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01.22.21 BOS Correspondence - FW_ DOCKET CHANGE- Project Operations Compliance Report submitted in FERC P-2107-028 by Pacific Gas and Electric Company,et al.
From:Schuman, Amy To:Alpert, Bruce;Bennett, Robin;Clerk of the Board;Connelly, Bill;Cook, Holly;Cook, Robin;Kimmelshue, Tod;Lambert, Steve;Lucero, Debra;McCracken, Shari;Paulsen, Shaina;Pickett, Andy;Ring, Brian;Ritter, Tami;Rodas, Amalia; Sweeney, Kathleen;Teeter, Doug Subject:BOS Correspondence - FW: DOCKET CHANGE- Project Operations Compliance Report submitted in FERC P-2107-028 by Pacific Gas and Electric Company,et al. Date:Friday, January 22, 2021 8:44:08 AM Good morning, Please see the email below from FERC. Amy Schuman Associate Clerk of the Board Butte County Administration 25 County Center Drive, Suite 200, Oroville, CA 95965 O: 530.552.3300 |D: 530.552.3308 | F: 530.538.7120 Twitter | Facebook | YouTube | Pinterest -----Original Message----- From: 'FERC eSubscription' <eSubscription@ferc.gov> Sent: Friday, January 22, 2021 7:50 AM Subject: DOCKET CHANGE- Project Operations Compliance Report submitted in FERC P-2107-028 by Pacific Gas and Electric Company,et al. .ATTENTION: This message originated from outside Butte County. Please exercise judgment before opening attachments, clicking on links, or replying.. On 1/21/2021, the following Filing was submitted to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), Washington D.C.: Filer: Pacific Gas and Electric Company PGE (as Agent) Docket(s): P-2107-028 Lead Applicant: Pacific Gas and Electric Company Filing Type: Project Operations Compliance Report Procedural Motion Description: Pacific Gas and Electric Company submits a Revised Sediment Management Plan for approval of the Poe Hydroelectric Project under P-2107. To view the document for this Filing, click here https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://elibrary.ferc.gov/eLibrary/filelist? accession_num=20210121-5163__;!!KNMwiTCp4spf!Xi8F3mEEiIstXdTylYSxeS- O4zmVZASwhFbDdyM_GxsLiO5LINB0oCQllZy_r6Cd7lnRG8flXmU$ To modify your subscriptions, click here: https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://ferconline.ferc.gov/eSubscription.aspx__;!!KNMwiTCp4spf!Xi8F3mEEiIstXdTylYSxeS- O4zmVZASwhFbDdyM_GxsLiO5LINB0oCQllZy_r6Cd7lnR78WdAhI$ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Please do not respond to this email. Online help is available here: https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://www.ferc.gov/efiling-help.asp__;!!KNMwiTCp4spf!Xi8F3mEEiIstXdTylYSxeS- O4zmVZASwhFbDdyM_GxsLiO5LINB0oCQllZy_r6Cd7lnRmuY1nAM$ or for phone support, call 866-208-3676. 245 Market Street tƚǞĻƩ DĻƓĻƩğƷźƚƓ San Francisco, CA 94105 Mailing Address: Mail Code N11D P.O. Box 770000 San Francisco, CA 94177 January 20, 2021 Via Electronic Submittal (E-File) Ms. Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary Federal Energy Regulatory Commission 888 First Street, NE Washington, DC 20426 Subject: Poe Hydroelectric Project, FERC Project No. 2107-CA Sediment Management Plan Request for Approval Dear Secretary Bose: Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) is writing to seek your approval of the attached revised Sediment Management Plan Project, Federal Energy Regulation Commission (FERC) Project No. P-2107 (Project). FERC issued a new license for the Project on December 17, 2018 (License). Subsection (a) of Article 401 of the License requires PG&E to submit the Plan for FERC approval within one year of License issuance, the final Plan that has been approved by the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) Deputy Director and the Forest Supervisor of the Plumas National Forest (Forest Service). PG&E originally submitted a request to FERC for approval on March 30, 2020. The Plan has been modified to allow for more flexibility on the timing of the required monitoring. As background, the Plan is required under Condition 4 of the SWRCB Water Quality Certification Conditions, which are included in the License as Appendix A and under Condition No. 23 Part 3 (Condition No. 23 Part 3) of the U.S Department of Agriculture, PG&E held a conference call to discuss a revised Plan with the agencies on September 3, 2020. PG&E emailed the revised Plan to the Agencies on September 22, 2020. The SWRCB provided their approval of the revised Plan by letter dated October 15, 2020. In addition, the Forest Service approved the plan by letter dated December 16, 2020. Enclosure A to this letter is the final, revised Plan for your approval. Enclosure B to this letter is a copy of the agency approvals of the revised Plan submitted on September 22, 2020. Ms. Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary January 20, 2021 Page 2 If you have any questions regarding this request, please contact senior license coordinator, Matthew Joseph, at (415) 264-5244. Sincerely, Teri Smyly Manager, FERC Compliance Enclosures A - Poe Sediment Management Plan Final B - Consultation Agency Approvals cc: via email Savannah Downey (SWRCB) Jeff Wetzel (SWRCB) Amy Lind (Forest Service) Emily Moghaddas (Forest Service) Aondrea Bartoo (USFWS) Sarah Lose (CDFW) ENCLOSURE A SEDIMENT MANAGEMENT PLAN Poe Hydroelectric Project FERC Project No. 2107 Prepared By: Pacific Gas and Electric Company San Francisco, California October 2020 © 2020, Pacific Gas and Electric Company POE HYDROELECTRIC PROJECT (FERC NO. 2107) SEDIMENT MANAGEMENT PLAN 4 ¡«¤ ®¥ #®³¤³² 1.0 Background and Introduction .............................................................................................. 2 2.0 Sediment Management ProgRam Objectives ...................................................................... 3 3.0 Study Area and Monitoring Locations ................................................................................. 4 4.0 Monitoring Methods ............................................................................................................ 5 4.1. Baseline Sediment Sampling ............................................................................................ 5 4.2. Decadal and Triggered Sediment Monitoring .................................................................. 6 4.3. QA/QC ............................................................................................................................. 7 4.4. Data Storage ..................................................................................................................... 7 4.5. Analysis ............................................................................................................................ 7 5.0 pulse flows ........................................................................................................................... 7 6.0 evaluation of sediment monitoring and pulse flows ............................................................ 8 7.0 Reporting.............................................................................................................................. 9 7.1. Baseline Survey ................................................................................................................ 9 7.2. Annual Flow Report ......................................................................................................... 9 7.3. Triggered Monitoring Reports ......................................................................................... 9 7.4. Decadal Monitoring Reports .......................................................................................... 10 8.0 Plan revisions ..................................................................................................................... 