Goodrich Falls Hydroelectric Company files application for Low Impact Certification for its Goodrich Falls Project on the Ellis River, New Hampshire

Portland, Maine (December 12, 2011) LIHI announced today that they  received the following request from Goodrich Falls  Hydroelectric Company ("Applicant") and that they would like to withdraw their application for LIHI certification of the Goodrich Falls hydroelectric project. The applicant intends to reapply in 2013 after 1 year of compliance with the minimum flow requirements of its FERC exemption.

 

Portland, Maine (January 31, 2011) – The Low Impact Hydropower Institute (LIHI) announced today that Goodrich Falls Hydroelectric Company (“Applicant”) has submitted an application for certification of the Goodrich Falls Hydroelectric Project (“Project”). The project is located on the Ellis River, in the town of Bartlett, Carroll County, New Hampshire. The project is located at river mile 11.5 on the Ellis River and includes a 2.1-acre impoundment, which is about 920 feet long by 100 feet wide with an average depth of 5 feet and a maximum gross storage capacity of about 2.1 acre-feet.

The project is operated as a run-of-river facility. Outflows from the project equal inflows on an instantaneous basis, and water levels above the dam are maintained at the crest of the dam and are not drawn down for the purposes of generating power. The exemptee is required to maintain a minimum flow of 4 cfs trough the sluice gate at the north end of the dam between June 15 and September 15 and 6 cfs in the south channel to maintain water quality and protect aquatic habitat.  Project works consist of: (1) a 157-foot-long and 25-foot-high dam with an integrated 18 foot by 23 foot concrete intake; (2) a 4.5-foor-diameter, 150-foot-long steel penstock; (3) a 25 foot by 30 foot concrete powerhouse containing one generating unit with a total installed capacity of 550 kilowatts; and, (4) a 250-foot-long transmission line.

The project is located on the Ellis River approximately two miles above its confluence with the Saco River. The project utilizes a previously existing impoundment and the plant is unmanned, but operation is monitored on a 24/7 basis.

The Ellis River is a 16.7-mile-long river located in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. It is a tributary of the Saco River, which flows to the Atlantic Ocean in Maine. The Ellis River rises on the eastern slopes of Mount Washington, the highest peak in the northeastern United States. Flowing south, it is quickly joined by the Cutler River flowing out of Tuckerman and Huntington ravines, passes over Crystal Cascade, and reaches the floor of Pinkham Notch.

The river leaves the level ground at the high point of the notch by dropping 64 feet (20 m) over Glen Ellis Falls and continues south into the town of Jackson, New Hampshire. After leaving Jackson village, the Ellis River drops off the Goodrich Falls project at Goodrich Falls and reaches the Saco River near the village of Glen in the town of Bartlett.

Ellis River flows are gauged at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) stream gauging station located near Jackson, NH (number 05429500) upstream of the Goodrich Falls Project. Flows of 230 cubic feet per second (cfs) are exceeded 10% of the time; 75 cfs are exceeded 50% of the time; and 30 cfs are exceeded 90% of the time in the project vicinity. The mean annual flow (MAF) is about 34 cfs, and the minimum and maximum flows reported are about 2 cfs and 1160 cfs, respectively. Leakage flow from the dam during summer months (June-September) equals about 1-2 cfs. Most flow is diverted at the dam during summer months for project uses. Flow in the bypassed reach is provided by leakage (usually less than one cfs) and spillage.

The Goodrich Falls project is not currently required by state or federal resource agencies to construct or maintain upstream and/or downstream fish passage facilities. Article 2 of the exemption requires compliance with the terms and conditions filed by Federal and State fish and wildlife agencies to protect fish and wildlife resources. Mandatory terms and conditions for the project were filed and are attached as Appendix A of the exemption order.

Under Appendix A of the project’s exemption, the exemptee is required to provide downstream fish passage facilities at the Goodrich Falls Project when notified by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that Atlantic salmon restoration plans have progressed to the point where such facilities are needed. The exemptee is responsible for all design, operation, and maintenance, and evaluation of fish passage measures at the Goodrich Falls Project. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service must approve all plans related to fish passage measures prior to implementation by the exemptee.

 Public Comments 

 We encourage public comments on this application. Specifically, we are interested in knowing whether you think the Goodrich Falls Project meets our LIHI criteria. Review the program and criteria in greater detail and then review the Goodrich Falls Project’s 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 at info@lowimpacthydro.org  with " Mechanicsville 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 March 31, 2011 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.

###

---

Files: