80 FR 52041 - West Valley Water District; Notice of Preliminary Determination of a Qualifying Conduit Hydropower Facility and Soliciting Comments and Motions To Intervene

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

Federal Register Volume 80, Issue 166 (August 27, 2015)

[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 166 (Thursday, August 27, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 52041-52042]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2015-21264]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. CD15-32-000]


West Valley Water District; Notice of Preliminary Determination 
of a Qualifying Conduit Hydropower Facility and Soliciting Comments and 
Motions To Intervene

    On August 13, 2015, West Valley Water District filed a notice of 
intent to construct a qualifying conduit hydropower facility, pursuant 
to section 30 of the Federal Power Act (FPA), as amended by section 4 
of the Hydropower Regulatory Efficiency Act of 2013 (HREA). The 
proposed Roemer Water Filtration Facility Hydroelectric Project would 
have an installed capacity of 484 kilowatts (kW) and would be located 
on the existing West Valley Water District's raw water 30-inch-diameter 
Lytle Creek Turnout pipe into the Roemer Water Filtration Facility. The 
project would be located near the City of Rialto in San Bernardino 
County, California.
    Applicant Contact: Thomas J. Crowley, West Valley Water District, 
855 W. Base Line Rd., Rialto, CA 92376, Phone No. (909) 820-3702.
    FERC Contact: Robert Bell, Phone No. (202) 502-6062, email: 
[email protected].
    Qualifying Conduit Hydropower Facility Description: The proposed 
project would consist of: (1) A proposed 141-foot-long by 24-inch-
diameter supply pipe off the 30-inch diameter main pipeline; (2) a 
proposed 1,300 square foot prefabricated steel powerhouse containing 
two generating units with a total installed capacity of 484 kW; (3) a 
28-foot-long 24-inch-diameter exit pipe returning flow back into the 
Roemer Water Filtration Facility and the Cactus Groundwater Recharge 
Pipeline; and (4) appurtenant facilities. The proposed project would 
have an estimated annual generating capacity of 2,200 megawatt-hours.
    A qualifying conduit hydropower facility is one that is determined 
or deemed to meet all of the criteria shown in the table below.

                          Table 1--Criteria for Qualifying Conduit Hydropower Facility
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                                                                                                    Satisfies (Y/
              Statutory provision                                   Description                          N)
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FPA 30(a)(3)(A), as amended by HREA............  The conduit the facility uses a tunnel, canal,               Y
                                                  pipeline, aqueduct, flume, ditch, or similar
                                                  manmade water conveyance that is operated for
                                                  the distribution of water for agricultural,
                                                  municipal, or industrial consumption and not
                                                  primarily for the generation of electricity.
FPA 30(a)(3)(C)(i), as amended by HREA.........  The facility is constructed, operated, or                    Y
                                                  maintained for the generation of electric power
                                                  and uses for such generation only the
                                                  hydroelectric potential of a non-federally owned
                                                  conduit.
FPA 30(a)(3)(C)(ii), as amended by HREA........  The facility has an installed capacity that does             Y
                                                  not exceed 5 megawatts.
FPA 30(a)(3)(C)(iii), as amended by HREA.......  On or before August 9, 2013, the facility is not             Y
                                                  licensed, or exempted from the licensing
                                                  requirements of Part I of the FPA.
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    Preliminary Determination: Based upon the above criteria, 
Commission staff preliminarily determines that the proposal satisfies 
the requirements for a qualifying conduit hydropower facility, which is 
not required to be licensed or exempted from licensing.
    Comments and Motions to Intervene: Deadline for filing comments 
contesting whether the facility meets the qualifying criteria is 45 
days from the issuance date of this notice.
    Deadline for filing motions to intervene is 30 days from the 
issuance date of this notice.
    Anyone may submit comments or a motion to intervene in accordance 
with the requirements of Rules of Practice and Procedure, 18 CFR 
385.210 and 385.214. Any motions to intervene must be received on or 
before the specified deadline date for the particular proceeding.
    Filing and Service of Responsive Documents: All filings must (1) 
bear in all capital letters the ``COMMENTS CONTESTING QUALIFICATION FOR 
A CONDUIT HYDROPOWER FACILITY'' or ``MOTION TO INTERVENE,'' as 
applicable; (2) state in the heading the name of the applicant and the 
project number of the application to which the filing responds; (3) 
state the name, address, and telephone number of the person filing; and 
(4) otherwise comply with the requirements of sections 385.2001 through 
385.2005 of the Commission's regulations.\1\ All comments contesting 
Commission staff's preliminary determination that the facility meets 
the qualifying criteria must set forth their evidentiary basis.
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    \1\ 18 CFR 385.2001-2005 (2014).
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    The Commission strongly encourages electronic filing. Please file 
motions to intervene and comments using the Commission's eFiling system 
at http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/efiling.asp. Commenters can submit 
brief comments up to 6,000 characters, without prior registration, 
using the eComment system at http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/ecomment.asp. You must include your name and contact information at the 
end of your comments. For assistance, please contact FERC Online 
Support at [email protected], (866) 208-3676 (toll free), or 
(202) 502-8659 (TTY). In lieu of electronic filing, please send a paper 
copy to: Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First 
Street NE., Washington, DC 20426. A copy of all other filings in 
reference

[[Page 52042]]

to this application must be accompanied by proof of service on all 
persons listed in the service list prepared by the Commission in this 
proceeding, in accordance with 18 CFR 4.34(b) and 385.2010.
    Locations of Notice of Intent: Copies of the notice of intent can 
be obtained directly from the applicant or such copies can be viewed 
and reproduced at the Commission in its Public Reference Room, Room 2A, 
888 First Street NE., Washington, DC 20426. The filing may also be 
viewed on the web at http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/elibrary.asp using 
the ``eLibrary'' link. Enter the docket number (e.g., CD15-32-000) in 
the docket number field to access the document. For assistance, call 
toll-free 1-866-208-3676 or email [email protected]. For TTY, 
call (202) 502-8659.

    Dated: August 21, 2015.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2015-21264 Filed 8-26-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P