10 9.0 Literature Cited .................................................................................................................. 12 ,¨²³ ®¥ &¨¦´±¤² Figure No. Description Page No. 3-1 Location of proposed sites for monitoring fine sediment 4 Attachments Attachment 1 FERC Article 401 Requirements 10 Attachment 2 FERC Appendix A - Water Quality Certification Condition 4 13 Attachment 3 FERC Appendix B Forest Service 4(e) Condition No. 23, Part 3 15 1 Poe Project (FERC No. 2107) Sediment Management Plan Page 2 1.0 BACKGROUND AND INTRODUCTION On December 17, 2018, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued a new license 2107 (Project). The new license incorporates State of California State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) 401 Water Quality Certification (WQC) Conditions into the license articles in Appendix A (SWRCB 2017) and United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service (Forest Service) 4(e) Conditions in Appendix B. This document, the Sediment Management Plan (Plan), presents the plan for the management of fine-grained sediment and organic material in riffles and spawning sized stream substrate within the Poe bypass reach, including implementation of pulse flows. This Plan is required by SWRCB WQC Condition 4 (Condition 4) and Forest Service 4(e) Condition No. 23, Part 3 (Condition No. 23, Part 3) which were also incorporated into FERC License Article 401 (FERC 2018). The relevant FERC Article 401 requirements applicable to this plan are summarized in Attachment 1. Similarly, SWRCB Condition 4 and Forest Service 4(e) Condition 23, Part 3 are summarized in Attachments 2 and 3, respectively. The Plan was developed in consultation with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), the Forest Service, and the SWRCB staff (hereafter - Methods, and Section 6.0 - Reporting, there are provisions for consultation and changes to the monitoring locations, methods and schedule. Any future modifications to the final plan must be approved by the SWRCB Deputy Director, the Plumas National Forest, Forest Supervisor, and FERC before implementation. The Poe Project is located within the North Fork Feather River Basin, which contains extensive of the North Fork Feather River from Poe Dam downstream to Poe Powerhouse. The North Fork Feather River originates from several small creeks south of Lassen Peak in northwestern Plumas County and flows through the Upper North Fork Feather River Project No. 2105 and the Rock Creek-Cresta Project No. 1962 prior to being utilized by the Poe Project. Waters of the Poe Project include the Poe Reservoir, a 7.62-mile-long bypassed reach, and the Big Bend Reservoir, which serves as the afterbay for the project. The Poe Powerhouse and Big Bend Reservoir are located 2 Poe Project (FERC No. 2107) Sediment Management Plan Page 3 just upstream of Lake Oroville, the primary storage reservoir for the Feather River Project No. 2100. 2.0 SEDIMENT MANAGEMENT PROGRAM OBJECTIVES The Sediment Management Plan addresses the management of fine-grained sediment and organic material in riffles and spawning sized stream substrate within the Poe bypass reach, including implementation of pulse flows. It is intended to meet the requirements of Condition 4 and Condition No. 23, Part 3, summarized below: Monitor the accumulation of fine-grained sediment and organic material in riffles and spawning sized stream substrate within the Poe Reach. Provide or augment spill flows when fine-grained sediment and organic material increases by more than 25 percent as compared to baseline measurements. Provide periodic updates to Agency Representatives about the status of fine-grained sediment and organic material in riffles and spawning sized stream substrate within the Poe Reach. In 2019, PG&E and Dr. Christian Braudrick, a geomorphologist from Stillwater Sciences, conducted site visits to the Poe Reach and established that there was little evidence of fine sediments and organic material in the few accessible locations with riffles. A review of studies conducted during relicensing (e.g., Wreco 2003 and Section E3.1.4 of the License Application) indicated that fine sediment entrapment in the Poe Reach was unlikely, and that there were few spawning areas along the reach, with most occurring in the two main tributaries (i.e., Mill Creek and Flea Valley Creek). Following discussions with the SWRCB and Forest Service staff on September 12, 2019, and January 9, 2020, it was decided that the focus of the Plan would be areas along the Poe Reach in which either fine sediments were observed or could potentially deposit, rather than focusing on the limited areas of just riffles and areas with spawning gravels. In addition, there are minor differences between Condition 4 and Condition No. 23, Part 3, primarily related to triggering a pulse flow. On September 3, 2020 PG&E staff met with SWRCB and Forest Service staff to request an extension of the sediment monitoring window to no more than 9 months (instead of 6 months) following a flow event with a mean daily magnitude of at least 2,000 cubic feet per second (cfs). Forest Service staff subsequently proposed an additional requirement that 3 Poe Project (FERC No. 2107) Sediment Management Plan Page 4 the monitoring would occur no later than September 30, such that the flow event and sediment monitoring would occur within the same water year (October 1 September 30). With these observations in mind, the objectives of the Plan are: Monitor the accumulation of fine-grained sediment and organic material in specific areas along the Poe Reach in which fine sediments were observed or could potentially deposit. Provide or augment spill flows when fine-grained sediment and organic material increases by more than 25 percent as compared to baseline measurements. To address these objectives, PG&E will undertake the following activities: Initial baseline monitoring will be conducted in License Year 3 (2021) after Plan approval. If necessary, based on Agency consultation during review of the baseline monitoring report, another year of baseline monitoring may be added to assess potential changes in Poe Reach due to fires in recent years. Sediment monitoring will be conducted in the fall of license year 10, 20, 30, and 40 (2028, 2038, 2048, and 2058) and in each year following a time period between October 1 to June 30 where the average daily flow measured at NF-23 does not exceed 2,000 cfs. If monitoring shows that sediment loading exceeds 25% of baseline at any of the three monitoring sites, a pulse flow will be provided before April 1 in the following year, provided a natural spill flow greater than 2,000 cfs has not already occurred. A follow-up sediment monitoring event will be conducted a year after a monitoring event that shows sediment loading exceeds 25% of baseline at any of the three monitoring sites. This follow-up monitoring will be conducted after a pulse flow or natural spill event to confirm that the fine-grain sediment has decreased to baseline levels, or near baseline levels. 3.0 STUDY AREA AND MONITORING LOCATIONS Fine-grained sediment accumulation will be monitored at three sites that each encompasses a riffle and pool along the North Fork Feather River below Poe Dam. The locations were selected during a site visit with Dr. Christian Braudrick (Stillwater Sciences), Rohit Salve (PG&E), and Timothy Sagraves (consulting water quality specialist) September 19, 2019, and subsequent discussions with the SWRCB and Forest Service Staff. The sites have relatively low slopes and could potentially support spawning or fine sediment deposition during low flow years. Figure 3-1 depicts the location of the monitoring sites. 4 Poe Project (FERC No. 2107) Sediment Management Plan Page 5 Њ Њ͵ LƒƒĻķźğƷĻƌǤ ĬĻƌƚǞ tƚĻ 5ğƒ Ћ͵ .ğƩķĻĻƭ.ğƩ Ћ Ќ͵ tƚĻ .Ļğĭŷ Ќ Figure 3-1. Location of proposed sites for monitoring fine sediment 4.0 MONITORING METHODS 4.1. B ASELINE S EDIMENT S AMPLING A baseline sampling of the amount of fine sediment present at the monitoring locations will be established after implementation of the new license instream flow requirements and within the same year the Sediment Monitoring Plan is approved by FERC. The baseline sediment accumulation determination will be made in license year 3 (2021). The monitoring will be done no earlier than 3 months, and no later than 9 months, and prior to September 30, following a flow event with a mean daily magnitude of at least 2,000 cubic feet per second (cfs). If necessary, based on Agency consultation during review of the baseline monitoring report, another year of baseline monitoring may be added to assess potential changes in the Poe Reach due to fires in recent years. If a second year of monitoring is conducted, the baseline sediment loading will be averaged from 5 Poe Project (FERC No. 2107) Sediment Management Plan Page 6 both years of measurement. Preliminary calculations conducted during the preparation of this Plan suggest that a flow of 2,000 cfs is estimated to suspend 1 mm sand while 2 mm sand will be suspended at 7940 cfs, based on bed stress calculations from Wreco (2003). 4.2. D ECADAL AND T RIGGERED S EDIMENT M ONITORING Sediment monitoring will be conducted in the fall of license year 10, 20, 30, and 40 (2028, 2038, 2048, and 2058) and in each year following a time period between October 1 to June 30 where the average daily flow measured at NF-23 does not exceed 2,000 cfs. Prior to in-channel surveys, the field crew will coordinate with biologists to identify any time or specific areas that should be avoided to limit potential impacts to FYLF and other aquatic species. All sites will be monitored for the build-up of fine sediments defined here as sand, silt and clays. At each site an unmanned aerial system (UAS) will be used to generate a basemap of the site. Following collection and rectification of the base map images, a geomorphologist will construct a preliminary map of the extent of fine sediment visible on the aerial photographs in the office. It is likely that observing sand in the aerial images will be difficult where rough surface water, deep pools, or shadows obscure the bed, and the map will need to be verified and completed in the field. In addition, PG&E will assess the degree to which wildfires and/or other disturbances may have affected the study sites before each survey. Within each study site, a geomorphologist will map the sediment facies in the bankfull channel of each site onto the base map following methods described in Buffington and Montgomery (1999). These methods are described in Bunte and Abt (2001). The minimum 2 patch size will be 10 feet squared (ft) (the approximate size of a rainbow trout spawning redd). In each patch containing at least 10 percent fines the geomorphologist will: 1. Take representative photographs; ththth 2. Estimate the 16, 50, and 84 percentile of the grain size distribution; 3. Estimate the dimensions of the patch; 4. Estimate the percent of the surface area covered by fine sediments; 5. Note the approximate geometry of the patch; and 6. Describe the average depth of fine sediment based on at least five measurements. A follow-up sediment monitoring event will be conducted a year after a monitoring event that shows sediment loading exceeds 25% of baseline at any of the three monitoring sites. This follow- 6 Poe Project (FERC No. 2107) Sediment Management Plan Page 7 up monitoring will be conducted after a pulse flow or natural spill event to confirm that the fine- grain sediment has moved out of the site. 4.3. QA/QC Data collected in the field will be subject to review by PG&E technicians or their contractors. Suspected erroneous data will be identified in annual reports. This review, along with graphical analysis and routine equipment inspection, will ensure that proper data is made available for the annual reports. 4.4. D ATA S TORAGE All raw and processed data will be stored in PG&E archives. 4.5. A NALYSIS During the baseline survey, the volume and area of fine sediments (sand, silt and clays) will be determined for each of the monitoring sites. During subsequent surveys, the volume, surface area, and location of fine sediments will be compared with those measured during the baseline survey. An increase in either volume or surface area of fine sediments of 25% relative to the background condition at any of the three monitoring sites would trigger the need to re-evaluate the pulse flows 5.0 PULSE FLOWS If monitoring indicates that fine sediments have increased 25% over baseline at any of the three monitoring sites, a pulse flow will be provided before April 1 in the year following monitoring provided a natural spill flow greater than 2,000 cfs has not already occurred. PG&E will either release or augment a spill flow prior to April 1 of the next year in accordance with the following table, as expanded from WQC Condition 4 and 4(e) Condition No. 23, Part 3 to ensure compliance with interim ramping rates. If the interim ramping rates are modified by the Long-Term Ramping Rates discussions based on SWRCB Condition 5.2 or Forest Service 4(e) Condition No. 23, Part 5, the following table in this Sediment Monitoring Plan will be revised accordingly. 7 Poe Project (FERC No. 2107) Sediment Management Plan Page 8 Duration Flow (cfs) (hours) 1 Baseflow to 750 cfs 1 1000 cfs 1 1300 cfs 1 1600 cfs 6 2000 cfs 1 1850 cfs 1 1700 cfs 1 1550 cfs 1 1400 cfs 1 1250 cfs 1 1100 cfs 1 950 cfs 1 800 cfs 1 650 cfs 1 500 cfs 500 cfs to baseflow at 150 cfs/hr The pulse flow shall be scheduled prior to the temperature of the North Fork Feather River at NF-23 exceeding 10 degrees Celsius mean daily water temperature on two successive days. To protect Foothill Yellow-Legged Frogs (FYLF) and macroinvertebrate populations, the pulse flow will occur prior to the onset of frog breeding through FYLF. Pulse flows shall also not take place if rainbow trout are spawning in the Poe Reach. Licensee shall re-monitor the fine-grained sediment and organic material accumulation within 3 and no more than 9 months, and prior to September 30, following the pulse flow release. 6.0 EVALUATION OF SEDIMENT MONITORING AND PULSE FLOWS If monitoring indicates that the desired outcome of removal of accumulated fine-grained sediment and organic material is not being achieved or if the expected benefits are better achieved by a pulse flow of a different magnitude or duration, PG&E, after consultation with the Agencies and approval by the Deputy Director of the SWRCB, and the Forest Supervisor of the Plumas National Forest, shall modify the magnitude or duration of the pulse flow to ensure adequate removal of 8 Poe Project (FERC No. 2107) Sediment Management Plan Page 9 undesirable material. In no case will the pulse flow modifications require the release of more than 2,600 acre-feet of water in excess of the required minimum streamflow. If monitoring indicates that the desired outcome of removal of accumulated fine-grained sediment is being achieved, PG&E, will consult with the Agencies to determine if monitoring can be reduced or terminated. Changes to, or elimination of, monitoring will be approved by Deputy Director of the SWRCB, and the Forest Supervisor of the Plumas National Forest. 7.0 REPORTING 7.1. B ASELINE S URVEY The initial baseline report, summarizing the results of the fine sediment survey will be provided to the Agencies by January 15, 2023, following the baseline surveys in fall 2021. To establish a consistent template for reporting, prior to submission of the first report, the format and content of the report will be discussed and agreed to with the Agencies. If, after consultation with the Agencies, a second baseline survey is required, that report will be submitted by January 15 in the year subsequent to the survey. 7.2. A NNUAL F LOW R EPORT To assess whether sediment monitoring is required, PG&E will provide the Agencies with a technical memorandum that provides daily average flow for the period from October 1-June 30 by August 15 of each year. The report will summarize whether the maximum daily-average flows were sufficiently low (<2000 cfs) to trigger fine sediment monitoring. PG&E will not provide preliminary drafts of the Annual Flow Report. 7.3. T RIGGERED M ONITORING R EPORTS If the Annual Flow Report indicates that fine sediment monitoring is triggered for a given year, PG&E will conduct fine sediment monitoring, and submit a Draft Sediment Monitoring Report to the Agencies by January 15 (of the year following the Annual Flow Report). PG&E and the Agencies will review the report to assess fine sediment loading and determine whether PG&E must implement a pulse flow by April 1 (i.e., whether fine sediment loading increased by more than 25% over baseline levels at any of the three monitoring sites). Agency comments/consultations 9 Poe Project (FERC No. 2107) Sediment Management Plan Page 10 will be completed by March 1. The Draft Sediment Monitoring Report will include a description of the sampling locations, methods, QA/QC findings, monitoring results depicted graphically and tabularly, and any problems encountered. Electronic data (in Excel or comparable format) will be provided upon request. If the pulse flow is implemented, PG&E will add a description and/or table of the dates/times and flow durations to the Draft Sediment Monitoring Report and submit the report to the Agencies for review by April 15. The Agencies will provide comments by May 15, and a final annual report will be filed with FERC by June 30 of each year. To assess the effectiveness of the pulse flow or the natural spill, a second (or follow-up) fine sediment monitoring event will be conducted three to six months following the pulse flow or natural spill event. If sediment loads remain high, then PG&E and Agencies will consult to reassess the pulse flow. 7.4. D ECADAL M ONITORING R EPORTS Following the 10-year sediment monitoring surveys in 2028, 2038, 2048, and 2058, PG&E will provide the agencies with a draft Technical Memorandum summarizing the annual reports on the same schedule outlined following the triggered sediment monitoring reports, with a draft report to the Agencies by January 15, comments/consultation completed by March 1, a summary of any implemented pulse flows by April 15 and a final annual report filed with FERC by June 30. In all final reports PG&E will include any comments and recommendations made by the Agencies on the draft report and if any changes in pulse flows are necessary. If PG&E does not adopt a -specific information. 8.0 PLAN REVISIONS The Licensee, in consultation with the Forest Service, SWRCB, USFWS, and CDFW, will review, update, and revise the Plan, as needed, when significant changes in the existing conditions occur. Sixty days will be allowed for the Forest Service, SWRCB, USFWS, and CDFW to provide written comments and recommendations. After consultation and agreement with the Forest Service and 10 Poe Project (FERC No. 2107) Sediment Management Plan Page 11 SWRCB, the Licensee will work with the Forest Service and SWRCB to file the updated Plan with FERC. The Licensee will include all relevant documentation of coordination and consultation with the updated Plan filed with FERC. If the Licensee does not adopt a specific recommendation by USFWS or CDFW, the filing will include the reasons for not doing so. The Licensee will implement the revised Plan as approved by FERC. 11 Poe Project (FERC No. 2107) Sediment Management Plan Page 12 9.0 LITERATURE CITED Buffington, J.M., and D.R. Montgomery. 1999. Effects of hydraulic roughness on surface textures . Water Resources Research, 35 (11), pp. 3507-3521. Bunte, K., and S. R. Abt. 2001. Sampling Surface and Subsurface Particle-size Distributions in Wadeable Gravel-and Cobble-bed Streams for Analyses in Sediment Transport, Hydraulics, and Streambed Monitoring. Gen. Tech. Rep. RMRS-GTR-74. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. FERC (Federal Energy Regulatory Commission). 2018. Order Issuing New License. Project No. 2107-016. Prepared by Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Office of Energy Projects, Division of Hydropower Licensing. Washington, DC. December 17, 2018. PG&E (Pacific Gas and Electric Company). 2003. Poe Hydroelectric Project, FERC No. 2107, Application for New License (Volume 1 of 4). December 2003. SWRCB (State Water Recourses Control Board). 2017. Pacific Gas and Electric Company Poe Hydroelectric Project. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Project No. 2107. Water Quality Certification. December 28, 2017. Wreco. 2003. Sediment Incipient Motion Analysis. Poe Reach of the Lower North Fork Feather River. Prepared for Pacific Gas & Electric Company. March 2003. Appendix E2-2 of the Poe Hydroelectric Project License Application FERC No. 2107. 12 POE HYDROELECTRIC PROJECT (FERC NO. 2107) SEDIMENT MANAGEMENT PLAN ATTACHMENT 1 FERC LICENSE ARTICLE 401 Commission Approval, Reporting, Notification, and Filing of Amendments (a) Requirement to File Plans for Commission Approval (WQC) (Appendix A) and the U. S. Department of Agriculture section 4(e) conditions (Appendix B) require the licensee to prepare plans in consultation with other entities for approval by the Water Board or Forest Service or for submittal to the Commission, and implement specific measures without prior Commission approval. The following plans must also be submitted to the Commission for approval by the deadlines specified below: Water Board WQC Forest Service 4(e) Condition No. Condition No. Plan Name Commission Due Date Within 1 year from license Sediment management 4 23 (3Part) issuance plan 13 ATTACHMENT 2 FERC License (Project No. 2107) Appendix A Water Quality Certification Condition 4 Pulse Flows and Sediment Management Within one year of license issuance, the Licensee shall submit a Sediment Management Plan to the Deputy Director for review and approval. The Sediment Management Plan shall be prepared in consultation with State Water Board staff, Forest Service, USFWS, and CDFW. The Sediment Management Plan shall outline goals and objectives for the management of fine-grained sediment and organic material in riffles and spawning sized stream substrate within the Poe bypass reach, including implementation of pulse flows. The Sediment Management Plan shall include methodologies for sampling and protocols for data sharing between agencies. The Deputy Director approval, and any required modifications, with FERC. Triggers for implementation of pulse flows shall be dependent on the results of sediment monitoring. Baseline monitoring shall occur the year following Deputy Director approval of the Sediment Management Plan. The initial baseline sediment accumulation monitoring shall be performed three- to six-months following a flow event with a mean daily magnitude of at least 1 2,000 cfs If monitoring shows that fine-grain sediment and organic material accumulation has increased by more than 25 percent as compared to the baseline sediment measurements, the Licensee shall either release or augment a spill flow prior to April 1 of the following year. The Licensee shall follow the regime shown in Table 3 while following the ramping rates in Condition 5. In no case will the pulse flow modifications require the release of more than 2,600 acre-feet of water in excess of the required minimum streamflow. Under extremely dry conditions, the Licensee may request to modify or delay elements of the Sediment Management Plan. The Deputy Director may make modifications as part of any approval to modify or delay elements of the 1 Pulse flows may be accomplished by Project operations or through natural hydrologic conditions. 