Hydropower Relicensing Public Meeting Announced

By Bill Johnson Published Jul 26, 2004 09:25 am Updated Jan 31, 2009 04:43 pm

The Forest Service announced that the Stanislaus National Forest will host a public meeting on Friday July 30, 2004 to provide information on resource protection, mitigation, and enhancement measures being proposed for two hydropower and one transmission line project being re-licensed by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

The meeting will take place at the Pinecrest Elementary School auditorium from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. The meeting will begin with a presentation overview of the projects, and will be followed by a question and answer period. In addition to the Forest Service, representatives from PG&E, Tri-Dam Project and other agencies and non-government organizations will be available to answer questions.

The meeting is an opportunity for the public to see what changes are being proposed for river flows in the Stanislaus River and recreation facilities at Pinecrest and Beardsley reservoirs.

All three projects are located within the Stanislaus National Forest and include:

Spring Gap-Stanislaus project owned and operated by PG&E. Facilities associated with this project are Pinecrest Lake, Relief Reservoir, Philidelphia Diversion Dam, Stanislaus Afterbay Dam, Spring Gap Powerhouse, Stanislaus Powerhouse, Philadelphia Ditch, Spring Gap Forebay and Stanislaus Forebay.

Donnells-Curtis Transmission Line project owned and operated by PG&E. This 115 kilovolt 10 mile transmission line runs from Donnells Powerhouse to Spring Gap Junction, including the Beardsley tap line.

Beardsley/Donnells project owned and operated by Tri-Dam Project. Facilities associated with this project include Donnells Reservoir, tunnel and penstock, powerhouse and switchyard; Beardsley Reservoir, tunnel and penstock, powerhouse, switchyard and afterbay dam.

The objectives of the meeting are to provide an overview of hydropower license process, the proposed changes in river flows in the South Fork and Middle Fork Stanislaus River, and recreation improvements at Pinecrest and Beardsley Reservoirs. Following the meeting participants will know how they may participate in the FERC Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) analysis process, and in subsequent project-specific environmental analyses.

For more information about the meeting, contact Kathy Burnett at the Summit Ranger District at (209) 965-3434 extension 5313. Information about the public meeting will also be available on the Internet at: http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/stanislaus.

U.S. Forest Service Press Release.