June 1, 2009 --- Winooski One files for LIHI Re-Certification on their Winooski One Hydroelectric Project on the Winooski River.
Portland, Maine (June 1, 2009) – The Low Impact Hydropower Institute (LIHI) announced today that Winooski One Partnership (Applicant) has submitted an application for re-certification of the Winooski One Hydroelectric Project which is located on the Winooski River, in Winooski and Burlington, Vermont.
The facility has also been known as the “Chase Mill Hydroelectric Project.” The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued the project a license (FERC 2756) in 1988 for the operation and maintenance of the 7.4 megawatt, run-of-river facility.
The facility is located at lower Winooski Falls on the Winooski River ten miles upstream of its confluence with Lake Champlain, between the city of Winooski, on the north bank, and the city of Burlington, on the south bank. This run-of-river facility has a refurbished spillway with crest gates abutting a historic timber crib dam that dates from 1876. The dam is on the National Register of Historic Places as part of the Winooski Falls Mill District. There are two plant species listed by the state as threatened and endangered in the vicinity of the project that were the subject of mitigation and protection activities at the time of the facility’s construction. The applicant also constructed fish passage facilities and a riverside park and trail as part of the project.
The project, constructed in 1991-93, consists of a 200-foot-long, 35-foot-high concrete dam situated immediately downstream and abutting the timber-crib dam surmounted by a 100-foot-long, eight-foot-high bascule gate with crest elevation of 136 feet NGVD; a 36-foot-long bascule gate located at the right abutment; a 5.7 acre reservoir; a 70-foot-long intake powerhouse containing one 6.5 MW turbine generator; a 45-foot-wide, 125-foot-long tailrace; a fish trap facility; a riverside park; an underground transmission cable; and an access road.
Public Comment - We encourage public comments on this application. Specifically, we are interested in knowing whether you think the Winooski One Hydroelectric Project meets our LIHI criteria. Review the program and criteria in greater detail and then review the Winooski One Hydroelectric Project application. Comments that are directly tied to specific LIHI criteria (flows, water quality, fish passage, etc) will be most helpful, but all comments will be considered. Comments may be submitted to the Institute by e-mail (preferred) at info@lowimpacthydro.org with " Winooski One Hydroelectric Project Comments" in the subject line; by fax at (206) – 984-3086; or by mail addressed to LIHI, 34 Providence Street, Portland, ME, 04103. Comments must be received at the Institute on or before 5 pm Eastern time on August 1, 2009 to be considered. All comments will be posted to the web site and the applicant will have an opportunity to respond. Any response will also be posted.