LIHI Certificate #3 - Putnam, Quinebaug River, Connecticut, in the town of Putnam (FERC #5645)
First in New England to be Certified as Low Impact is Re-Certified for Five years
Portland, Maine - ( April 10, 2007) --- Governing Board has determined that the Putnam Hydropower project, FERC No. 5645, continues to meet the Low Impact Hydropower Certification Criteria. An original Low Impact certificate will be forwarded to you once the Governing Board Chair and Secretary have executed it. In reaching its decision, the Governing Board reviewed the original application for certification, as well as the Application Reviewer's report and the Staff report, both of which found the Putnam project continues to meet the Low Impact criteria. The Board's vote to certify Putnam as a Low Impact facility was unanimous. The certification of Putnam is valid for five years, and will expire on April 10, 2012. During this time, it is your responsibility to maintain compliance with the certification criteria and to notify of us of any changed conditions relevant to the certification.
PORTLAND, OR – (April 10, 2002) —The Low Impact Hydropower Institute (LIHI) announced today that the Putnam Hydropower project on the Quinebaug River in northeast Connecticut became the first hydropower dam in New England to earn LIHI's Low Impact Hydropower Facility certification. The voluntary certification program is designed to help consumers identify environmentally sound, low impact hydropower facilities for emerging "green" energy markets.
Putnam Hydropower uses a small dam to produce electricity from the flow of the QuinebaugRiver. The project has an installed capacity of 575 kilowatts, and produces about 2,750,000 kilowatt-hours of energy annually, enough to power about 390 households. The project is a "run of river" facility, which means it uses whatever water is flowing in the river, and does not hold or store it for later use.
The Putnam 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. Putnam 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 Putnam was unanimous.
"We're delighted to certify this as our first facility in New England," said Lydia Grimm, LIHI's Executive Director. "Small capacity dams don't necessarily indicate low environmental effects, but in this case, we can assure the public that the Putnam Hydropower project has low impacts on key resources. Putnam should earn the support of consumers interested in buying sustainable, environmentally sound 'green' power."
Charles Rosenfield, the operator of Putnam Hydropower, was pleased with the certification decision. "I was skeptical of this certification program initially, but the Institute was very helpful in working with me to develop our application. I'm happy with the outcome and am optimistic there will soon be more consumer interest in buying 'green' electricity."
For further information about Low Impact certification, please contact Fred Ayer at LIHI at (207) 773-8190, or visit the LIHI website at www.lowimpacthydro.org. LIHI is a nonprofit organization that certifies environmentally low impact hydropower facilities nationwide to help energy consumers, and to support market incentives for reducing the effects of hydropower dams on the nation's rivers and streams.