Massachusetts Water Resource Authority files for LIHI Certification on the Oakdale Hydro Project (FERC No. 10689)

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 Oakdale 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.

Oakdale Hydro (FERC No. 10689: The Oakdale hydroelectric facility is located at the outlet of the Quabbin Aqueduct just upstream of Wachusett Reservoir and near the mouth of the Quinepoxet River. Quabbin Aqueduct is a deep rock tunnel. The water enters the aqueduct at Quabbin Aqueduct Intake, Shaft 12 and travels over 24 miles to its terminus to the Oakdale transfer station in West Boylston Massachusetts. It is one of the locations in the MWRA water transmission system where MWRA currently captures energy in falling water as it is conveyed from higher elevations in the western portion of the MWRA system (Quabbin Reservoir) to lower elevations in the distribution area. Generation of hydropower is secondary to MWRA's primary objective of water supply, and is legally subordinate to MWRA's obligation to provide high quality drinking water. The Oakdale facility is operated and maintained by MWRA. The Oakdale station was constructed in 1929 as an outlet works of Quabbin Tunnel, and was initially operated solely as a water transfer station. In 1949, a hydropower generator was added. In 1990, FERC granted a conduit exemption for the Oakdale hydroelectric facility (FERC # 10689).

The project generated approximately 9,000 mWH in 2009. The hydropower generated is

sold to West Boylston Municipal Lighting Plant. Revenues from the sale of power to

West Boylston are used to offset the costs of operating the Massachusetts Department of

Conservation and Recreation's (DCR) Watershed Protection Division. DCR and

MWRA are partners in watershed protection and MWRA rate payers fund the DCR

Watershed Protection Division.

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 " Oakdale 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.