LIHI Certificate #102 - Putts Bridge Project, Massachusetts

Putts Bridge Project, LIHI #102
Nom du projet Putts Bridge
Numéro de certificat LIHI 102
Durée du certificat LIHI
 December 20, 2023 –
December 19, 2033
Propriétaire Central Rivers Power MA, LLC, a subsidiary of LS Power/ Patriot Hydro, LLC
État Massachusetts
Emplacement Located at approximate river mile 9.2 on the Chicopee River in the Towns of Wilbraham and Ludlow and City of Springfield in Hampden County, Massachusetts.
Capacité installée 3.9 MW
Génération annuelle moyenne 13,713 MWh
Type d'établissement Au fil de l'eau
Fédération internationale de radio-télévision (FERC) Non. P-10677 exempt 1992

The Putts Bridge Project is located on the Chicopee River in the Towns of Wilbraham and Ludlow, and the City of Springfield in Hampden County, Massachusetts. The Project barrage crosses the town line between Springfield and Ludlow; the centrale is located in Ludlow. The impoundment extends in a northeasterly direction, bordering Springfield and Ludlow. The Project was originally constructed in 1918 by the Ludlow Manufacturing Company.

Bien que la rivière Chicopee ne mesure que 30 km de long, son bassin hydrographique s'étend sur 1 840 km², ce qui en fait le plus grand bassin hydrographique de tout le Massachusetts et le plus grand affluent du fleuve Connecticut. Au cours de la révolution industrielle, la rivière Chicopee est devenue une destination particulièrement prisée pour l'hydroélectricité, en grande partie parce qu'elle présente une chute de 80 mètres sur son cours.

The Putts Bridge project is situated upstream of three other hydroelectric facilities located on the Chicopee River and downstream of two other dams on the Chicopee River as well as other dams on the Ware, Swift and Quaboag Rivers. The two upstream projects are Collins (LIHI #88), et Pont Rouge (LIHI #96)En aval se trouvent Verger indien (LIHI #112), Chicopee Falls (FERC n° 6522) et Dwight (LIHI #170).

The project includes a dam, concrete headgate structure, two conduits, forebay, trashrack, intake structure, a powerhouse with two generating units, a tailrace channel, appurtenant facilities.

The dam crosses the Chicopee River in a roughly north-to-south direction, and is a concrete gravity structure approximately 223 feet long by 22 feet high. The northern pilier of the dam is contiguous with the abutment for the Ludlow Avenue Bridge. Adjacent to this abutment are a skimming gate and a deep sluice gate. A 23-foot-long non-overflow section extends from the gate area to the 200-foot-long ogive déversoir which extends across the river to the south abutment. A concrete retaining wall extends from the south abutment for approximately 133 feet. The dam creates a 1,700-foot-long bypassed reach.

The concrete headgate structure is adjacent to the northeast abutment of the dam. Six motorized portes de tête, each approximately 12 feet wide by 13.3 feet high direct flow to a double-barreled, underground concrete conduit that extends 647 feet from the impoundment to the forebay. Each barrel of the conduit is 16.5 feet high by 12.5 feet wide.

The forebay is a reinforced concrete structure measuring 40 feet wide by 104 feet long. The forebay is 41.5 feet high, with a 2.5-foot diameter spigot type drain gate at the base, and an 18-foot-wide skimming gate on the north forebay. The trashrack is situated along the western forebay wall, extending from the floor of the forebay. There is a mechanical trash rake mounted on rails along the entire width of the trashrack. Wooden headgates, measuring 14.3 feet square, isolate the forebay from the generating units.

The powerhouse has a concrete substructure with a brick superstructure. It houses two operating units, No.2 and No.3, and one retired unit, No. 4. Unit No.1 was never installed although the turbine pit is there. Unit No.5 is a retired waterwheel exciter. The project has a combined capacity of 3.9 MW. The tailrace canal runs 355 feet from the powerhouse in a westerly direction to where the flow re-enters the Chicopee River.

Le projet opère dans un au fil de l'eau mode and impounds a 65-acre reservoir. The project provides a 25 cfs minimum flow to the bypass reach and limits impoundment fluctuations to +/- 0.25 foot. This flow regime was developed in consultation with US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and Massachusetts Division of Fish and Wildlife (MDFW).

