LIHI Certificate #34 - Black River and Beebee Island Project, Black River New York
LIHI Certifies Brookfield Power's Black River Project at Their March Meeting
Portland, Maine (March 27, 2008) The LIHI Governing Board today certified the Black River Hydropower Project. The Board's decision, which was unanimous, recognizes that the Black River Hydropower Project has avoided or reduced the Project's environmental impacts pursuant to the Low Impact Hydropower Institute's criteria.
Background
On December 7, 2007, Brookfield Power submitted an application to certify their Balck River Project (FERC# 2569) with the Low Impact Hydropower Institute (sse below). The Black River Project consists of six hydroelectric developments along the Black River in Jefferson County, New York. The five upstream developments are licensed as the Black River Project and the Beebee Island development is licensed separately as the Beebee Island Project (FERC No. 2538).
SUMMARY
Facility location: The Black River in Jefferson County, New York. Installed capacity: 37.6 MW Applicant: Brookfield Power Applicant contact: Steven P. Murphy, Project Manager, 225 Greenfield Parkway Suite 201, Liverpool, NY 13088 (315) 413-2788
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Brookfield Power Files for LIHI Certification for the Black River Hydroelectric Project
On December 7, 2007, the Low Impact Hydropower Institute (LIHI) received an application for LIHI Certification from Brookfield Power (Erie Boulevard Hydropower, L.P.) for the Black River Projects which consist of six hydroelectric developments along the Black River in Jefferson County, New York. LIHI Certification means that the hydropower facility has been found to meet or exceed the Institute's Certification Criteria which address eight key areas: river flows, water quality, fish passage and protection, watershed protection, threatened and endangered species protection, cultural resource protection, recreation, and facilities recommended for removal. Certification is designed to provide consumers with assurance that a facility has avoided or reduced their environmental impacts pursuant to the Low Impact Hydropower Institute's criteria.
The five upstream developments are licensed as the Black River Project (FERC No. 2569), and the Beebee Island development is licensed separately as the Beebee Island Project (FERC No. 2538). The six hydropower dams and powerhouses that comprise Erie's Black River Projects all lie between the City of Watertown and west of the Village of Carthage. Progressing downstream from Carthage, these are the Herrings (RM 27.5), Deferiet (26.0), Kamargo (RM 17.0), Black River (RM 15.0), Sewalls (RM 10.0), and Beebee Island (RM 9.0) developments. These developments are all operated automatically to maintain impoundment levels within 0.5 foot below dam crest or top of flashboards and provide a continuous baseflow of not less than 1,000 cfs (or inflow) through the entire project.
The prior licensee for the projects, Niagara Mohawk Power Corporation, filed applications for new licenses for the Black River and Beebee Island Projects with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) in 1991. As with most of its "Class of '93" projects, Niagara Mohawk initiated settlement negotiations with stakeholders in 1994 in an effort to reach agreement on recommended license conditions and obtain water quality certification from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC). On September 14, 1995, Niagara Mohawk amended the license applications for the Black River and Beebee Island Projects with the filing of a Settlement Offer for the Black River and Beebee Island Projects. The Settlement was signed by Niagara Mohawk, the National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, NYSDEC, Adirondack Mountain Club, American Rivers, New York Rivers United, the Natural Heritage Institute, the New York Council of Trout Unlimited, and the New York State Conservation Council. The provisions of the Settlement Offer were incorporated by FERC into the new licenses for the Black River and Beebee Island Projects, which were issued on December 24, 1996.
The 1995 Settlement Offer for the Black River and Beebee Island Projects was collaboratively designed to provide for the continued operation of these projects with appropriate long-term environmental protection measures to meet diverse objectives for maintaining a balance of non-power and power values in the Black River Basin. The implementation of the protection, mitigation, and enhancement measures associated with the settlement agreement are, in accordance with the timelines agreed upon in the settlement agreement, complete or scheduled for implementation by the end of 2008.
project description – TheBlack River Projects consist of six hydroelectric developments along the Black River in Jefferson County, New York. The five upstream developments are licensed as the Black River Project (FERC No. 2569), and the Beebee Island development is licensed separately as the Beebee Island Project (FERC No. 2538).
The Black River drainage basin is located in the north-central region of the state and has a total area of 1,876 square miles (at USGS gage located at Vanduzee Street). The Black River drains a portion of the western slope of the Adirondack Mountains and eastern and northern portions of the Tug Hill Plateau, and the river flows for 112 miles from its origin in the Adirondacks to its mouth at Lake Ontario. The river is divided into three general topographic reaches. The upper reach is mountainous and characterized by rapids and waterfalls. Below Lyons Falls (RM 73), the river enters a middle reach—the Black River Flats—that stretches 42 miles to the village of Carthage. Below Carthage, the river enters a lower reach, also characterized by rapids and falls as this reach drops 480 ft over 30 miles before entering Lake Ontario.
