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162 FERC 162,176
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
FEDERAL ENERGY REGULATORY COMMISSION
California Department of Water Resources Project No. 2100-180
ORDER APPROVING REVEGETATION,PLANTING,AND MONITORING PLAN
(Issued March 26,2018)
I. On December 27,2017,California Department of Water Resources
(California DWR),licensee for the Feather River Hydroelectric Project No.2100,filed a
Revegetation,Planting,and Monitoring Plan for the 230-kilovolt(kV)powerline
corridor realignment project as required by ordering paragraph(D)of the Order
Amending License,Revising Project Description,and Amending Project Boundary(2017
Order).t The project is located on the Feather River in Butte County,California,and
occupies federal lands administered by the U.S.Forest Service and the U.S.Bureau of
Land Management. The project is currently in the relicensing process and has been
operating under an annual license since the original license expired in 2007.2
2. To mitigate for the loss of vegetation,both as habitat for wildlife and as an
aesthetic resource for recreation trails,and to reduce the spread and introduction of non-
native,invasive species,during the 230-kV powerline corridor realignment project,
ordering paragraph(D)requires California DWR to develop a Revegetation Plan in
consultation with the U.S.-Fish-and Wildlife Service and theCaliforniaDepartment of - -
Fish and Wildlife. Specifically,California DWR is required to include in the plan,at a
minimum:
(1)identification of areas disturbed during construction and classify whether these
areas could be safely revegetated to simulate pre-construction conditions or would
need to be maintained to ensure transmission line safety,with emphasis on areas
that would be visible to the public when using project recreational facilities;
' 160 FERC 162,168,issued August 23,2017.
See Notice of Authorization for Continued Project Operation,issued
February 1,2007,in Project No.2100-000.
Project No.2 100-180 -2-
(2)
2-(2)identification of the native species to be planted in the revegetation areas and the.
methods used,including the type and schedule for assisting the plantings through
watering,mulching,or other methods;
(3)a protocol for post-planting monitoring and evaluation of the success of the
plantings and presence of undesirable noxious and invasive weeds;
(4)a strategic plan to remove invasive and noxious weeds,if discovered,and make
follow-up plantings of native vegetation in those areas;and
(5)an implementation sehedule for.these actions.
3. California DWR states that the purpose of its Revegetation,Planting,and
Monitoring Plan is to provide replanting recommendations for the upland and riparian
zones and seep areas located within the Oroville Emergency Recovery 230-kV Powerline
Project. The proposed plan includes an introduction;project details,including baseline
vegetation information;recommendations for seed,herb,tree,and shrub revegetation in
the upland and riparian areas;recommendations for revegetation in the seep areas;
guidance for habitat enhancement(woody debris);invasive species controls; and
monitoring and reporting requirements. The plan also contains appendices which include
maps for the restoration work,post-construction photographs,examples of willow
plantings,and agency consultation.
4. As part of its proposed plan,California DWR notes that a larger all-encompassing
Oroville Emergency Response and Recovery Project Area Restoration Plan will be
developed and implemented following the completion of construction activities
associated with the Oroville spillway emergency work. California DWR proposes that
this Revegetation,Planting,and Monitoring Plan would defer to the larger Oroville
Emergency Response and Recovery Project Area Restoration Plan once it is filed with
and approved by the Commission.3
5. On October 17,2017,California DWR requested comments on its proposed
Revegetation,Planting,and Monitoring Plan from the California Department of Fish and
Wildlife and the U.S.Fish and Wildlife Service;which responded on November 15 and
November 17,2017,respectively. Attachment 3 to the plan provides the specific
comments and recommendations from both agencies and how California DWR addressed
them in the final proposed plan.
3 The more comprehensive plan will take into consideration all the work
California DWR performed as a result of the Oroville spillway emergency.
Project No.2100-180
-3-
6. California DWR's proposed Revegetation,Planting,and Monitoring Plan meets
the requirements outlined by ordering paragraph(D)of the 2017 Order and incorporates
the consultation with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the U.S.Fish
and Wildlife Service and should be approved.
The Director orders;
(A) California Department of Water Resources'Revegetation,Planting,and
Monitoring Plan for the 230-kilovolt powerline corridor realignment project,filed on
December 27,2017,as required by ordering paragraph(D)of the Order Amending
License,Revising Project Description,and Amending Project Boundary for the Feather
River Hydroelectric Project No.2100,is approved.
(B) This order constitutes final agency action. Any party may file a request for
rehearing of this order within 30 days from the date of its issuance,as provided in
section 313(a)of the Federal Power Act, 16 U.S.C.§8251(2012),and the Commission's
regulations at 18 C.F.R.§385.713(2017). The filing of a request for rehearing does not
operate as a stay of the effective date of this order,or of any other date specified in this
order. The licensee's failure to file a request for rehearing shall constitute acceptance of
this order.
Robert J.Fletcher
Land Resources Branch
Division of Hydropower Administration
arid Compliance _ _ _ __