Lexington MA (May 1, 2020):  The Low Impact Hydropower Institute (LIHI) has preliminarily approved the Ware River Project (LIHI #47) for a new 5-year term of Low Impact Certification. The Certificate includes the following conditions:

条件 1： The facility Owner shall, within 6 months of recertification, consult with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to determine if the instantaneous 径流 monitoring and maintenance plan recommended by the Service per Section 30(C) of the Federal Power Act, and required by the 联邦能源管理委员会 August 2017 Order Amending 豁免, is still necessary.  The results of consultation shall be provided to LIHI in annual compliance submittals until the issue is closed. If the plan is not required, the Owner should file the agency concurrence with FERC within 3 months of that determination.  If the plan is still required, the Owner shall develop a draft plan for agency review and provide a copy of the final plan including any agency comments on the draft to LIHI within 60 days of plan completion.

条件2： The three-year post turbine upgrade water quality monitoring is scheduled to be performed beginning in 2020.  The results of the monitoring studies along with any resource agency comments and any proposed mitigation that may be needed shall be provided to LIHI within 60 days of each annual study report’s issuance.   LIHI reserves the right to reassess or revoke certification based on the information provided.

条件3：  Should drawdown events occur at the facility during the term of LIHI Certification for maintenance or emergency reasons, the facility Owner shall consult with MDFW and develop the required state-listed mussel species protection plan to protect state-listed mussels and their habitat.  The Owner shall file copies of the plan and all agency consultation to LIHI within 60 days of MDFW approving the plan.

此决定是初步决定，需等待 30 天的申诉期。只有在 60 天的评论期内对初始申请发表评论的人才有资格提出上诉。此类上诉需要说明该项目为何不符合 LIHI 标准。上诉请求可以通过电子邮件提交至 comments@lowimpacthydro.org 邮件主题请注明“韦尔河项目”，或邮寄至低影响水电研究所，地址：329 Massachusetts Ave, Suite 6, Lexington, MA 02420。所有申请都将发布在网站上。申请人将有机会回复，回复也将发布。 申请必须在 2020 年 5 月 31 日美国东部时间下午 5 点之前收到。完整申请和审核报告可供查看 这里.

If no appeal requests are received and the decision becomes final, the Certification term for the Project will be August 24, 2019 through August 23, 2024.