Waters within the project reach are designated as Class B and impaired for the presence of invasive water chestnut, E coli and fecal coliform.  Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection confirmed that the project does not cause or contribute to any adverse water quality conditions.

The Chicopee River watershed is not currently the subject of migratory fish management efforts and downstream dams block access; however, American eel is found throughout the Chicopee River system. Resident fish species include bluegill, pickerel, bass, sunfish, sucker, and many more. Though not designed for passage des poissons, the minimum flow gate can pass riverine fish downstream over the dam.

The project lands consist of roughly 4 acres. The shoreline consists primarily of shrub and forested zone humide but lie outside the project boundary. No lands of significant ecological value are found within the project area.

No threatened or endangered species are potentially present in the project vicinity. Though the Northern long-eared bat has the potential to exist statewide, the project does not contain any critical habitat for the species and the urban environment is unlikely to support roosting trees.

The project itself is eligible for listing on the Registre national des lieux historiques. Consultation with the State Historic Preservation Office is required before conducting any construction activity with potential to modify existing historic facilities.

Recreational resources at the project include an informal boat ramp and fishing access on the east side of the impoundment. Public access is provided free of charge.

État de conformité

Le certificat comprend les conditions spécifiques à l'établissement suivantes :

Condition 1 :  Should the Facility Owner receive notification during the term of this LIHI Certification from either the USFWS or MDFW that upstream and/or downstream passage for anadromous or catadrome fish is required, based on sound science / technical data that has shown that such passage is required at the Putts Bridge Project, the Facility Owner shall forward a copy of that notification and its response to LIHI within 45 days of receipt of the notification.

Condition 2 :  Should the Facility Owner determine that ground disturbance or significant changes in project operations are desired during the term of this LIHI Certification that could affect habitat for the swamp dock, the Facility Owner shall conduct studies and filings deemed necessary by the state to determine impacts to swamp dock that may occur in the Project area. LIHI shall be provided copies of agency communications (e.g., approvals, denials, mitigation measures, etc.) associated with such desired Project changes. This information should be submitted as part of the LIHI annual compliance statements.

2024: No material changes or compliance issues were identified. The project remains in compliance based on the annual review.  For Conditions 1 and 2, the project reported no activity.

2023: Annual reporting for the current Certificate has not yet taken effect.a

Historique des certifications

3 janvier 2024 : Le Low Impact Hydropower Institute a rendu une décision finale sur les recertifications à mi-parcours des projets hydroélectriques Red Bridge, Putts Bridge, Indian Orchard et Dwight. Ces projets sont situés sur la rivière Chicopee dans le Massachusetts. La décision préliminaire a été annoncée le 28 novembre 2023, marquant le début de la période d'appel de 30 jours. Cette période a pris fin le 28 décembre 2023 et aucun appel n'a été déposé. Par conséquent, la décision de recertifier les projets est désormais définitive. La nouvelle durée du projet est indiquée dans le tableau ci-dessus et la demande d'examen à mi-parcours complète ainsi que le rapport d'examen peuvent être consultés ci-dessous.

28 novembre 2023 : Le Low Impact Hydropower Institute a approuvé de manière préliminaire la recertification à faible impact pour les projets hydroélectriques Red Bridge, Putts Bridge, Indian Orchard et Dwight situés sur la rivière Chicopee dans le Massachusetts. Cette décision est préliminaire en attendant la période d'appel de 30 jours. Seuls ceux qui ont commenté la demande initiale pendant la période de commentaires de 60 jours sont éligibles pour déposer un appel. Un tel appel doit inclure une explication sur la raison pour laquelle le projet ne répond pas aux critères du LIHI. Les demandes d'appel peuvent être soumises par courrier électronique à commentaires@lowimpacthydro.org avec « Chicopee River Projects » dans l’objet du message, ou par courrier adressé au Low Impact Hydropower Institute, 1167 Massachusetts Ave, Arlington, MA 02476. Toutes les demandes seront publiées sur le site Web. Le demandeur aura la possibilité de répondre, et toute réponse sera également publiée. Les demandes doivent être reçues avant 17 heures, heure de l’Est, le 28 décembre 2023.  The consolidated review report can be found below.  If no appeal requests are filed, the new certification term will be December 20, 2023 – December 19, 2033.

