LIHI Certificate #102 - Putts Bridge Project, Massachusetts

Putts Bridge Project, LIHI #102
項目名稱 Putts Bridge
理海證書編號 102
LIHI 證書期限
 December 20, 2023 –
December 19, 2033
擁有者 Central Rivers Power MA, LLC, a subsidiary of LS Power/ Patriot Hydro, LLC
狀態 麻薩諸塞州
地點 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.
裝置容量 3.9 MW
平均年發電量 13,713 MWh
設施類型 河流的奔流
聯邦能源監管委員會 不。 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 壩 crosses the town line between Springfield and Ludlow; the 發電站 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.

Although the Chicopee River is only 18 miles long, its watershed is 721 square miles, the largest in all of Massachusetts, and the largest tributary watershed to the Connecticut River. During the Industrial Revolution, the Chicopee River became a particularly sought-after destination for hydropower, largely because it drops 260 feet over its course.

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)， 和 Red Bridge (LIHI #96). Downstream are Indian Orchard (LIHI #112), Chicopee Falls (FERC No. 6522), and 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 鄰接 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 弧形 溢洪道 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 頭門, 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 運河 runs 355 feet from the powerhouse in a westerly direction to where the flow re-enters the Chicopee River.

該項目運營於 徑流 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 魚道, 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 濕地 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 國家歷史遺跡名錄. 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.

合規狀態

此證書包括以下設施特定條件：

條件一：  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 洄游性 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.

條件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

認證歷史

January 3, 2024: The Low Impact Hydropower Institute has issued a final decision on the mid-term recertifications of the Red Bridge, Putts Bridge, Indian Orchard, and Dwight Hydroelectric Projects. These projects are located on the Chicopee River in Massachusetts. The preliminary decision was announced on November 28, 2023 starting the 30-day appeal window. That window closed on December 28, 2023 and no appeals were filed. Therefore, the decision to recertify the projects is now final. The new project term is shown in the table above and the full mid-term review application and review report can be found below.

November 28, 2023: The Low Impact Hydropower Institute has preliminarily approved Low Impact recertification for the Red Bridge, Putts Bridge, Indian Orchard and Dwight Projects Hydroelectric Projects located on the Chicopee River in Massachusetts. 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 評論@lowimpactHydro.org with “Chicopee River Projects” in the subject line, or by mail addressed to the Low Impact Hydropower Institute, 1167 Massachusetts Ave, 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 28, 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.

August 17, 2023: Four LIHI Certified projects located on the Chicopee River in Massachusetts received a consolidated amendment to their FERC exemptions on March 13, 2023.  The projects are Red Bridge (LIHI #96), Putts Bridge (LIHI #102), Indian Orchard (LIHI #112), and Dwight (LIHI #170).  The amendment authorized changes in each project’s operations from peaking to run-of-river along with changes in bypass reach minimum flows at some projects.  In accordance with Section 5.3.4 of the 2nd Edition LIHI Handbook, Revision 2.05, issuance of a FERC 豁免 amendment that affects the LIHI criteria constitutes a “material change” and triggers a mid-term LIHI Certification review.  New Certificate terms can be granted if the projects continue to satisfy the LIHI criterion, even if the current certification terms have not yet expired. The applicant, Central Rivers Power, MA, LLC (a subsidiary of LS Power/ Patriot Hydro, LLC), has submitted a summary of the operational changes related to the FERC exemption amendment.  Documents are available in the Certification Files Section of each project webpage:

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 with “Chicopee River Projects” in the subject line. Comments must be received by 5 pm Eastern time on October 16, 2023.

2022 年 1 月 1 日： 根據 2022 年 1 月 1 日發布的 LIHI 第二版認證手冊第 2.05 版，LIHI 證書期限已延長。

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 評論@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 手冊 然後審查下面的項目申請資料。與特定 LIHI 標準（流量、水質、魚通過等）直接相關的評論將是最有幫助的，但所有評論都會被考慮。意見可以透過電子郵件提交給研究所： 評論@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 予以考慮。所有評論都將發佈到網站上，申請人將有機會回應。任何回應也將被發布。

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.

認證文件

2023 Mid-term Review

2019年重新認證

2012 Certification

關鍵文件