14 Sediment Management Plan. The Licensee shall implement pulse flows in accordance with the following requirements: A. The pulse flow shall be not be implemented after the temperature of the North Fork Feather River exceeds 10°C mean daily water temperature at Gage 23 on two successive days; B. For the protection of FYLF populations, the pulse flow shall occur prior to the onset of frog breeding in the Poe bypass reach; C. Pulse flows shall not take place if rainbow trout spawning in the Poe bypass reach is observed and reported to the Licensee by CDFW, USFWS, or Forest Service; and D. The Licensee shall notify CDFW, Forest Service, USFWS, and State Water Board staff prior to implementation of a non-natural pulse flow. The Deputy Director may make modifications as part of any approval. The Licensee shall file any Deputy Director approved plan, and any modifications, with FERC. The Licensee shall monitor fine-grain sediment and organic material accumulation three- to six- months following a pulse flow event. If monitoring indicates fine-grain sediment and organic material accumulation remains at or above a 25 percent increase as compared to the baseline sediment measurements, the Licensee shall consult with State Water Board staff, CDFW, USFWS, and Forest Service and submit a modified pulse flow schedule, for Deputy Director review and approval, no later than nine months following post-pulse flow monitoring. Once approved by the Deputy Director, the Licensee shall implement the modified pulse flow schedule as soon as possible within the constraints of this condition and the newly approved modified pulse flow schedule. The Licensee may also request a modified pulse flow schedule, following consultation with State Water Board staff, CDFW, USFWS, and the Forest Service, if the Licensee determines that the expected benefits can be better achieved by a pulse flow of a different magnitude or duration. The request shall be submitted to the Deputy Director for review and approval. The Deputy Director may make modifications as part of any approval. The Licensee shall file any Deputy Director approved plan, and any modifications, with FERC. 15 ATTACHMENT 3 Forest Service 4(e) Condition No. 24, Part 3 Sediment Management Program The Licensee shall, within 12 months of license issuance, develop and submit to the Commission, a Sediment Management Program Plan. The plan shall be prepared in consultation with the Forest Service and other interested governmental agencies. The Sediment Management Program Plan shall be approved by the Forest Service and filed with the Commission before implementation. The objective of the Sediment Management Program is to manage the accumulation of fine-grained sediment and organic material in riffles and spawning sized stream substrate within the Poe Reach. Evaluation methods for sediment accumulation shall follow established protocols such as those 23 described in Bunte and Abt (2001)or Cover et al. (2006)or other agreed upon methodologies. Licensee shall notify the Forest Service and other interested governmental agencies at least one month prior to performing the monitoring to allow interested parties to participate or observe the monitoring. The Program shall include the elements described below. Fine-grained sediment and organic material accumulation in riffles and spawning sized substrate shall be initially determined following the established protocol after implementation of the new license instream flow requirements. The initial, baseline sediment accumulation determination will be made no earlier than three months, but no later than six months following a flow event with a mean daily magnitude of at least 2000 cfs. If there are two consecutive years without flow events with mean daily flows of at least 2000 cfs, the licensee shall evaluate fine-grained sediment and organic material accumulation following the 2 Bunte, K., and Abt, S. R. 2001. Sampling Surface and Subsurface Particle-size Distributions in Wadeable Gravel- and Cobble-bed Streams for Analyses in Sediment Transport, Hydraulics, and Streambed Monitoring. Gen. Tech. Rep. RMRS-GTR-74. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. 3 Cover, M., C. May, V. Resh, and W. Dietrich. 2006. Quantitative Linkages Between Sediment Supply, Streambed Fine Sediment, and Benthic Macroinvertebrates in Streams of the Klamath National Forest. The University of California, Berkeley. 16 established protocol in the second year without the high flow event. If monitoring shows that fine- grained sediment and organic material accumulation has increased by more than 25 percent as compared to the initial sediment measurements, the licensee shall either release or augment a spill flow prior to April 1 of the following year following the regime shown in the schedule and contingent to the following requirements. Pulse Flow Schedule Hour Duration Flow (downramp in approximately (hours) 0.5 foot stage drops) 1 1 Baseflow to 750 cfs 2 1 1500 cfs 3-8 6 2000 cfs 9-10 2 1600 cfs 11-12 2 1300 cfs 13-14 2 1100 cfs 15-16 2 800 cfs 17-18 2 600 cfs 19-20 2 450 cfs 450 cfs to baseflow The pulse flow shall be scheduled prior to the temperature of the North Fork Feather River at NF- 23 exceeding 10 degrees Celsius mean daily water temperature on two successive days. For the protection of foothill yellow-legged frogs and macroinvertebrate populations, the pulse flow will occur prior to the onset of frog breeding each year. Pulse flows shall also not take place if rainbow trout spawning in the Poe Reach is observed and reported to Licensee by the California Department of Fish and Game or Forest Service. Licensee shall re-monitor the fine-grained sediment and organic material accumulation within three and no more than six months following the pulse flow release. If monitoring indicates that the desired outcome of removal of accumulated fine-grained sediment and organic material is not being achieved or if the expected benefits are better achieved by a pulse flow of a different magnitude or duration, Licensee, after consultation with interested governmental agencies and approval by the Forest Service, shall modify the magnitude or duration of the pulse flow to ensure adequate removal of undesirable material. In no case will the pulse flow 17 modifications require the release of more than 2,600 acre-feet of water in excess of the required minimum streamflow. 18 ENCLOSURE B Logo Department Name Agency Organization Organization Address Information United States Forest Pacific Southwest Region 159 Lawrence Street Department of Service Plumas National Forest Quincy, CA 95971 Agriculture 530-283-2050 TDD: 530-534-7984 Fax: 530-283-7746 File Code: 2770 Date:December 16, 2020 Steve Bauman Senior Relicensing Manager Pacific Gas and Electric Company Mail Code N11D P.O. Box 770000 San Francisco, CA 94177 SUBJECT:FOREST SERVICE APPROVAL OF RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PLANS AND EXTENSIONREQUESTSFORPACIFICGASANDELECTRICCOMPANY’SPOE HYDROELECRTRIC PROJECT, FERCNO. 