LIHI Certificate # 44 --- Ice House Hydropower Project, Nashua River, Ayer, Massachusetts.
Ice House Hydropower Project (FERC No. 12769)
Portland, Oregon (October 22, 2009) – At the Low Impact Hydropower Institute's (LIHI) Annual Meeting in Portland, Oregon, the LIHI Board unanimously voted to certify the Ice House Partners' ("Applicant") Ice House Hydroelectric Project ("Ice House" or "Project") which is located on the Nashua River in Ayer, Massachusetts, at the intersection of the towns of Ayer, Harvard and Shirley (also at the intersection of Worcester and Middlesex Counties). The Applicant received a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission ("FERC") exemption from the requirements of Part I of the Federal Power Act (FPA). FERC's Exemption order for the 280-kilowatt (kW) Ice House Project was issued March 31, 2008.
The dam at this site has been in use since the 1790's, and was used as a reference marker in laying out the towns. The location was probably chosen due to availability of a rock out crop in the river bed, allowing a solid anchorage for a dam. Ice House Partners operates the project in a run-of-river mode, and maintains
a 1 million gallon per day flow (mgd) in the bypassed reach year-round via a notch cut in the flashboards.
The Ice House Hydroelectric 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. Ice House Project 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.
For more information about this LIHI certified facility or to see more about LIHI, take a tour of our web site www.lowimpacthydro.org or if you have questions call us in Portland, Maine 207-773-8190.
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Portland, Maine (August 6, 2009) – The Low Impact Hydropower Institute (LIHI) announced today that the Ice House Partners ("Applicant") has submitted an application for certification of the Ice House Hydroelectric Project ("Ice House" or "Project") which is located on the Nashua River in Ayer, Massachusetts, at the intersection of the towns of Ayer, Harvard and Shirley (also at the intersection of Worcester and Middlesex Counties). The Applicant received a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission ("FERC") exemption from the requirements of Part I of the Federal Power Act (FPA).FERC's Exemption order for the 280-kilowatt (kW) Ice House Project was issued March 31, 2008.
Project Description
The dam at this site has been in use since the 1790's, and was used as a reference marker in laying out the towns. The location was probably chosen due to availability of a rock out crop in the river bed, allowing a solid anchorage for a dam.
The Ice House Project uses the existing 190-foot-long, 12-foot-high Ice House dam and spillway topped with existing 24-inch-high flashboards that impound a 137-acre reservoir. The project ha a headgate structure, equipped with four 8-foot-high, 10-foot-wide gates, leading to an existing 50-foot-wide, 109-footlong power canal. The restored powerhouse, contains two turbine generating units with a total installed capacity of 280 kilowatts, and is located in the canal about 75 feet downstream of the headgate. Water used for generation discharges from the powerhouse into a 50-foot-wide, 400-foot-long tailrace (measured from the headgate to the tailrace outlet). Project power is transmitted through an existing 480-volt, 100-foot-long underground transmission cable. The Nashua River reach that is bypassed by operating the project (measured from the dam to the tailrace outlet) is about 300 feet long.
Ice House Partners operates the project in a run-of-river mode, and maintains
a 1 million gallon per day flow(mgd) in the bypassed reach year-round via a notch cut in the flashboards.
The project is equipped with a real-time water level recording device to
match turbine discharge with river inflow. When flow in the Nashua River is equal to or less than the hydraulic capacity of one turbine unit (160 cfs), no units would operate, and all inflow would spill over the flashboards. When flow exceeds 160 cfs, one turbine unit would begin generating and the excess would be spilled over the flashboards until such inflow exceeds an additional 160 cfs or 320 cfs (the hydraulic capacity of two units), at which time the second turbine unit would begin generating, with all flows over 320 cfs spilled over the flashboards.
PUBLIC COMMENT
We encourage public comments on this application. Specifically, we are interested in knowing whether you think the Ice House Project meets our LIHI criteria. Review the program and criteria in greater detail and then review the Ice House 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 " Ice House 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 October 6, 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.