LIHI Certificate # 42 --- Dodge Falls Hydroelectric Project, Connecticut River, New Hampshire/Vermont (FERC No. 8011)
Dodge Falls Associates, LP., Receives LIHI Certification for their Dodge Falls Hydroelectric Project on the Connecticut River.
Portland, Maine (August 29, 2009) - At the Low Impact Hydropower Institute's Governing Board meeting the Board determined that the Dodge Falls Project, FERC No. 8011, meets the Low Impact Hydropower Certification Criteria. In reaching its decision to certify the Dodge Falls facility, the Low Impact Hydropower Institute's Governing Board reviewed the application for certification, as well as the Application Reviewer's report and the Staff report. Both reports concluded that the facility met the certification criteria and should be certified.
The Board's vote to certify the Dodge Falls Project as a Low Impact facility was unanimous and we received no public comments. As a result, LIHI is able to issue the certification effective June 1, 2009. The Board asked LIHI staff to talk with resource agency staff to confirm determinations made by LIHI staff on the basis of documentary evidence. LIHI normally discusses issues with agency staff and summarizes those discussions in their report, but because of vacations and field work, LIHI staff had difficulty connecting with key resource agency personnel.
Portland, Maine (June 1, 2009) – The Low Impact Hydropower Institute (LIHI) announced today that Dodge Falls Associates , LP. ( Applicant) has submitted an application for certification of the Dodge Falls Hydroelectric Project ("Dodge Falls" or "Project") which is located on the Connecticut River, in New Hampshire and Vermont.
Project Description
The Dodge Falls Associates Hydroelectric Project, FERC No. 8011, is located at river Mile 268 on the Connecticut River in the towns of Bath, New Hampshire and Ryegate, Vermont. The hydroelectric station was constructed at the site of the existing Dodge Falls dam. The dam was used until 1966 to provide waterpower to a paper mill located on the Vermont side of the river. From 1966 until 1990 process water was supplied to the paper mill with excess flow discharged over the dam. When the Dodge Falls project began operation in 1990, most of the river flow then was used for hydroelectric generation with the paper mill receiving up to 5 cfs for process use. In 2000 the paper mill was shutdown and papermaking machinery was removed from the mill. The dam is 485 feet long and consists of a grouted, rock fill, timber crib with a timber crest and wood plank facing. The crest elevation of the dam is 421.4 feet NGVD and is about 15.5 feet above the bedrock streambed at the downstream toe. Initially the project was authorized to install 2 feet of pin supported wooden flashboards to reestablish the historic level of the impoundment.
The project was operated from 1990 to 1993 using pin supported wooden flashboards. In 1993 a two-foot rubber pneumatic flashboard system was installed on the concrete spillway to replace a portion of the pin supported wooden flashboard system. In 1997 a two-foot rubber pneumatic flashboard system was installed on the timber crib dam to replace the remaining wooden flashboards. A single double regulated 5000 kW Escher Wyse turbine, rated at 12 feet of head and a flow of 5800 cfs, is installed in the powerhouse.
The Dodge Falls Project is operated as a run of river facility. Reservoir level is maintained by means of a pond level control system. The project is required to maintain a minimum flow of 1108 cfs or project inflow, whichever is less. The Dodge Falls Project is located immediately downstream of the Fifteen Mills Falls Hydroelectric Project (FERC # 2077). The Fifteen Mills Falls Hydroelectric Project, owned by TransCanada consists of three separate dams and powerhouses located upstream from the Dodge Falls Project. The closest Fifteen Mills Falls Hydroelectric Project, the McIndoes power station, is located approximately 4 miles upstream of the Dodge Falls Project. Since the Dodge Falls Project is a run of river project, available river flow is determined by discharge from the McIndoes project.
Ownership and Regulatory Status
The Dodge Falls project went through a lengthy and difficult development period prior to the actual construction and initial operation of what is now the Dodge Falls Associates L.P. ("DFA" or "Applicant") hydroelectric project. During the development period there were several changes in the organization and ownership of the DFA project and related interests as well as several changes in the design and location of the Project.
Initial developments efforts were made through Dodge Falls Hydro Corporation ("DFHC"). On January 30, 1984 DFHC submitted an application for exemption from licensing to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission ("FERC"). This application was based on a project design that located the powerhouse on the Vermont side of the Dodge Falls dam in Ryegate, Vermont. On June 11, 1984 the FERC issued an Order Granting Exemption From Licensing to DFHC (FERC Project 8011).
Subsequent to receipt of the initial exemption order from the FERC (1984), DFHC determined that project development was infeasible on the Vermont side of the river. The design was modified to relocate the powerhouse to the New Hampshire side of the river. In November 1985 DFHC submitted an Application for Amendment for Exemption from Licensing that reflected the location change. On June 26, 1986 the FERC issued a letter in which it found that the proposed changes did not materially alter the terms of the original exemption issued in 1984 and dismissed the amended exemption request as moot. As a part of the development process DFHC also received a Certificate of Public Good from the Vermont Public Service Board.
On December 9, 1988 DFHC assigned all of its interests in the FERC Exemption to Dodge Falls Associates, a New York Limited Partnership. Dodge Falls Associates subsequently was reorganized as a Delaware limited partnership, Dodge Falls Associates, L.P. ("DFA" or "Applicant"). HYDRA-CO an affiliated company under contract to the Applicant was responsible for completing many of the development tasks prior to and during construction of the Project. The Applicant was is the actual owner of the facilities. Construction of the DF Project was completed in 1990.
On May 3, 1993, the Applicant filed a request with the FERC to amend its exemption to replace existing pin supported wooden flashboards on the overflow spillway with an inflatable rubber dam. On December 13, 1993 the FERC issued an order amending the 1984 exemption that modified the project description and approved installation of the rubber dam. No agency comments were noted at that time and the amendment was granted without further conditions.
On April 23, 1997 the Applicant submitted a further request to the FERC for approval to install a rubber dam (pneumatic crest gate system) on the remaining part of the Dodge Falls dam. In this instance the FERC determined that an amendment to the exemption was not required and issued a letter on May13, 1997 that authorized installation of a rubber dam on the main spillway section of the dam.
There have been no changes in the regulatory status of the Dodge Falls project since 1997 nor have there been any agency comments noting deficiencies in the Applicant's compliance with various conditions contained in the documents related to the FERC exemption and agency review of the project.
Public Comment - We encourage public comments on this application. Specifically, we are interested in knowing whether you think the Dodge Falls Project meets our LIHI criteria. Review the program and criteria in greater detail and then review the Dodge Falls Project application. 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 " Dodge Falls Project 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 August 1, 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.
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The certification of the Dodge Falls Project is valid for five years and will expire on June 1, 2014. During the time the Dodge Falls Project is certified as low impact, you may market the Dodge Falls Project facilities as a certified Low Impact Hydropower facility. Certification by the Institute also makes the power produced from the Dodge Falls Project facility eligible for other "green" power certification programs.