2107 Dear Mr. Bauman: This letter is regarding seven Resource Management Plans (“Plans”), required by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) License for Pacific Gas and Electric Company’s (PG&E) Poe Hydroelectric Project (P-2107). The Forest Service filed revised final Federal Power Act (FPA) Section 4(e) Conditions in July of 2018, including a requirement to develop these Plans, and these Conditions became part of the new FERC license for the Poe Hydroelectric Project, issued on December 17, 2018. The new license for the Poe Hydroelectric Project requires 15 Plans, establishment of a Recreation River Flow Technical Group with two associated Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) covering river recreation, and development of an operations water balance modelwithin one year of license issuance; i.e., by December 17, 2019. Two additional Plans are required within one-two years of license issuance; i.e., December 17, 2020. Attached is the Forest Service’s understanding of the current status of all these Plans. By letters to PG&E (dated December 6, 2019, and March 19, 2020), I previously approved six Plans, and the operations water balance model. In addition, these letters provided concurrence on Plans and an MOU required by the State Water Resources Control Board, and my approval for PG&E’s extension requests for the remaining Plans. I signed the MOU (required within Forest Service Condition No. 26) on August 12, 2020. On September 25, 2020, I approved the Recreation Enhancement, Construction, and Implementation Plan (Forest Service Condition No. 26). Over the past two months, PG&E has submitted four additional completed Plans, one revised Plan, and two extension requests. With this letter, I approve the following: Bald Eagle Plan (Forest Service Condition No. 35) - PG&E final plan approval request dated October 19, 2020. Caring for the Land and Serving People Printed on Recycled Paper 2 Steve Bauman Assessment and phased implementation plan for the Bardees Bar Tunnel Spoil Revegetation Plan (Forest Service Condition No. 40) - PG&E approval request dated October 22, 2020 Long-Term Ramping Rate Plan (Forest Service Condition No. 23, Part 5) – six-month extension to complete Plan - PG&E request dated October 29, 2020 Sediment Management Plan (Forest Service Condition No. 23, Part 3A) - minor revision to previously approved Plan - PG&E approval request dated November 19, 2020 Heritage Properties Management Plan (Forest Service Condition No. 31) – one-year extension to complete Plan - PG&E request dated December 3, 2020 Road Management (Forest Service Condition No. 37) –PG&E final plan approval request dated December 15, 2020 Integrated Vegetation Management Plan (Forest Service Condition Nos. 29 and 34) – PG&E final plan approval request dated December 15, 2020 Thank you for working with the Forest Service on these resource plans for the new Poe Hydroelectric Project license. If you have any questions about this letter, please contact Amy Lind, Hydroelectric Coordinator, Regional Hydropower Assistance Team, at (530) 478-6298, amy.lind@usda.gov, or Emily Moghaddas, Recreation, Engineering, Lands, and Minerals Staff Officer, Plumas National Forest, at (530) 283-7772, emily.moghaddas@usda.gov. Sincerely, CHRISTOPHER CARLTON Forest Supervisor cc: Dawn Alvarez, Amy Lind, David Brillenz, Emily Moghaddas, Hilary Maxworthy 3 Steve Bauman ATTACHMENT Status of Management and Monitoring Plans and MOU's for Poe Hydroelectric Project (FERC No. 2107) new license implementation. Plan or MOU (Forest Service Condition Original Due Date to the Amended Due Date to the Status No. or SWRCB Condition only) FERC FERC Fish and Benthic Macroinvertebrate Plumas National Forest (PNF) staff have reviewed and PG&E Dec. 17, 2019 Completed in 2019 Monitoring (Condition No. 25) addressed comments. Final Plan provided to PNF and FERC. RO and PNF staff have reviewed and PG&E addressed Hazardous Substances (Condition No. 5)Dec. 17, 2019 Completed in 2019 comments.Final Plan provided to PNF and FERC. Final version provided to Operations Water Balance Model This is a working model/tool. License condition due date met, Not required to have Forest Service on Dec. 9, (Condition No. 23, Part 2) and model will be updated as needed. FERC approval 2019; Not required by the FERC PNF staff have reviewed and PG&E addressed comments.Final Gaging (SWRCB) Dec. 17, 2019 Completed in 2019 Plan provided to PNF and FERC. PNF staff have reviewed and PG&E addressed comments. Final Water Temperature Monitoring (SWRCB) Dec. 17, 2019 Completed in 2019 Plan provided to PNF and FERC. SWRCB and Forest Service approve, but do not sign. PNF staff MOU1 (SWRCB) -Recreation Technical have reviewed and PG&E addressed comments; other signatories Dec. 17, 2019 Completed in 2019 Review Group are complete. PNF staff have reviewed and PG&E addressed comments. Final Amphibian Monitoring (Condition No. 25) Dec. 17, 2019 Completed in March 2020 Plan provided to PNF and FERC. PNF staff have reviewed and PG&E addressed comments. Final Tributary Access Observation (fish) Dec. 17, 2019 Completed in March 2020 Plan provided to PNF and FERC. (Condition No. 23, Part 6) Completed in March 2020; Sediment Management (Condition No. 23, PNF staff have reviewed and PG&E addressed comments. Final Dec. 17, 2019 Minor revisioninNovember Part 3A) Plan provided to PNF and FERC. 2020 Fire Prevention and Response (Condition PNF staff have reviewed and PG&E addressed comments. Final Dec. 17, 2019 Completed in March 2020 No. 7) Plan provided to PNF and FERC. PNF staff have reviewed and PG&E addressed comments. Final MOU2 -Poe Interagency Recreation River Prior to first full recreation Completed/fullysigned in MOU provided, but PNF is waiting on signatures from other Flow Management (Condition No. 26) season. August 2020 parties. PNF staff have reviewed and PG&E addressed comments. Final Riparian Monitoring (SWRCB) Dec. 17, 2019 Completed in March 2020 Plan provided to PNF and FERC. 4 Steve Bauman Plan or MOU (Forest Service Condition Original Due Date to the Amended Due Date to the Status No. or SWRCB Condition only) FERC FERC PNF staff have reviewed and PG&E addressed comments. River Recreation Enhancement, Construction, flow plan required under MOU2 is included as an attachment to Dec. 17, 2019 Completed in September 2020 and Implementation (Condition No. 26) this Plan. Final Plan provided to PNF and FERC. PNF staff have reviewed drafts, participated in field condition Road Management (Condition No. 37) assessments, and PG&E has addressed comments. Final Plan Dec. 17, 2019 Dec. 31, 2020 provided to PNF. Regularly meeting with PG&E and other stakeholders to discuss Long Term Ramping Rates (Condition No. approach and content of this Plan; PG&E provided a draft Plan Dec. 17, 2019 June 30, 2021 23, Part 5) provided to stakeholders in July 2020. Tied to upstream hydroproject – further discussion needed to complete Plan. PG&E provided aTechnical Assessment(TA)to PNF inMay 2020, which was reviewed by PNF staff. In October 2020, Plan is now phased Plan and Bardees Bar Tunnel Spoil Revegetation PG&E provided a revised TA along with a plan and schedule for Dec. 17, 2019 split into two Plans; expected (Condition No. 30) completing: the stability plan, a targeted revegetation plan, and completion 2021-2022 implementation of both plans. PG&E provided an Archeology Report to PNF in late May 2020; Heritage Properties Management Traditional Cultural Properties study is ongoing with interviews Dec. 17, 2019 December 31, 2021 (Condition No. 31) delayed due to Covid; pending draft of full Plan from PG&E. PG&Eprovided draft Plan in July 30, 2020; PNF reviewedPlan Bald Eagle Management (Condition No. and discussed with PG&E in August. PG&E addressed Dec. 17, 2020 No change 35) comments and provided a final plan provided to PNF. Combines two Forest Service License Conditions; PG&E Fuel Treatment and Invasive Weed provideddraft Plan on Aug. 10, 2020. PNF staff have reviewed Management (Integrated Plan) (ConditionDec. 