LIHI Certificate #22 - Black Bear Lake Hydroelectric Project (FERC #10440), Prince of Wales Island, Alaska

LIHI Re-Certifies Black Bear Lake Project (LIHI Certificate No. 22)

PORTLAND, MAINE - (November 18, 2011) - LIHI has determined that the Black Bear Lake Project, FERC No. 10440, continues to meet the Low Impact Hydropower Certification Criteria.  The certification of the Black Bear Lake Project facility is valid for five years and will expire on May 19, 2016. 

             

LIHI’s program documents describe how a request for renewal of a previously-issued LIHI certification (“re-certification”) will be granted at the conclusion of the term of the existing certification if re-certification is desired by the certificate holder, and so long as:  (1) there have been no “material changes” at the facility that would affect the certification and, (2) LIHI’s certification criteria have not been revised since the previous   certification was issued by LIHI.

LIHI’s Recertification Standards also provide that if the Application Reviewer can definitively determine from the submitted application materials, a review of the LIHI file containing the past certification decision(s), any public comments received during the application process, and any limited reviewer-initiated questioning by LIHI of the applicant and/or third parties, that the answer to both questions in paragraph 3. above is “no,” the Application Reviewer will recommend re-certification approval to LIHI’s Executive Director, and there will be no further application review.

The Application Reviewer reviewed the materials submitted by Alaska Power & Telephone Company (“APT”) in support of its application for recertification of the Black Bear Lake Hydroelectric Project (the “Project”), and also reviewed the LIHI file containing the past certification decision and FERC’s public information file on the Project. As a result of that review, the reviewer requested additional information which was supplied by the Applicant. The public comment period for recertification of the Project expired on June 11, 2011. No public comments were received. In the reviewer’s opinion, these materials are sufficient to make a recertification recommendation and no further application review is recommended.  We have attached a copy of the Application Reviewer’s November 7, 2011 Report.

In reaching our decision to certify the Black Bear Lake Project, we reviewed the application for certification, as well as the Application Reviewer’s report and concurred with the Application Reviewer’s  finding and recommendation that the answer to both questions is “no.” We also concur with the Reviewer’s recommended condition regarding flow deviations. 

LIHI approves certification for the Black Bear Lake Hydroelectric Project for five-years with the following condition:

 

By June 15, 2012, the Applicant submit to LIHI evidence that it has secured  resource agency and FERC approval of a proposed operating protocol allowing for deviations from monthly minimum flow requirements when inflows to the Project do not allow the minimum flow requirements to be met. If the Applicant fails to submit the evidence or if such approval is not secured, LIHI will reserve the right to suspend or cancel the recertification.

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PORTLAND, ME – (April 30, 2011) —The Low Impact Hydropower Institute (LIHI) announced that Alaska Power and Telephone (APT) has submitted an application to recertify the Black Bear Lake Hydroelectric Project as Low Impact. The Black Bear Lake Hydroelectric Project (FERC # 10440) is a 4.5 Mw hydro project at Black Bear Lake on Prince of Wales Island, Tongass National Forest, Alaska. The Project is located at Sections 1 and 12; T73S, R82E, CRM about 8.6 miles east of Klawock. The facility is owned and operated by the Alaska Power and Telephone (APT), and licensed by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). It took 5 years to license the Black Bear Lake Hydroelectric Project (BBL Hydro). 

 

Black Bear Lake Project Description

The Black Bear Lake Hydroelectric Project is a 4.5 MW hydroelectric project at Black Bear Lake on Prince of Wales Island, located at Sections 1 and 12; T73S, R82E, CRM, approximately 15 miles NE of Klawock. The lake's spill elevation is 1687 feet msl, with a surface size of 215 acres. With the licensed 15 foot drawdown, the lake provides approximately 3200 acre-feet of storage. The Black Bear Lake Project took five  years to license and the total project costs were approximately $10 Million.

The lake is used as a reservoir, rather than using a dam, which is accomplished by using a siphon. The project is load-following with the only restriction being that startups and stops cannot exceed 1 cfs per hour, but operations may follow load.

Because there are rainbow trout in the lake, a screened intake is used to prevent fish from going into the penstock. A siphon, which is set up on the crest of land at the edge of the lake, is used initially to draw water out of the lake. Once the siphon is established, water passes through both a high density polyethylene pipe (HDPE) and steel penstock to the valve house where flow can be turned on or shut off without losing the siphon. The valve house also has a bypass pipe for bypassing flows to the creek when additional water is needed in the anadromous reach below the powerhouse. When the valve is opened at the valve house, the water flows through approximately 4,900 feet of pipe, some of which is buried and other above ground, to the powerhouse and the turbine.