Three major storage reservoirs in the upstream drainage area are operated by the Board of the Hudson River/Black River Regulating District to provide storage of spring runoff, flood mitigation, and low-flow augmentation for the lower Black River. The Black River began providing hydroelectric power for pulp and paper mills and other industries during the mid-1800s. And while most of the mills and industries are no longer operating, 21 operating hydropower developments still line the Black River from river mile 92.0 to 1.5.
The six hydropower dams and powerhouses that comprise Erie's Black River Projects all lie between the City of Watertown and west of the Village of Carthage. Progressing downstream from Carthage, these are the Herrings (RM 27.5), Deferiet (26.0), Kamargo (RM 17.0), Black River (RM 15.0), Sewalls (RM 10.0), and Beebee Island (RM 9.0) developments. These developments are all operated automatically to maintain impoundment levels within 0.5 foot below the dam crest or the top of flashboards and provide a continuous baseflow of not less than 1,000 cfs (or inflow) through the entire project.
Herrings Development
The 140-acre Herrings reservoir is impounded by a 512-foot-wide by 25-foot-high, L-shaped concrete gravity dam. The dam is topped with seasonally-installed 1-foot-high wooden flashboards. The intake structure is integral with the powerhouse and consists of a 9-foot-wide stoplog waste sluice, an 11-foot-wide stoplog waste sluice downstream of the trashracks, and nine motor-operated slide gates. The intake structure is equipped with 2-inch clear-spaced trashracks with 1-inch clear-spaced seasonal trashracks in the top half of the water column.
The brick and masonry powerhouse contains three generating units, each rated at 1.8 MW. The units have a combined hydraulic capacity of 3,609 cfs. The units discharge to the Black River via a short excavated rock tailrace. The Herrings Development does not have a true bypassed reach, but there is a 100-foot-long area between the foot of the angled dam and the powerhouse tailrace. A constant minimum flow of 20 cfs is released through the stoplog section located between the dam and trashracks.
Figure 1. Powerhouse and dam at the Herrings Development
Deferiet Development
The dam at the Deferiet Development consists of a 503-foot-long by 18-foot-high Ambursen dam section with a crest elevation of 656 feet and topped with a 3-foot-high pneumatic flashboard system. There is also a 192-foot-long sluice gate section with eleven stoplog bays and a 180-foot-wide concrete power canal headworks section with ten steel gates. The dam forms a reservoir with a surface area of 70 acres. A 4,200-foot-long canal connects the intake headworks with the powerhouse. The intake structure consists of three steel slide gates and an 11-foot-wide ice sluice controlled by stoplogs. The existing 3.5-inch clear-spaced trashracks are scheduled to be replaced in 2008 with 2-inch clear-spaced trashracks with 1-inch clear-spaced seasonal trashracks in the top half of the water column.
The powerhouse is adjacent to a now-idle paper mill, which was originally owned by St. Regis Paper Company and is currently being decommissioned. The industrial character of this portion of the development contrasts with the wooded surroundings of the dam and reservoir. The brick and masonry Deferiet powerhouse contains three vertical Francis generating units, each rated at 3.6 MW. The units have a combined hydraulic capacity of 3,441 cfs and discharge to a 1,400-foot-long excavated tailrace. The bypassed reach formed by the Deferiet Development is 1.6 miles long, with the lower 0.5 miles backwatered from riffles and a split channel complex around an island immediately downstream of the tailrace. A total minimum flow of 245 cfs is released at the dam at all times, and an additional 555 cfs is released during walleye spawning season.
Figure 2 - The Deferiet dam
Kamargo Development
The main spillway sections of the dam at the Kamargo Development is a 647-foot-long by 12-foot-high concrete gravity section with a crest elevation of 561.8 feet and topped with seasonally-installed 2-foot-high wooden flashboards. The dam, which forms a reservoir with a surface area of 40 acres, also includes a 150-foot-long non-overflow section and a 131-foot-long power canal gated headworks structure. A 3,850-foot-long unlined canal leads to the 580-foot-long concrete forebay channel, which consists of a 190-foot-long concrete gravity overflow section, a 230-foot-long concrete gravity section topped with 1-foot-high wooden flashboards, and a 160-foot-long side channel spillway section equipped with twelve stoplog bays. The intake structure includes a waste sluice and nine timber gates with stoplog slots and is equipped with 2-inch clear-spaced trashracks with 1-inch clear-spaced seasonal trashracks in the top half of the water column.
The brick and masonry Kamargo powerhouse contains three vertical Francis generating units, each rated at 1.8 MW. The units have a combined hydraulic capacity of 3,300 cfs and discharge directly to the river via a short excavated tailrace. The bypassed reach formed by the Kamargo Development is 3,000 feet long. A minimum flow of 120 cfs (or inflow) is released through a notched section of the dam at all times.
