LIHI Certificate #22 - Black Bear Lake Project, Alaska

Black Bear Lake Project, LIHI #22
Project Name Black Bear Lake
LIHI Certificate No. 22
LIHI Certificate Term May 19, 2021 to May 18, 2031
Owner Alaska Power and Telephone
State Alaska
Location Located at river mile 5 on Black Bear Creek on Prince of Wales Island, Tongass National Forest, Alaska.
Installed Capacity 4.5 MW
Average Annual Generation 19,631 MWh
Facility Type Load following storage project
FERC No. P-10440 issued in 1993, expires 10/31/2043

The Black Bear Lake Project is located at on Black Bear Creek on Prince of Wales Island, northeast of Klawock, Alaska. The project is partially located in the Tongass National Forest in southeast Alaska. Black Bear Lake is a 215-acre natural alpine lake with no dam, and is the origin of Black Bear Creek.

The project includes a 600-foot-long siphon; a 30-inch-diameter penstock with a vacuum pump assembly and structure; a 30-inch-diameter penstock with a total length of 4,900 feet (820 feet buried intake and siphon, 1,930 feet supported on concrete saddles, and 2,150 feet buried to the powerhouse); a 44-foot by 67-foot powerhouse containing one horizontal Twin-Jet Pelton turbine with total installed capacity of 4.5 MW; and a 4.5-mile-long, 34.5-kV overhead transmission line.  The project operates in a load-following manner.

The siphon, which is set up on the crest of land at the edge of the lake, is used initially to draw water out of the lake. Once the siphon is established, water passes through a high-density polyethylene pipe (HDPE) and steel penstock to the valve house where flow can be turned on or shut off without losing the siphon. The valve house also has a bypass pipe for bypassing flows to the creek when additional water is needed in the reach below the powerhouse. When the valve is opened at the valve house, the water flows through approximately 4,900 feet of pipe, some of which is buried and some above ground, to the powerhouse and the turbine.  The water is pressurized by the amount of head the project has (1,500-foot drop in elevation) and the small nozzle (needle) the water must pass through as it strikes the turbine runner.

The project creates a steep, bedrock filled bypassed reach approximately 0.8 miles long that does not contain aquatic habitat.  Minimum base flows from the project vary by month from 9 to 24 cfs. The project limits reservoir drawdown to 15 feet with a ramping restriction of 1.25 inch/hour during start up and shutdown. In a Low Water event, the project converts to true run-of-river operations to protect downstream aquatic resources. This flow regime was developed in consultation with Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

Waters within the project reach are designated pristine. No water bodies associated with the project are included on Alaska’s Listing of Impaired Waters.

No anadromous fish species are present in the project area as there is no migratory fish habitat. The project provides sufficient flows to support downstream  fish reproduction. Resident species include rainbow trout and several salmonid species including chum, pink, sockeye, coho, and dolly varden. The project’s wedge-wire intake screen with 3/8-inch spacing and intake velocity of 0.28 ft/second mitigates resident species entrainment and impingement.

The project lands consist of over 175 acres, 170 within the Tongass National Forest. The terrain around the reservoir shoreline is generally steep and primarily consists of bedrock and talus slopes. Active management was deemed unnecessary, and the US Forest Service oversees most of the project lands.

No threatened or endangered species are present in the project area, nor are there any cultural or historic resources in the area. Several agencies including the State Historic Preservation Office and US Forest Service concluded that no cultural or historic resources would be impacted by the project.

No recreational resources exist at the project. In lieu of recreation facilities, offsite mitigation efforts include funding of the Twelvemile Cabin in Tongass National Forest which is managed by US Forest Service. The cabin is a fully accessible resource on Twelvemile Inlet on Prince of Wales Island.

Compliance Status

The Certificate includes the following facility-specific condition:

Condition 1: In the Annual Compliance Statements, the facility Owner shall provide LIHI with a status report on the potential repairs to the outlet drainage, along with copies of any submissions to and correspondence from FERC. LIHI reserves the right to review this information for possible impacts on LIHI certification.

2024: No material changes or compliance issues were identified. The project remains in compliance based on the annual review. For Condition 1, the project reported that the repairs will be made pending availability of resources.  An alternative design study was completed.

2023: No material changes or compliance issues were identified. The project remains in compliance based on the annual review. For Condition 1, the project reported that the repairs have been deferred.

2022: No material changes or compliance issues were identified. The project remains in compliance based on the annual review. For Condition 1, the project reported no activity.

2021: Annual reporting for the current Certificate has not yet taken effect.

