022: El plazo del Certificado LIHI se ha extendido de acuerdo con la Revisión 2.05 del Manual de Certificación LIHI 2.ª Edición emitido el 1 de enero de 2022. Consulte la tabla de instalaciones anterior para conocer el nuevo plazo.
13 de agosto de 2019: The decision to certify the Piercefield Hydroelectric Project is final. No appeals were received during the appeal period which closed on August 9, 2019. The new certification term for the Project is from April 26, 2019 through April 25, 2024.
July 10, 2019: The Low Impact Hydropower Institute has preliminarily approved Low Impact Certification for the Piercefield Hydroelectric Project.
Esta decisión es preliminar y está pendiente del período de apelación de 30 días. Solo aquellos que comentaron sobre la solicitud inicial durante el período de comentarios de 60 días son elegibles para presentar una apelación. Dicha apelación debe incluir una explicación de por qué el Proyecto no cumple con los criterios de LIHI. Las solicitudes de apelación se pueden enviar por correo electrónico a comentarios@lowimpacthydro.org with “Piercefield Hydroelectric Project” in the subject line, or by mail addressed to the Low Impact Hydropower Institute, 329 Massachusetts Ave, Suite 6, Lexington, MA 02420. All requests will be posted to the website. The applicant will have an opportunity to respond and any response will also be posted. Requests must be received by 5 pm Eastern time on August 9, 2019. La solicitud completa y el informe de los revisores están disponibles a continuación.
If no appeal requests are received and the decision becomes final, the Certification term for the Project (pending LIHI #156) will be April 26, 2019 for a term of five (5) years, which will expire on April 25, 2024.
May 1, 2019: The Low Impact Hydropower Institute has received a complete application for Low Impact Certification of the Piercefield Hydroelectric Project. LIHI is seeking public comment on this application. Specifically, we are interested in knowing whether you think the Project meets the LIHI Low Impact Certification Criteria, as revised in the 2nd Edition Handbook. Please review the program and criteria in LIHI’s revised Manual y luego revise los materiales de solicitud del Proyecto a continuación.
Comments that are directly tied to specific LIHI criteria (flows, water quality, paso de peces, etc.) serán de gran ayuda, pero se tendrán en cuenta todos los comentarios. Los comentarios pueden enviarse al Instituto por correo electrónico a comentarios@lowimpacthydro.org with “Piercefield Project Comments” in the subject line, or by mail addressed to the Low Impact Hydropower Institute, 329 Massachusetts Avenue, Suite 6, Lexington, MA 02420. Comments must be received on or before 5 pm Eastern time on June 30, 2019 Se considerarán todos los comentarios. Se publicarán en el sitio web y el solicitante tendrá la oportunidad de responder. También se publicarán todas las respuestas.
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