South Sutter Water District; Notice of Application Accepted for Filing, Soliciting Motions To Intervene and Protests, Ready for Environmental Analysis, and Soliciting Comments, Recommendations, Preliminary Terms and Conditions, and Preliminary Fishway Prescriptions

Take notice that the following hydroelectric application has been filed with the Commission and is available for public inspection.

a. Type of Application: New Major License.

b. Project No.: 2997-031.

c. Date filed: July 1, 2019, and amended December 28, 2023.

d. Applicant: South Sutter Water District.

e. Name of Project: Camp Far West Hydroelectric Project.

f. Location: The existing project is located on the Bear River in Yuba, Nevada, and Placer Counties, California. The project, with the proposed project boundary modifications, would occupy a total of 2,674 acres. No federal or tribal lands occur within or adjacent to the project boundary or along the Bear River downstream of the project.

g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act 16 U.S.C. 791a-825r.

h. Applicant Contact: Mr. Hayden Cornwell, General Manager, South Sutter Water District, 2464 Pacific Avenue, Trowbridge, California 95659.

i. FERC Contact: Quinn Emmering, (202) 502-6382, quinn.emmering@ferc.gov.

j. Deadline for filing motions to intervene and protests, comments, recommendations, preliminary terms and conditions, and preliminary prescriptions: 60 days from the issuance date of this notice; reply comments are due 105 days from the issuance date of this notice.

All timely responses to our March 16, 2021 Notice of Application Ready for Environmental Analysis and Soliciting Comments, Recommendations, Terms and Conditions, and Prescriptions will still be considered. To the extent that the amendment necessitates any changes to, or new comments, recommendations, or terms and conditions, we encourage refiling updated responses.

The Commission strongly encourages electronic filing. Please file motions to intervene, protests, comments, recommendations, preliminary terms and conditions, and preliminary fishway prescriptions using the Commission's eFiling system at https://ferconline.ferc.gov/FERCOnline.aspx. Commenters can submit brief comments up to 6,000 characters, without prior registration, using the eComment system at https://ferconline.ferc.gov/Quick.aspx. For assistance, please contact FERC Online Support at FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov, (866) 208-3676 (toll free), or (202) 502-8659 (TTY). In lieu of electronic filing, you may submit a paper copy. Submissions sent via the U.S. Postal Service must be addressed to: Debbie-Anne A. Reese, Acting Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE, Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426. Submissions sent via any other carrier must be addressed to: Debbie-Anne A. Reese, Acting Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 12225 Wilkins Avenue, Rockville, Maryland 20852. All filings must clearly identify the project name and docket number on the first page: Camp Far West Hydroelectric Project (P-2997-031).

The Commission's Rules of Practice require all intervenors filing documents with the Commission to serve a copy of that document on each person on the official service list for the project. Further, if an intervenor files comments or documents with the Commission relating to the merits of an issue that may affect the responsibilities of a particular resource agency, they must also serve a copy of the document on that resource agency.

k. This application has been accepted and is ready for environmental analysis at this time.

l. The existing Camp Far West Hydroelectric Project operates to provide water during the irrigation season, generate power, and meet streamflow requirements for the Bear River. The project includes: (1) a 185-foot-high, 40-foot-wide, 2,070-foot-long, zoned, earth-filled main dam; (2) a 45-foot-high, 20-foot-wide, 1,060-foot-long, earth-filled south wing dam; (3) a 25-foot-high, 20-foot-wide, 1,460-foot-long, earth-filled north wing dam; (4) a 15-foot-high, 20-foot-wide, 1,450-foot-long, earth-filled north dike; (5) a 1,886-acre reservoir with a gross storage capacity of about 93,737 acre-feet at the normal maximum water surface elevation (maximum water elevation) of 300 feet (NGVD 29); (6) an overflow spillway with a 15-foot-wide concrete approach apron, 300-foot-long ungated, ogee-type concrete structure, and a 77-foot-long downstream concrete chute with concrete sidewalls; (7) a 1,200-foot-long, unlined, rock channel that carries spill downstream to the Bear River; (8) a 22- foot-high, concrete, power intake tower with openings on three sides protected by steel trashracks; (9) a 25-foot-4-inch-high, concrete, intake tower with openings on three sides, each of which is protected by steel trashracks that receives water for the outlet works; (10) a 760-foot-long, 8-foot-diameter concrete tunnel through the left abutment of the main dam that conveys water from the power intake to the powerhouse; (11) a steel-reinforced, concrete powerhouse with a 6.8-megawatt, vertical-shaft, Francis-type turbine, which discharges to the Bear River at the base of the main dam; (12) a 350-foot-long, 48-inch-diameter steel pipe that conveys water from the intake structure to a valve chamber for the outlet works; (13) a 400-foot-long, 7.5-foot-diameter concrete-lined horseshoe tunnel that connects to the valve chamber; (14) a 48-inch-diameter, outlet valve with a capacity of 500 cubic feet per second that discharges directly into the Bear River; (15) a fenced switchyard adjacent to the powerhouse; (16) two recreation areas with campgrounds, day-use areas, boat ramps, restrooms, and sewage holding ponds; and (17) a water system that includes two pumps in the reservoir delivering water to a treatment facility that is piped to a 60,000-gallon storage tank to supply water to recreation facilities. The project has no transmission facilities. The estimated average annual generation (1976 to 2014) is 20,381 megawatt-hours.

South Sutter Water District proposes to: (1) raise the normal maximum water surface elevation (NMWSE) of the project reservoir by approximately 5 feet from an elevation of 300 feet to an elevation of 304.8 feet; (2) raise the crest of the existing spillway from an elevation of 300 feet to an elevation of 304.8 feet to accommodate the proposed pool raise; (3) construct an ogee-type weir secondary spillway structure at an elevation of 304.8 feet; (4) excavate a new unlined spillway inlet channel to divert water from the reservoir into the new secondary spillway; (5) construct a new 805-foot-long unlined outlet channel to convey water back from the secondary spillway to the existing spillway; (6) construct a 300-foot-long bridge to provide access to the secondary spillway and allow vehicles to pass over the dam and along Blackford Road; (7) modify the existing Blackford Road by raising the west end 15 feet to accommodate the approach to the new bridge; (8) relocate, reroute, or realign approximately 104 recreation facilities and replacement or rehabilitation of recreation facilities to maintain their proper functioning condition; (9) add an existing 0.25-mile road as a primary project road to access the powerhouse and switchyard; and (10) modify the project boundary to account for: the removal of the 1.9-mile-long transmission line from the license in 1991; corrections based on current project operation and maintenance; and changes to the project boundary to account for the new reservoir surface level.

m. A copy of the application can be viewed on the Commission's website at http://www.ferc.gov using the “eLibrary” link. Enter the docket number excluding the last three digits in the docket number field to access the document. For assistance, contact FERC Online Support at FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov or call toll-free, (866) 208-3676 or (202) 502-8659 (TTY).

All filings must (1) bear in all capital letters the title “COMMENTS”, “REPLY COMMENTS”, “RECOMMENDATIONS,” “TERMS AND CONDITIONS,” or “PRESCRIPTIONS;” (2) set forth in the heading the name of the applicant and the project number of the application to which the filing responds; (3) furnish the name, address, and telephone number of the person submitting the filing; and (4) otherwise comply with the requirements of 18 CFR 385.2001 through 385.2005. All comments, recommendations, terms and conditions or prescriptions must set forth their evidentiary basis and otherwise comply with the requirements of 18 CFR 4.34(b). Agencies may obtain copies of the application directly from the applicant. Each filing must be accompanied by proof of service on all persons listed on the service list prepared by the Commission in this proceeding, in accordance with 18 CFR 4.34(b) and 385.2010.

The Commission's Office of Public Participation (OPP) supports meaningful public engagement and participation in Commission proceedings. OPP can help members of the public, including landowners, environmental justice communities, Tribal members, and others, access publicly available information and navigate Commission processes. For public inquiries and assistance with making filings such as interventions, comments, or requests for rehearing, the public is encouraged to contact OPP at (202) 502-6595 or OPP@ferc.gov.

You may also register online at https://ferconline.ferc.gov/FERCOnline.aspx to be notified via email of new filings and issuances related to this or other pending projects. For assistance, contact FERC Online Support.

n. The applicant must file no later than 60 days following the date of issuance of this notice: (1) a copy of the water quality certification; (2) a copy of the request for certification, including proof of the date on which the certifying agency received the request; or (3) evidence of waiver of water quality certification.

o. Procedural schedule: The application will be processed according to the following schedule. Revisions to the schedule will be made as appropriate.