Salmon River Project Is First New York Project to Earn an 8-Year Certification For Meeting Special Watershed Management Criteria
PORTLAND, ME – (March 28, 2006) – The Low Impact Hydropower Institute (LIHI) announced today that at their March 16, 2006 Board Meeting, Brookfield Power Corporation's Salmon River Hydroelectric Project earned LIHI's Low Impact Certification.
The Salmon River Project (FERC No. 11408) consists of two existing developments located on the Salmon River in the Towns of Redfield and Orwell, Oswego, New York. The two developments progressing downstream towards Lake Ontario are: Bennetts Bridge and Lighthouse Hill located at approximately 18 and 17 miles from where the river meets Lake Ontario.
The installed capacity of the Salmon River Project is approximately 36.25 MW with 28.75 MW at Bennetts Bridge and 7.5 MW at Lighthouse Hill. The Salmon River Project is the first New York hydropower project to receive an eight-year certification in recognition of meeting special watershed management criteria which includes a buffer zone dedicated for conservation purposes. The LIHI Governing Board voted to extend the Salmon River Project certification by an additional three years.
SUMMARY
Facility location: Salmon River, New York
Installed capacity: 36.25 MW (Bennetts Bridge 28.75 MW and Lighthouse Hill 7.5 MW)
Average annual generation: 144,690 megawatt hours
FERC license: No. 11408 issued in 1996 with a collaborative settlement agreement signed in 1994.
Applicant: Brascan Power NY
Applicant Contact: Steven P. Murphy, (315)-413-2788
Date application posted to website: November 14, 2005
Date public comment period closes: January 14, 2006
Effective Certification Decision Date: November 14,2005
Certification Expiration Date: November 14, 2013
Brascan Power NY, has submitted an application for certification of its Salmon River Hydroelectric Project on November 14, 2005. The Salmon River Project consists of two existing developments located on the Salmon River in the Towns of Redfield and Orwell, Oswego, New York. The two developments progressing downstream towards Lake Ontario are: Bennetts Bridge and Lighthouse Hill located at approximately 18 and 17 miles from where the river meets Lake Ontario.
The installed capacity of the Salmon River Project is approximately 31.5 MW at Bennetts Bridge and 8.2 MW at Lighthouse Hill.
The Bennetts Bridge Development consists of a concrete gravity dam/intake and two earthen dikes that form the six-mile long Salmon River Reservoir (also referred to as: Stillwater, Redfield, or Bennets Bridge Reservoir). The nearly 2-mile long penstock conveys water to a powerhouse containing four horizontal generating units. Water is released into a 950-foot-long tailrace channel that enters the Lighthouse Hill Reservoir.
The Lighthouse Hill powerhouse and dam are located approximately one mile downstream of the Bennetts Bridge powerhouse. The 4,300-foot long impoundment is formed by a 382-foot-long concrete gravity dam, a 125-foot long integrated intake/powerhouse, a 15-foot-long sluice gate section and an earthen dike approximately 527 feet in length.
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) operates a fish hatchery located 1.5 miles downstream of the Lighthouse Hill Development. NYSDEC draws approximately 22cfs from the Lighthouse Hill Reservoir and returns it to the Salmon River via Beaverdam Brook.
PUBLIC COMMENT
No public comments were received for this application.