Certification History

January 1, 2022: The LIHI Certificate term has been extended in accordance with Revision 2.05 of the LIHI 2nd Edition Certification Handbook issued January 1, 2022. Refer to the facility table above for the new term.

October 22, 2021: The Low Impact Hydropower Institute has issued a final decision on the recertification of the Black Bear Lake Project.  The 30-day appeal window closed on October 16, 2021 and no appeals were filed.  Therefore, the decision to certify the project is now final.  The new term is May 19, 2021 through May 18, 2026.

September 16, 2021: The Low Impact Hydropower Institute (LIHI) has preliminarily approved the Black Bear Lake Project for a 5-year term 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 “Black Bear Lake Project” 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 October 16, 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 the Project will be May 19, 2021 through May 18, 2026.

July 16 2021: The Low Impact Hydropower Institute (LIHI) has received a complete recertification application from Alaska Power and Telephone Co. for the Black Bear Lake Project located on Black Bear Creek in Alaska. This is the second time the project will be reviewed using LIHI’s 2nd Edition Handbook. LIHI developed a streamlined application format for such projects to facilitate review in accordance with Section 6.1 of the 2nd Edition Handbook. This review process verifies the information submitted, considers any public comments received when the application is deemed complete, and assesses whether there have been any material changes at the facility or in the LIHI Handbook that affect compliance with the LIHI Criteria. LIHI is seeking comment on this application. 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 LIHI by e-mail at comments@lowimpacthydro.org with “Black Bear Lake Project Comments” in the subject line, or by mail addressed to the Low Impact Hydropower Institute, 1167 Massachusetts Avenue, Office 407, Arlington, MA 02476. Comments must be received at the Institute on or before 5 pm Eastern time on September 14, 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 complete application can be found below.

June 2, 2017:  On April 27, 2017, LIHI Executive Director Shannon Ames announced a Preliminary Certification Decision that the Black Bear Lake Hydroelectric Project (FERC No. P-10440) continues to satisfy the LIHI Certification Criteria. As provided for in Section 4.2.5 of the LIHI Handbook, notice of the preliminary decision to certify was posted on the Institute’s website and sent to this stakeholder email distribution list on April 28, 2017.  A 30-day period was provided to anyone who commented on the original application to request an appeal, and no requests for appeal were received. The Black Bear Lake Hydroelectric project is now deemed certified by LIHI for a new 5-year term. The effective certification date for the Black Bear Lake certification is May 19, 2016, expiring on May 19, 2021.

April 27, 2017: LIHI has issued a Preliminary Certification Decision that the Black Bear Lake Hydroelectric Project (FERC No. P-10440) satisfies the LIHI Certification Criteria. As provided for in Section 4.2.5 of the LIHI 2nd Edition Handbook, the Preliminary Certification Decision, along with the Application Reviewer’s report will be posted on the Institute’s Web page for 30 days.  Notice of the posting will be provided to all individuals or organizations that commented on the initial Application Package.

December 16, 2016: The Black Bear Lake certificate has been granted a third extension of the current certificate term. The new expiration date is June 30, 2017. See the extension letter for explanation below.

The Black Bear Lake comment period has been extended to January 19, 2017.

November 18, 2016: The Low Impact Hydropower Institute has received a complete application for a new term of Low Impact Certification for the Black Bear Lake Hydroelectric project. The application materials can be found in the Files section below. LIHI is seeking public comment on this application.  Specifically, we are interested in knowing whether you think the Black Bear Lake project continues to meet the LIHI Low Impact Certification Criteria.  Please review the program and criteria in LIHI’s revised Handbook and then review the Project’s 2016 application materials posted on the project page.  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 “Black Bear Lake Project Comments” in the subject line, or by mail addressed to the Low Impact Hydropower Institute, PO Box 194, Harrington Park, New Jersey 07640.  Comments must be received at the Institute on or before 5 pm Eastern time on January 17, 2017 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.

November 18, 2011: The Black Bear Lake Project continues to meet the Low Impact Hydropower Certification Criteria and has been certified for a second five year term, effective May 19, 2011 and expiring May 19, 2016.

April 30, 2011: Alaska Power and Telephone has submitted an application for recertification of the Black Bear Lake Hydroelectric Project.

December 19, 2006: The Black Bear Lake Hydroelectric Project has been certified as low impact for a five year term, effective May 19, 2006 and expiring May 19, 2011.

May 19, 2006: Alaska Power and Telephone has submitted an application for certification of the Black Bear Lake Hydroelectric Project. A public comment period will be open for 60 days, until July 19, 2006.

Certification Files

2021 Recertification

2016 Recertification

2011 Recertification

2006 Certification

Key documents