LaChute Upper and Lower Projects, NY – Complete Application Received
November 4, 2021: The Low Impact Hydropower Institute (LIHI) has preliminarily approved the Upper and Lower LaChute Projects for 5-year terms of Low Impact Certification.
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 comments@lowimpacthydro.org with "Upper and Lower LaChute Projects” in the subject line, or by mail addressed to the Low Impact Hydropower Institute, 1167 Massachusetts Ave, Office 407, Arlington, MA 02476. 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 December 4, 2021.
The full application and reviewer's report are available below. If no appeal requests are received and the decision becomes final, the Certification term for each Project will be August 5, 2021 through August 4, 2026.
August 5, 2021:The Low Impact Hydropower Institute has received a complete application for Low Impact Certification of the LaChute Upper and Lower Projects. 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 Handbook and then review the Project’s application materials below.
Comments that are directly tied to specific LIHI criteria (flows, water quality, fish passage, etc.) will be most helpful, but all comments will be considered. Comments may be submitted to the Institute by e-mail at comments@lowimpacthydro.org with “LaChute Project Comments” in the subject line, or by mail addressed to the Low Impact Hydropower Institute, 1167 Massachusetts Avenue, Arlington, MA 02476. Comments must be received on or before 5 pm Eastern time on October 4, 2021 to be considered. All comments will be posted to the web site and the applicant will have an opportunity to respond. Any response will also be posted.
The Upper LaChute Hydroelectric Project and the Lower LaChute Hydroelectric Project are both located on the LaChute River, in the Village of Ticonderoga, Essex County, New York. The LaChute River carries flow from Lake George to Lake Champlain and is approximately 2.5 miles long.
The Upper LaChute project (FERC No. 5760) and the Lower LaChute project (FERC No. 5762) are both exempt from licensing by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).
Upper LaChute:The Upper LaChute Project consists of three dams, Mill A dam (Lake George Outlet dam, the control structure for the water surface level of Lake George into the LaChute River), Mill B dam, and Mill C dam. Upper LaChute utilizes the waters of Lake George, a 44 square mile recreational lake in upstate New York, as the headwaters for the project. The releases from Lake George are set by New York State statutes and guidelines and regulated by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC). Flows from Lake George are conveyed 2,300 feet downstream by a steel penstock 9-ft in diameter to a powerhouse located near Mill C. The dam forms a bypassed reach approximately 1 mile long. The powerhouse has a single turbine-generator unit rated at 4,900 kilowatts.
Lower LaChute:The Lower LaChute Project uses the headwater formed by the Mill D dam. The dam is the fourth in a series of six dams along the river and is located about 4,100 feet downstream of the Mill A dam. The Lower Project uses flows from the Upper LaChute and flows from Trout Brook. The Lower LaChute project operates as run-of-river and has a headpond with 2.3 acres of surface area with negligible storage. Flows from the D-Mill dam are conveyed by a 9-foot diameter penstock to the powerhouse, located below the falls at Mill F dam. The dam creates a bypassed reach approximately 0.36 miles long. The powerhouse has a single turbine-generator unit rated at 3,600 kW. The Lower Project is accessible from Interstate 87, State Route 9N and local streets.
| Project Name | LaChute Upper and Lower |
| LIHI Certificate No. | Pending LIHI # 185 and #186 | LIHI Certificate Term | N/A |
| Owner | LaChute Hydro Company, LLC - A subsidiary of Central Rivers Power LLC |
| State | New York |
| Location | Upper LaChute - RM 2.53 on the LaChute River Lower LaChute - RM 1.48 on the LaChute River |
| Installed Capacity | Upper LaChute - 4.9 MW Lower LaChute - 3.6 MW |
| Average Annual Generation | Upper LaChute - 19,000 MWh Lower LaChute - 13,800 MWh |
| Facility Type | Upper LaChute - Run-of-river Lower LaChute - Dependent on operations of Upper LaChute |
| FERC No. | Upper LaChute - P-5760, Exemption issued November 15, 1984 Lower LaChute - P-5762, Exemption issued November 15, 1984 |