The water is pressurized by the amount of head the project has (i.e. 1,500 foot drop in elevation) and the small nozzle (needle) the water must pass through as it strikes the runner (a series of spoon-like protuberances on a wheel) in the turbine, which in turn turns the generator creating electricity.

The electricity then goes to the substation where a step-up transformer adjusts the current to the voltage that is wanted on the electrical grid,in this case 34.5 kV. Switchgear in the powerhouse is located in the office where the operations are monitored and adjusted to meet load demand. Operations are also set up to monitor them from a remote location (i.e. one or more of our central offices).

As mentioned, there are rainbow trout in the lake that were stocked there in the 50’s. ADF&G had been concerned that the Project's annual drawdowns may be impacting the trout’s sustainability by dewatering their spawning beds. Population surveys were conducted for 7 years and a habitat survey was conducted in 2002.

The habitat survey found spawning habitat not just at the lake outlet but around the lake and at differing elevations, indicating that the lake trout spawn at other locations than just the lake outlet and are able to spawn when the lake experiences summer drawdowns.

There are also salmonid species that use the creek below the projects tailrace, i.e. chum,pinks, sockeye, coho, and dolly varden. Because of this the Project is required to have a minimum flow in the creek that varies from month to month.

Monitoring of the anadromous reach was completed after five years in which no impacts were found from project operations.

Although, the original license required development of recreational facilities at Black Bear Lake with the U.S. Forest Service (FS), once the conceptual design was investigated on-site it was determined that it would be impractical. Presently, the FS has developed an off-site location for a recreation cabin on the Island that the licensee will fund through a contractual agreement of $200,000, which was paid to the FS in January 2006.

The Black Bear Lake Hydro Project consists of the following features:

  (1). A 215 acre reservoir (Black Bear Lake) at elevation 1,687 with storage capacity of 3,200 acre feet

  (2). A 600-foot-long Siphon, 30-inch-diameter HDPE penstock with a vacuum pump assembly and structure at the high point elevation of    1,695 msl.

  (3). A 30-inch HDPE penstock with a total length of 4,900-feet (820-feet buried intake and siphon, 1,930-feet supported on concrete saddles,  and 2,150-feet buried to the powerhouse).

 (4). A 44-foot by 67-foot powerhouse with two horizontal Twin-Jet Pelton turbines operating with a gross head of 1,490-feet

( 5). A 4.5-mile long 34.5 kV overhead transmission line 

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PORTLAND, ME – (December 19, 2006) —The Low Impact Hydropower Institute (LIHI) announced that at their December 14, 2006 meeting they certified the Black Bear Lake Hydroelectric Project as Low Impact. The Black Bear Lake Hydroelectric Project (FERC # 10440) is a 4.5 Mw hydro project at Black Bear Lake on Prince of Wales Island, Tongass National Forest, Alaska. The Project is located at Sections 1 and 12; T73S, R82E, CRM about 8.6 miles east of Klawock. The facility is owned and operated by the Alaska Power and Telephone (APT), and licensed by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). It took 5 years to license the Black Bear Lake Hydroelectric Project (BBL Hydro). Total project costs were approximately $10 Million.

The Black Bear Lake Project meets LIHI's eight environmentally rigorous Low Impact criteria addressing river flows, water quality, fish passage and protection, watershed health, endangered species protection, cultural resources, recreation use and access, and whether or not the dam itself has been recommended for removal. The Black Bear Lake successfully completed LIHI's application process, which includes a public comment period, review by an independent technical consultant, consultations with state and federal natural resource agencies, and evaluation by the LIHI Governing Board, including leaders in the river conservation and renewable energy fields. The Board's vote to certify the Black Bear Lake Project was seven for and one abstention. The Black Bear Lake Project (FERC # 10440) became the first hydropower facility to earn LIHI certification in Alaska and the twenty-second nationwide.

The LIHI certification program is relatively new, having certified its first plant in March 2001. The Institute's voluntary certification program is designed to help consumers identify environmentally sound, low impact hydropower facilities for emerging "green" energy markets. While some hydropower plants will not qualify, the certified total is expected to grow significantly.