Figure 3 - Kamargo Development
Black River Development
The 25-acre Black River Development reservoir is formed by a 327-foot-long by 16-foot-high horseshoe-shaped dam. The dam includes a concrete wall abutment, a 36.5-foot-long gated section housing two sluice gates with an abandoned substructure powerhouse and a 291-foot-long by 25-foot-high concrete gravity spillway with a crest elevation of 534 feet and topped with 2-foot-high wooden flashboards. An 80-foot-long concrete power canal headworks structure with thirteen timber slide gates leads to the 2,250-foot-long concrete-lined power canal with a side concrete waste weir. The intake structure consists of nine timber slide gates and is equipped with 2-inch clear-spaced trashracks with 1-inch clear-spaced seasonal trashracks in the top half of the water column.
The brick and masonry Black River powerhouse contains three vertical Francis generating units, each rated at 2 MW. The units have a combined hydraulic capacity of 3,201 cfs and discharge directly to the river via a short excavated tailrace. Additional licensed works at the Black River Development include transmission lines, a step-up transformer, and appurtenant facilities.
The bypassed reach formed by the Black River Development is 2,800 feet long. A minimum flow of 80 cfs (or inflow) is released through a notched section of the dam at all times, and an additional 220 cfs released at the dam during walleye spawning season.
Figure 4 - Map Showing the Black River Hydropower Development.
Sewalls Development
Watertown. The Sewalls Development formerly consisted of powerhouses and dams on each the south and north channel of Sewalls Island. The north channel facility is no longer used for power generation.
The south channel dam at the Sewalls Developments is a 243-foot-long by 15.5-foot-high concrete gravity dam with a crest elevation of 463.9 feet and no flashboards. The Sewalls reservoir has a surface area of only 4 acres. A 65.5-foot-long gated power canal headworks structure with two stoplog bays and two steel slide gates leads to the 400-foot-long by approximately 34-foot-wide concrete-lined power canal. The wall of the canal is adjacent to the Black River, has a crest elevation of 463 feet and is topped with 2-foot-high flashboards. The intake structure includes a waste sluice, low-level drain, and four steel slide gates and is equipped with 2-inch clear-spaced trashracks.
The brick and masonry Sewalls powerhouse contains three vertical Allis-Chalmers propeller-type generating units, each rated at 1 MW. The units have a combined hydraulic capacity of 2,700 cfs and discharge directly to the river via a short excavated tailrace. Additional licensed works at the Sewalls Development include transmission lines, a step-up transformer, and appurtenant facilities.
Bypassed reaches exist in both the south and north channels around Sewalls Island. The Sewalls Island south channel bypass is only 400 feet long, and a minimum flow of 137 cfs is maintained in the south channel at all times. The north channel bypass consists of two large connected pools, one immediately downstream of the dam and one immediately upstream of Black Clawson dam. A minimum flow of 32 cfs is released into the north channel at all times.
Figure 5 - Downstream view of the Sewalls Development within the City of Watertown.
Beebee Island Project
The dam at the Beebee Island Developments is a 266-foot-long by 18-foot-high, U-shaped concrete gravity dam with a crest elevation of 428 feet and topped with seasonally-installed 3-foot-high wooden flashbards, and a 50-foot-long by 15-foot-high, concrete-capped stone auxiliary non-overflow dam. The Beebee Island reservoir has a surface area of 20 acres. The intake structure, which is integral with the powerhouse, is 82 feet long by 27 feet wide and includes four steel gates, a skimmer section, and stoplog slots. The intake structure is equipped with 2-inch clear-spaced trashracks with 1-inch clear-spaced seasonal trashracks in the top half of the water column. Ice and debris circumvent the powerhouse by way of an 8-foot-wide by 15-foot-high ice sluice between the steel gates and a retaining wall.
The brick and masonry Beebee Island powerhouse contains two vertical generating units, each rated at 4 MW. The units have a combined hydraulic capacity of 3,600 cfs and discharge directly at the base of the dam. Additional licensed works at the Beebee Island Development include a primary transmission lines and appurtenant facilities.
The powerhouse and dam are on the north side of the island, so there is no bypassed reach in the north channel. A minimum flow of 14 cfs is released at all times to the 750-foot-long south channel bypass.
Figure 6 - Downstream view of the Beebee Island Development, also located within the City of Watertown.
PUBLIC COMMENT - A 60-day public comment period for the Black River Hydroelectric Project runs to February 7, 2008. We encourage public comments on this application. Specifically, we are interested in knowing whether you think the Black River Hydroelectric Project meets the LIHI criteria. Review our program and criteria (click on the "LIHI Certification Program" to the left), and then review the Black River Hydroelectric Project information. 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 " Black River Hydroelectric Project " 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 pacific time on February 7, 2008 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.