LIHI Certificate #188 - Cascade Project, New Hampshire

Cascade Project, NH
項目名稱 Cascade
理海證書編號 188
LIHI 證書期限 March 1, 2022 – February 29, 2032
擁有者 Great Lakes Hydro America, LLC，布魯克菲爾德再生能源集團的子公司
狀態 New Hampshire/td>
地點 Located at river mile 135.6 on the Androscoggin River in Berlin and Gorham, Coos County
裝置容量 7.92 MW
平均年發電量 39,191 MWh
設施類型 徑流
聯邦能源監管委員會 不。 P-2327 issued in 1994, expires 07/31/2024 – extended

The Cascade Project is located on the Androscoggin River in the city of Berlin and the town of Gorham, New Hampshire. The 壩 and a grinder room were originally constructed in 1903 by the Berlin Mills Company to provide hydro-mechanical power for paper making activities. The grinder room was converted to a hydroelectric generating 發電站 between 1913 and 1918 which included the replacement of the hydro-mechanical units with hydroelectric turbine/generators. Hydroelectric energy was first produced in 1914.

The Androscoggin River, spanning 178 miles, drains 3,450 square miles within New Hampshire and Maine. It joins the Kennebec River at Merrymeeting Bay in Maine before emptying into the Gulf of Maine and subsequently the Atlantic Ocean. The Project is one of several hydroelectric projects within an 11-mile reach of the Androscoggin River between Berlin and Shelburne, New Hampshire including 鋸木廠 (LIHI #173), 交叉電源 (LIHI #174), 上戈勒姆 (LIHI #175), 戈勒姆 (LIHI #153), 謝爾本 (LIHI #176)  The Cascade project is located just downstream of the Cross Power Project (LIHI #174) and immediately upstream of the Upper Gorham Project (LIHI #175).

The dam is in the same configuration as it was in 1903. It is a 583-foot-high concrete 重力壩 consisting of:

  • A 15-foot-wide concrete 鄰接 which extends for about 20 feet upstream and 30 feet downstream perpendicular to the end of the 溢洪道,
  • An 弧形 spillway section, 313 feet long with 3-foot-high 閃光板,
  • A forebay gate structure, 168-feet-long by 15-feet-wide. It consists of 15 three-feet-wide concrete piers and a concrete deck with wooden 蓋茲, each 9-feet-wide and 11-feet-high,
  • An abutment adjacent to the forebay gate structure consisting of two parallel 3-foot-wide concrete retaining walls with earth fill. The retaining walls extend approximately 88 feet, including 77 feet located inland of the riverbank,
  • A forebay, downstream of the forebay gate structure, approximately 300-feet-long by 240-feet-wide with a maximum depth of 24 feet. The forebay wall is a concrete gravity structure that extends approximately 326 feet downstream. The wall has a maximum height of 41 feet, with a 4-foot, 11-inch-wide crest.

Within the forebay wall is:

  • A deep gate located about 90 feet downstream.
  • A 4-foot-wide by 2.5-foot-deepsluiceway located about 193 feet downstream.
  • A concrete platform located on top of the forebay wall, measuring 19-feet by 24-feet, to support an electrical tower with transmission lines.
  • A steel framed brick and block powerhouse, measuring 135-feet-long, 43-feet-wide, and 67-feet-high with a concrete structure addition measuring 19-feet by 24-feet. Three 壓力管道 lead from the 頭 gates to the three 弗朗西斯式水輪機.

A 400-foot-long bedrock channel bypass reach is fed by the water passing over the spillway.

該項目運營於 徑流 mode and impounds a 28-acre reservoir. 流入 to the project is regulated by five storage reservoirs at the 源頭 of the Androscoggin River system. The project provides a minimum flow of 6 cfs or inflow, whichever is less, through an orifice in the spillway flashboards to provide stable habitat for resident species. This minimum flow regime was developed in consultation with the US Fish and Wildlife Service and New Hampshire Fish and Game Department.

Waters within the project reach are designated Class B, considered acceptable for aquatic biota habitat, fishing, primary recreation, and drinking water supply after treatment. Sampling of the impoundment and bypassed reach in 2020 confirmed that water quality parameters met or exceeded the accepted standards for Class B waters.