SUMMARY

On May 19, 2006 APT, submitted an application for Low Impact certification of its Black Bear Lake Hydroelectric Project. Facility location: The Black Bear Lake Hydroelectric Project is a 4.5 Mw hydro project at Black Bear Lake on Prince of Wales Island, Tongass National Forest, Alaska. The Project is located at Sections 1 and 12; T73S, R82E, CRM about 8.6 miles east of Klawock.

Installed capacity: 4.5 Megawatts (MW)

Average annual generation: 23 gigawatt-hours

FERC license: FERC No. 10440 which expires in 2045.

Applicant: Alaska Power and Telephone Company (APT) Applicant contact: Mr. Glen Martin, Project Manager, 193 Otto Street, P.O. Box 3222, Port Townsend, WA (360) 385-1733 x122

Date application posted to website: May 19, 2006

Date public comment period closes: July 19, 2006

Projected date for preliminary certification decision: August 2006

The Black Bear Lake Hydro project is a 4.5 MW hydroelectric project at Black Bear Lake on Prince of Wales Island, approximately 15 miles NE of Klawock. The lake's spill elevation is 1687 feet msl, with a surface size of 215 acres. With the licensed 15 foot drawdown, the lake provides approximately 3200 acre-feet of storage.

The lake is used as a reservoir, rather than using a dam, which is accomplished by using a siphon. The project is load-following with the only restriction being that startups and stops cannot exceed 1 cfs per hour, but operations may follow load.

Because there are rainbow trout in the lake, a screened intake is used to prevent fish from going into the penstock. A siphon, which is set up on the crest of land at the edge of the lake, is used initially to draw water out of the lake. Once the siphon is established, water passes through both an HDPE and steel penstock to the valve house where flow can be turned on or shut off without losing the siphon. The valve house also has a bypass pipe for bypassing flows to the creek when additional water is needed in the anadromous reach below the powerhouse. When the valve is opened at the valve house, the water flows through approximately 4,900 feet of pipe, some of which is buried and other above ground, to the powerhouse and the turbine.

The water is pressurized by the amount of head the project has (i.e. 1,500 foot drop in elevation) and the small nozzle (needle) the water must pass through as it strikes the runner (a series of spoon-like protuberances on a wheel) in the turbine, which in turn turns the generator creating electricity.

The electricity then goes to the substation where a step-up transformer adjusts the current to the voltage that is wanted on the electrical grid,in this case 34.5 kV. Switchgear in the powerhouse is located in the office where the operations are monitored and adjusted to meet load demand. Operations are also set up to monitor them from a remote location (i.e. one or more of our central offices).

As mentioned, there are rainbow trout in the lake that were stocked there in the 50's. ADF&G had been concerned that the Project's annual drawdowns may be impacting the trout's sustainability by dewatering their spawning beds. Population surveys were conducted for 7 years and a habitat survey was conducted in 2002.

The habitat survey found spawning habitat not just at the lake outlet but around the lake and at differing elevations, indicating that the lake trout spawn at other locations than just the lake outlet and are able to spawn when the lake experiences summer drawdowns.

There are also salmonid species that use the creek below the projects tailrace, i.e. chum,pinks, sockeye, coho, and dolly varden. Because of this the Project is required to have a minimum flow in the creek that varies from month to month.

Monitoring of the anadromous reach was completed after five years in which no impacts were found from project operations.

Although, the original license required development of recreational facilities at Black Bear Lake with the U.S. Forest Service (FS), once the conceptual design was investigated on-site it was determined that it would be impractical. Presently, the FS has developed an off-site location for a recreation cabin on the Island that the licensee will fund through a contractual agreement of $200,000, which was paid to the FS in January 2006.

The Black Bear Lake Hydro Project consists of the following features:

(1). A 215 acre reservoir (Black Bear Lake) at elevation 1,687 with storage capacity of 3,200 acre feet

(2). A 600-foot-long Siphon, 30-inch-diameter HDPE penstock with a vacuum pump assembly and structure at the high point elevation of 1,695 msl.

(3). A 30-inch HDPE penstock with a total length of 4,900-feet (820-feet buried intake and siphon, 1,930-feet supported on concrete saddles, and 2,150-feet buried to the powerhouse).

(4). A 44-foot by 67-foot powerhouse with two horizontal Twin-Jet Pelton turbines operating with a gross head of 1,490-feet

(5). A 4.5-mile long 34.5 kV overhead transmission line

Files:

Black Bear Lake Questionnaire and attachments
Aerial photo/diagram
Attachments A and B
Attachment C
Attachment D
Lake Level Correspondence
Filing Notice 4-30-11
LIHI Acceptance Letter

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Files: