Massachusetts Water Resource Authority files for LIHI Certification for the Loring Road Hydro Project (FERC No. 13400)

Portland, Maine (April 14, 2010) – The Low Impact Hydropower Institute (LIHI) announced today that the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority ("Applicant" or "MWRA") has submitted an application for certification of the Loring Road Hydro project. The Applicant received Federal Energy Regulatory Commission ("FERC") exemption from the requirements of Part I of the Federal Power Act (FPA) for the project.

Loring Road (FERC No. 13400): The Loring Road Small Conduit Hydroelectric Facility will be located in a valve chamber at the Loring Road Covered Storage Facility in Weston, Massachusetts. The hydroelectric facility, now under construction (projected completion is Fall, 2010) will generate power from fully treated potable water as it is transferred via a pipeline from one water supply storage tank in MWRA's water distribution system (Norumbega) to another storage tank (Loring Road). The Loring Road Hydroelectric Project consists of one generating unit having an installed capacity of 200 kW. The MWRA estimates that the project would have an average annual generation of 1,207,000 kW-hours that would be used on-site and any excess would be sold to a local utility. The Loring Road Hydroelectric Project is located within the MWRA's water distribution system. From Wachusett Reservoir (about 30 miles northeast of the proposed project's location), water passes through the Cosgrove Aqueduct, to a water treatment plant, and then via the MetroWest Tunnel to the Norumbega Covered Storage Reservoir. The water continues through a branch of the Metro West tunnel to a underground valve chamber at Loring Road, where it runs through pressure-reducing valves to reduce the hydraulic pressure of the water. Under typical operation, the turbine generator will replace the function of the pressure reducing valves in the first valve chamber. After valve chamber one, the water flows through a second valve chamber that directs the flows to one of two storage tanks at Loring Road. From the tanks, the water discharges into downstream water pipelines. The turbine/generator will regulate flow and provide a constant pressure, in addition to energy recovery. FERC granted a conduit exemption for the Loring Road hydroelectric facility (FERC # 13400).

PUBLIC COMMENT

We encourage public comments on each of these applications. Specifically, we are interested in knowing whether you think these Projects meet our LIHI criteria. Review the program and criteria in greater detail and then review the Project or Projects that you have an interest in. Your 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 " Loring Road" 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 June 14, 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.