Downstream natural barriers preclude access for migratory species in this reach of the Androscoggin River. The National Marine Fisheries Service has concluded that due to the downstream Lewiston Falls and Rumford Falls, species such as Atlantic salmon, alewife, river herring, and striped bass would not be able to reach the waters in the project vicinity. American eel, a 洄游性 species, is present in the lower Androscoggin River, though in relatively low numbers. No American eel have been collected during fish sampling studies in the upper Androscoggin River. However, the upper Androscoggin River is a popular cold-water trout and landlocked salmon fishery. This fishery is bolstered by trout stocking and wild reproduction in the upper watershed and in tributaries. Other resident fish species include fallfish, smallmouth bass, white sucker, longnose dace, common shiner, spottail shiner, rainbow trout, bullhead, and yellow perch.

The limited project lands consist of those associated with project structures. A Shoreline Management Plan governs land usage in the project area and implements provisions from the New Hampshire Comprehensive Shoreland Protection Act (now the Shoreland Water Quality Protection Act). This policy lists uses of the shoreland within a 250-foot buffer that are permitted, prohibited, or restricted and established planting and vegetation removal standards within any existing woodland buffers.

Threatened or endangered species potentially present in the project vicinity include Canada lynx, Northern long-eared bat, Eastern small-footed bat, little brown bat, and the tri-colored bat. Due to the limited maintenance activities that occur at the project, it is not expected that the project has any impact on the listed species. Run-of-river operations also limit impoundment fluctuations and minimize any potential for adverse impact on the shoreline habitat and resident species.

The project area does not host any archaeological or cultural resources. The project owner provides an annual report on management of the property’s structures, specifically the dam and powerhouse.

No recreational resources are provided in the project’s limited area. Informal access is provided in the tailrace of the upstream Cross Power project and there are two municipal parks nearby. Downstream access is available from a gravel hand carry boat site roughly two miles from the project. Otherwise, there is no safe access to the impoundment, bypass reach, or tailrace as the surrounding lands are forested and steep.

合規狀態

此證書包括以下設施特定條件：

條件一： 設施所有者應向 LIHI 提供專案重新許可的持續狀態更新，包括研究、FERC 備案、資源機構諮詢、規定和建議以及機構對研究結果的評論。 LIHI 保留根據重新授權的結果修改憑證或條件的權利。

2025: 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 NHDES issued a Water Quality Certification on September 19, 2024 and FERC issued its final Environmental Assessment on October 7, 2024.

2024: No material changes or compliance issues were identified. The project remains in compliance based on the annual review. For Condition 1, FERC issued its Ready for Environmental Analysis and notice of intent to prepare an environmental assessment in 2023.

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 filing of the final relicense application on August 1, 2022.

2022: 目前證書的年度報告尚未生效。

認證歷史

May 19, 2022: The decision to certify the Cascade Project became final after the close of the appeals period on May 18, 2022 with no appeals filed. The Certification term is from March 1, 2022 – February 29, 2032.

2022年4月18日： The Low Impact Hydropower Institute (LIHI) has preliminarily approved the Cascade Project for a 10-year term of Low Impact Certification. The full application and reviewer’s report are available below. 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 “Cascade 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. 請求必須在 2022 年 5 月 18 日美國東部時間下午 5 點之前收到。 如果沒有收到上訴請求且決定成為最終決定，則該計畫的認證期限為 2022 年 3 月 1 日至 2032 年 2 月 29 日。

2022年2月7日： The Low Impact Hydropower Institute has received a complete application for Low Impact Certification of the Cascade 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 然後查看下面該項目的申請資料。與特定 LIHI 標準（流量、水質、 魚道等等）將非常有幫助，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 “Cascade Project Comments” in the subject line, or by mail addressed to the Low Impact Hydropower Institute, 1167 Massachusetts Avenue, Arlington, MA 02476. 評論必須在東部時間下午 5 點或之前收到 April 8, 2022 有待考慮。 所有評論都將發佈到網站上，申請人將有機會回應。任何回覆也會公佈。

認證文件

2022 年認證

 

關鍵文件