17, 2019 and 2020Dec. 31, 2020 drafts, and PG&E has addressed comments. Final Plan provided Nos. 29 and 34) to PNF. From:Bartoo, Aondrea To:Joseph, Matthew; Visinoni, Jamie; Downey, Savannah@Waterboards; Lind, Amy -FS; Reyes, Catalina; Salve, Rohit; Lose, Sarah@Wildlife; Wetzel, Jeff@Waterboards; Lawson, Beth@Wildlife; Angulo, Oswaldo -FS; Hoffman, Joseph A -FS Cc:Johnson, Shannon Subject:Re: \[EXTERNAL\] RE: Poe Project Sediment Mgmt Plan 2020 Monitoring Discussion Date:Tuesday, September 22, 2020 1:56:45 PM *****CAUTION: This email was sent from an EXTERNAL source. Think before clicking links or opening attachments.***** The USFWS concurs with the Poe Sediment Management Plan indicated below. Thanks! A. Leigh Bartoo US Fish and Wildlife Service Bay-Delta Fish and Wildlife Office 650 Capitol Mall, Suite 8-300 Sacramento, California 95814 916-930-5621 From: Joseph, Matthew <MWJA@pge.com> Sent: Tuesday, September 22, 2020 10:12 AM To: Visinoni, Jamie <JNVS@pge.com>; Downey, Savannah@Waterboards <Savannah.Downey@Waterboards.ca.gov>; Lind, Amy -FS <amy.lind@usda.gov>; Bartoo, Aondrea <aondrea_bartoo@fws.gov>; Reyes, Catalina <CERh@pge.com>; Salve, Rohit <ROSK@pge.com>; Lose, Sarah@Wildlife <sarah.lose@wildlife.ca.gov>; Wetzel, Jeff@Waterboards <Jeff.Wetzel@waterboards.ca.gov>; Lawson, Beth@Wildlife <beth.lawson@wildlife.ca.gov>; Angulo, Oswaldo -FS <oswaldo.angulo@usda.gov>; Hoffman, Joseph A -FS <joseph.hoffman@usda.gov> Cc: Johnson, Shannon <SxDm@pge.com> Subject: \[EXTERNAL\] RE: Poe Project Sediment Mgmt Plan 2020 Monitoring Discussion This email has been received from outside of DOI - Use caution before clicking on links, opening attachments, or responding. Hi everyone, As we discussed on 9/3/2020, PG&E has made a few edits to the Sediment Monitoring Plan, please see attached. As discussed, the edits will change the 6 month window for monitoring to 9 months. Please review and approve at your earliest convenience, or if you have additional questions or comments, let us know and we can work through them. In terms of process, the attached plan should be considered the final version of the Sediment Monitoring Plan for SWRCB approval and Forest Service reapproval. Once approved by both agencies, PG&E will resubmit this final version of the plan for FERC approval with both agency approval letters. If CDFW or USFWS would like to provide a concurrence email on this revision, PG&E will also include these emails in our submittal to FERC. PG&E is still on track to perform the baseline monitoring next week even without full approvals. Thanks, Matt Matthew Joseph Senior License Coordinator Power Generation – Hydro License Management 530-889-3276 -----Original Appointment----- From: Joseph, Matthew Sent: Thursday, August 27, 2020 4:08 PM To: Joseph, Matthew; Jamie Visinoni; Downey, Savannah@Waterboards; Lind, Amy -FS; Bartoo, Aondrea; Reyes, Catalina; Salve, Rohit; Lose, Sarah@Wildlife; Wetzel, Jeff@Waterboards; Lawson, Beth@Wildlife; Angulo, Oswaldo -FS; Hoffman, Joseph A -FS Cc: Johnson, Shannon (SxDm@pge.com) Subject: Poe Project Sediment Mgmt Plan 2020 Monitoring Discussion When: Thursday, September 03, 2020 11:00 AM-12:00 PM (UTC-08:00) Pacific Time (US & Canada). Where: Teams Meeting (Information Below) Hello everyone, Rohit and I wanted to hold a call to discuss options for sediment monitoring in 2020 given that the Sediment Management Plan is not yet approved by the SWRCB or FERC, and we are outside of the 6 month event window that is outlined in the Plan. Thanks, Matt Matthew Joseph Senior License Coordinator Power Generation – Hydro License Management 530-889-3276 ________________________________________________________________________________ Join Microsoft Teams Meeting +1 415-906-0873 United States, San Francisco (Toll) Conference ID: 362 401 985# Local numbers | Reset PIN | Learn more about Teams | Meeting options Need Help with Teams? Click on the Help option in this invite to connect you directly to our Teams at PG&E Training site! Help ________________________________________________________________________________ State Water Resources Control Board October 15, 2020 Mr. Steven Bauman, P.E. Senior Relicensing Project Manager Mail Code N11D P.O. Box 770000 San Francisco, CA94177 Email: sjb2@pge.com Poe Hydroelectric Project Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Project No. 2107 Butte County North Fork Feather River SUBJECT:APPROVAL OF THE POE AMPHIBIAN MONITORING PLAN AND SEDIMENT MANAGEMENT PLAN Dear Mr. Bauman: Pursuant to the State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board) water quality 1 certification (certification)for the Pacific Gas and Electric Company’s (PG&E) Poe Hydroelectric Project (Project) PG&E is required to develop management plans for review and approval by the Deputy Director of the Division of Water Rights (Deputy Director). On February 5, 2020, the State Water Board amended the Project certification to extend the one-year deadline for eight of the management plans, which included the Sediment Management Plan (Condition 4) and the amphibian portion of the 2 Poe Bypass Reach Biological Monitoring Plan (Condition 9).PG&E timely submitted the following plans for Deputy Director review and approval, as noted below: 1)Sediment Management Plan (Condition 4, Pulse Flows and Sediment Management; submitted March 18, 2020); and 2) Poe Amphibian Monitoring Plan (Condition 9, Poe Bypass Reach Biological Monitoring; submitted March 4,2020). 1 The Project certification was issued by the Executive Director on December 29, 2017. 2 PG&E submitted the amphibian portion of the Poe Bypass Reach Biological Monitoring Plan as a separate plan titled the Poe Amphibian Monitoring Plan. Mr. Steven Bauman-2-October 15, 2020 Sediment Management Plan Condition 4 of the certification requires PG&E to develop a Sediment Management Plan (Sediment Plan) in consultation with State Water Board staff, United States Forest Service (Forest Service), California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), and United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). The purpose of the Sediment Plan is to manage fine-grain sediment and organic material in riffles and spawning-sized stream substrate in the Poe bypass reach. The Sediment Plan includes triggers for implementing pulse flows, methods for baseline, decadal, and post-pulse flow sediment monitoring, and a process to evaluate and modify pulse flows and sediment monitoring, if necessary. PG&E received concurrence from USFWS on March 11, 2020, and Forest Service and CDFW on March 12, 2020. Poe Amphibian Monitoring Plan Condition 9 of the certification requires PG&E to develop a biological monitoring plan for fish, benthic macroinvertebrates, and amphibians in consultation with State Water Board staff, Forest Service, CDFW, and USFWS. During early consultation, PG&E and the consulting agencies agreed to develop two plans to meet this requirement: the Fish and Benthic Macroinvertebrate Monitoring Plan (approved by the Deputy