LIHI Certificate #90 - Deerfield River Project, Vermont and Massachusetts

Settlement Agreement
The Deerfield River Project was one of the first FERC Projects to be relicensed under a comprehensive Settlement Agreement approach executed in 1994. A five-year cooperative consultation process involving state and federal resource agencies, various non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and the licensee (at that time New England Power Company) resulted in settlement by the parties. The process of reaching this agreement included examination of the power and non-power tradeoffs and effects of a wide variety of operational scenarios. This negotiation process, after careful consideration of alternatives, resulted in a balancing of power and non-power interests associated with the Project through the Settlement Agreement. The FERC License conditions for the Project consist of the operational and environmental measures defined by the Settlement Agreement. The Settlement Agreement demonstrated the ability of diverse interests to come together in good faith to balance environmental quality, recreation, fishing, energy production, land preservation and other purposes. The agreement ensures that the Deerfield River will be managed over the License term to improve resource protection while recognizing the value of hydropower as a renewable energy resource.Project Developments
In Vermont, the Project facilities are located in the Towns of Somerset, Searsburg, Wilmington, Whitingham, and Readsboro. They consist of:- Somerset Dam at River Mile (RM) 66, a storage reservoir with no hydropower generation.
- Searsburg Dam at RM 60.3 and Searsburg Powerhouse at RM 56.8
- Harriman Dam at RM 48.5 and Harriman Powerhouse at RM 44.1
- Sherman Dam and Powerhouse at RM 42
- Deerfield No. 5 Dam at RM 41.2 and Deerfield No. 5 Powerhouse at RM 38.5
- Deerfield No. 4 Dam at RM 20 and Deerfield No. 4 Powerhouse at RM 18.5
- Deerfield No. 3 Dam at RM 17 and Deerfield No. 3 Powerhouse at RM 16.8
- Deerfield No. 2 Dam and Powerhouse at RM 13.2.
Description of Project Facilities

Somerset Gatehouse
Project Name | Deerfield River |
LIHI Certificate No. | 90 |
LIHI Certificate Term | April 25, 2012 - April 25, 2020, extended to May 31, 2021 |
Owner | Great River Hydro, LLC |
State | Vermont, Massachusetts |
Location | The project consists of eight developments, located between river mile 13.2 and 66 in Bennington and Windham Counties in Vermont, and in Berkshire and Franklin Counties in Massachusetts; the project area encompasses about a 65-mile reach of the Deerfield River. |
Installed Capacity | Total 86 MW (audited) Searsburg: 5 MW; Harriman: 41 MW; Sherman: 6 MW; Deerfield No. 5: 14 MW; Deerfield No. 4: 6 MW; Deerfield No. 3: 7 MW; Deerfield No. 2: 7 MW |
Annual Generation | 260,275 MWh total (10 year average) |
Facility Type | Somerset: no hydropower generation Searsburg: peaking, daily storage Harriman: peaking, seasonal storage Sherman: peaking, weekly storage Deerfield No. 5: peaking, daily storage Deerfield No. 4: peaking, daily storage Deerfield No. 3: peaking, daily storage Deerfield No. 2: peaking, daily storage |
FERC No. | P-2323 issued 1997, expires 2037 |

Searsburg Dam, Gatehouse and Penstock
Searsburg dam, gatehouse, and wooden penstock
The powerhouse is a steel frame and brick structure constructed in 1922. It contains one vertical Francis unit with a nameplate capacity of 4,160 KW (audited at 5 MW). The powerhouse also contains appurtenant mechanical and electrical facilities. The transformer yard is located outside, just east of the powerhouse and contains a single air break switch and motor operator, an overhead bus structure and the station Generator Step-up (GSU) transformer and accessories. The GSU is a three-phase transformer rated at 5000 kVA, stepping up voltage from 2.4 to 69 kV for the transmission system. In addition to the 69 kV transmission interconnection, there is a small local distribution feeder supplied from this station.
Harriman Station

Harriman Glory Hole

Deerfield No. 5 dam

Deerfield No. 4 forebay

Deerfield No. 3 powerhouse
Certification History
November 30, 2020: The Low Impact Hydropower Institute has received a complete application for Low Impact recertification of the Deerfield River Hydroelectric Project. The complete application can be found below.
LIHI is seeking public 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 the Institute by e-mail at comments@lowimpacthydro.org with “Deerfield River 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 January 29, 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.
May 15, 2016: LIHI has received notice that TransCanada Hydro Northeast Inc. was converted to a limited liability company on April 7, 2017, becoming TransCanada Hydro Northeast LLC. On April 19, 2017, the name of the company was changed from TransCanada Hydro Northeast LLC to Great River Hydro, LLC.
September 15, 2012: The Deerfield River Project has been certified as low impact for an eight year term, effective April 25, 2012 and expiring April 25, 2020. This Certification is issued with the following specific conditions:
- Condition 1:If the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service or the State of Massachusetts requests upstream and/or downstream eel passage facilities at the Project, the Project owner shall so notify LIHI within 30 days and shall enter into, and provide LIHI with a copy of, an agreement reached among the Project owner, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and/or the State of Massachusetts to provide both interim (if requested by a Resource Agency) and permanent safe, timely, and effective passage for American eel. The Agreement must be finalized within 120 days of the request for passage and must include a description of the planned passage and protection measures and the implementation schedule for design, installation, and operations. The agreement shall be filed with LIHI within 30 days of its execution.
- Condition 2:If the State of Vermont requests modification of the Project or its operation at Harriman Dam to address temperature and/or dissolved oxygen concerns pursuant to Article 415 of the Project FERC license, the Project owner shall so notify LIHI within 30 days and shall enter into, and provide LIHI with a copy of, an agreement reached among the Project owner and the State of Vermont to address those concerns. The Agreement must be finalized within 120 days of the request for Project modification and must include a description of the planned measures and the implementation schedule for those measures. The agreement shall be filed with LIHI within 30 days of its execution.
April 25, 2012: TransCanada Hydro Northeast has resubmitted their application for certification of the Deerfield River Project. They had originally filed for low impact certification in December of 2009 but withdrew in August of 2010 when several issues of concern were identified by the Application Reviewer.
December 31, 2009: TransCanada Hydro Northeast submitted an application for certification of the Deerfield River project.
Files:
2020 Recertification
- Deerfield River Recertification Application 2020
- Deerfield River Facility Information Table
- Massachusetts Department of Fish and Game Deerfield River Recertification Comments
- Trout Unlimited Connecticut River Valley Chapter Deerfield River Recertification Comments
- Vermont Agency of Natural Resources Deerfield River Recertification Comments 2021
- Connecticut River Conservancy Comments on Deerfield River Recertification Application 2021
2012 Certification
- Deerfield River Certification Review Report
- Deerfield River Certification Questionnaire
- Application Attachment - Resource Agencies
- Application Attachment - Project Description
- Application Attachment - Responses to Questionnaire
- Connecticut River Watershed Council Comment Letter - Deerfield River 2010
- Deerfield River Watershed Association Deerfield Comment Letter - Deerfield River 2010
- Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection Comment Letter - Deerfield River 2010
- Massachusetts Division of Fisheries & Wildlife Comment Letter - Deerfield River 2010
- Trout Unlimited Comment Letter - Deerfield River 2012
- Trout Unlimited Letter to TransCanada
- Deerfield River License 1997
- FERC Final Environmental Impact Statement 1996
- Vermont Water Quality Certificate 1995
- Massachusetts Water Quality Certificate 1994
- Deerfield Settlement Agreement 1994