17 août 2023 : Quatre projets certifiés LIHI situés sur la rivière Chicopee dans le Massachusetts ont reçu un amendement consolidé à leurs exemptions FERC le 13 mars 2023. Les projets sont Red Bridge (LIHI #96), Putts Bridge (LIHI #102), Indian Orchard (LIHI #112) et Dwight (LIHI #170). L'amendement a autorisé des changements dans les opérations de chaque projet à partir de culminant au fil de l'eau ainsi que les changements dans les débits minimaux de dérivation dans certains projets. Conformément à la section 5.3.4 de la 2e édition du manuel LIHI, révision 2.05, publication d'une FERC exemption Les modifications qui affectent les critères LIHI constituent un « changement important » et déclenchent un examen de certification LIHI à mi-parcours. De nouvelles conditions de certification peuvent être accordées si les projets continuent de satisfaire aux critères LIHI, même si les conditions de certification actuelles n'ont pas encore expiré. Le demandeur, Central Rivers Power, MA, LLC (une filiale de LS Power/Patriot Hydro, LLC), a soumis un résumé des changements opérationnels liés à la modification de l'exemption de la FERC. Les documents sont disponibles dans la section Dossiers de certification de la page Web de chaque projet :

A 60-day public comment period is being opened to allow stakeholders to comment on the submittal. All comments received will be incorporated into the mid-term review report, posted on the LIHI website, and incorporated into the preliminary decision to recertify the projects.  Comments can be submitted to mailto:comments@lowimpacthydro.org avec « Chicopee River Projects » dans l’objet du message. Les commentaires doivent être reçus avant 17 heures, heure de l’Est, le 16 octobre 2023.

1er janvier 2022 : La durée du certificat LIHI a été prolongée conformément à la révision 2.05 du manuel de certification LIHI 2e édition publié le 1er janvier 2022. Reportez-vous au tableau des établissements ci-dessus pour connaître la nouvelle durée.

August 8, 2019: The decision to recertify the Putts Bridge Hydroelectric Project is final. No appeals were received during the appeal period which closed on July 19, 2019. The new certification term for the Project is from December 20, 2017 through December 19, 2022.

June 19, 2019: The Low Impact Hydropower Institute has preliminarily approved Low Impact Certification for the Putts Bridge Hydroelectric Project. This decision is preliminary pending the 30-day appeal window. Only those who commented on the initial application during the 60-day comment period are eligible to file an appeal. Such appeal needs to include an explanation as to how the Project does not meet the LIHI criteria. Appeal requests can be submitted by email to commentaires@lowimpacthydro.org with “Putts Bridge 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 July 19, 2019.  The full application and reviewers report are available below. If no appeal requests are received and the decision becomes final, the Certification term for the Project will be December 20, 2017 for a five (5) year term which will expire on December 19, 2022.

April 8, 2019: The Low Impact Hydropower Institute has received a complete application for Low Impact Recertification of the Putts Bridge 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 Manuel et consultez ensuite les documents de candidature du projet ci-dessous. Les commentaires directement liés à des critères spécifiques du LIHI (débits, qualité de l'eau, passage des poissons, etc.) seront les plus utiles, mais tous les commentaires seront pris en compte. Les commentaires peuvent être soumis à l'Institut par courrier électronique à l'adresse commentaires@lowimpacthydro.org with “Putts Bridge 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 7, 2019 à prendre en considération. Tous les commentaires seront publiés sur le site Web et le candidat aura la possibilité d'y répondre. Toute réponse sera également publiée.

March 12, 2013: The Putts Bridge Hydroelectric Project has been certified as low impact for a five year term, effective December 20, 2012 and expiring December 20, 2017.

February 18, 2013: The public comment period on application has closed.

December 20, 2012: Essential Power LLC has submitted an application for the certification of the Putts Bridge project. Application has been posted and the public comment period has opened.

Dossiers de certification

Bilan à mi-parcours 2023

Recertification 2019

Certification 2012

Documents clés