Director on March 6, 2020); and the Poe Amphibian Monitoring Plan (AmphibianPlan). The purpose of the Amphibian Plan is to assess the response of foothill yellow-legged frogs (FYLF) to the new license-required minimum instream flows. To assess the FYLF population, the Amphibian Plan outlines procedures for preliminary field planning, visual encounter surveys, and site habitat assessment. PG&E received concurrence from Forest Service, CDFW, and USFWS staff on the final draft Amphibian Plan on February 21, February 24, and February 25, 2020, respectively. Final Forest Service approval of the Amphibian Plan is pending. Approval of Plans State Water Board staff have reviewed the submitted plans and concluded that the Sediment Plan and Amphibian Plan comply with Condition 4 and Condition 9, respectively, of the certification. The Sediment Plan and Amphibian Plan are hereby approved. PG&E shall implement the approved Sediment Plan and Amphibian Plan throughout the term of the FERC license and any extensions. Any revisions to the Sediment Plan and Amphibian Plan must be approved by the Deputy Director and filed with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission prior to implementation. During the current Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) emergency, most Division of Water Rights staff are working from home. Accordingly, if you have questions regarding this letter please contact Savannah Downey, Project Manager, by email at Savannah.Downey@waterboards.ca.gov. Written correspondence should be directed to: Mr. Steven Bauman-3-October 15, 2020 State Water Resources Control Board Division of Water Rights – Water Quality Certification Program Attn: Savannah Downey P.O. Box 2000 Sacramento, CA 95812-2000 Sincerely, ORIGINAL SIGNED BY: Erik Ekdahl, Deputy Director Division of Water Rights cc: Ms. Kimberly D. BoseMr. Paul Gosselin, Director Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Butte County Department of Water and 888 First Street, NEResource Conservation Washington, D.C. 20426 308 Nelson Avenue Oroville, CA 95965 Mr. Randy Wilson, Planning Director Mr. Patrick Pulupa, Executive Officer Plumas County Planning and Building Central Valley Regional Water Quality Services Control Board 555 Main Street 11020 Sun Center Drive, #200 Quincy, CA 95971 Rancho Cordova, CA 95670 ec: Ms. Amy Lind, Forest Service Ms. Sarah Lose, CDFW Amy.Lind@usda.gov Sarah.Lose@wildlife.ca.gov Ms. Beth Lawson, CDFW Ms. Leigh Bartoo, USFWS Beth.Lawson@wildlife.gov Aondrea_Bartoo@fws.gov Mr. Dave Steindorf, American Mr. Chris Shutes, California Sportfishing Whitewater Protection Alliance Dave@americanwhitewater.org blancapaloma@msn.com From:Downey, Savannah@Waterboards To:Joseph, Matthew; Lind, Amy -FS; Visinoni, Jamie; Bartoo, Aondrea; Reyes, Catalina; Salve, Rohit; Lose, Sarah@Wildlife; Wetzel, Jeff@Waterboards; Lawson, Beth@Wildlife; Angulo, Oswaldo -FS; Hoffman, Joseph A -FS Cc:Johnson, Shannon; Moghaddas, Emily - FS Subject:Re: Poe Project Sediment Mgmt Plan 2020 Monitoring Discussion Date:Tuesday, October 27, 2020 2:08:19 PM Attachments:image001.png image002.png image003.png image004.png *****CAUTION: This email was sent from an EXTERNAL source. Think before clicking links or opening attachments.***** Hi Matt - I explained this to Steve and Amy, but there were a couple miscommunications when I sent the letter for management review that also popped up in the letter (it also says the Forest Service has yet to approve the Amphibian Plan, when I intended it to say they haven't approved the revised Sediment Plan). The confusion regarding whether we approved the original or revised version is one of those mishaps. My intent was to approve the revised version, though, since when you sent it out you said that we should consider the revised version for our approval. So long story short, the letter is approving the most recent version of the Sediment Plan that was sent to us, which is the revised version with the updated monitoring window. Yet another casualty due to the challenges of teleworking. Sorry for the confusion! Let me know if you have any other questions. Savannah Savannah Downey State Water Resources Control Board Water Quality Certification Program (916) 322-1585 From: Joseph, Matthew <MWJA@pge.com> Sent: Tuesday, October 27, 2020 1:43 PM To: Lind, Amy -FS <amy.lind@usda.gov>; Visinoni, Jamie <JNVS@pge.com>; Downey, Savannah@Waterboards <Savannah.Downey@Waterboards.ca.gov>; Bartoo, Aondrea <aondrea_bartoo@fws.gov>; Reyes, Catalina <CERh@pge.com>; Salve, Rohit <ROSK@pge.com>; Lose, Sarah@Wildlife <Sarah.Lose@wildlife.ca.gov>; Wetzel, Jeff@Waterboards <Jeff.Wetzel@waterboards.ca.gov>; Lawson, Beth@Wildlife <Beth.Lawson@wildlife.ca.gov>; Angulo, Oswaldo -FS <oswaldo.angulo@usda.gov>; Hoffman, Joseph A -FS <joseph.hoffman@usda.gov> Cc: Johnson, Shannon <SxDm@pge.com>; Moghaddas, Emily - FS <emily.moghaddas@usda.gov> Subject: RE: Poe Project Sediment Mgmt Plan 2020 Monitoring Discussion EXTERNAL: Hi Amy, Thank you, PG&E finds the Forest Service edits acceptable. I will work on getting a formal letter over to you with the revised plan as soon as I can. Hi Savannah, Per your letter last week, it looks the SWRCB approved the original version of the Sediment Monitoring Plan that was submitted in March, 2020. Can we expect another formal letter approving the revised plan, or would you be able to approve via email? Do we also need to file a formal letter to the SWRCB requesting approval of the revised plan similar to the process with the Forest Service? Thanks, Matt Matthew Joseph Senior License Coordinator Power Generation – Hydro License Management 530-889-3276 From: Lind, Amy -FS <amy.lind@usda.gov> Sent: Wednesday, October 07, 2020 2:55 PM To: Joseph, Matthew <MWJA@pge.com>; Visinoni, Jamie <JNVS@pge.com>; Downey, Savannah@Waterboards <Savannah.Downey@Waterboards.ca.gov>; Bartoo, Aondrea <aondrea_bartoo@fws.gov>; Reyes, Catalina <CERh@pge.com>; Salve, Rohit <ROSK@pge.com>; Lose, Sarah@Wildlife <Sarah.Lose@wildlife.ca.gov>; Wetzel, Jeff@Waterboards <Jeff.Wetzel@waterboards.ca.gov>; Lawson, Beth@Wildlife <Beth.Lawson@wildlife.ca.gov>; Angulo, Oswaldo -FS <oswaldo.angulo@usda.gov>; Hoffman, Joseph A -FS <joseph.hoffman@usda.gov> Cc: Johnson, Shannon <SxDm@pge.com>; Moghaddas, Emily - FS <emily.moghaddas@usda.gov> Subject: RE: Poe Project Sediment Mgmt Plan 2020 Monitoring Discussion *****CAUTION: This email was sent from an EXTERNAL source. Think before clicking links or opening attachments.***** Matt – Thanks for sending this revised Sediment Plan. The Forest Service has reviewed and is providing the attached edits. The main edit we made was to require that monitoring occur prior to September 30 (end of the water year). Assuming FS staff edits are acceptable, we will need to go through the approval process, as we have done with other Plans during their development, this revised Plan will need to be submitted to the Plumas NF Forest Supervisor by formal letter. Since we have a few other Plans that are closed to being finished (e.g., veg, roads, bald eagle), it may be possible for the FS to include approval of this Sediment Plan revision in our next batch approval letter. Best, Amy Amy Lind Hydroelectric Coordinator Forest Service Pacific Southwest Region, Public Services office: 530-478-6298 mobile: 530-559-5451 amy.lind@usda.gov c/o Tahoe National Forest 631 Coyote St. Nevada City, CA 95959 www.fs.fed.us Caring for the land and serving people Please note my new email, and update your address books. From: Joseph, Matthew <MWJA@pge.com> Sent: Tuesday, September 22, 2020 10:12 AM To: Visinoni, Jamie <JNVS@pge.com>; Downey, Savannah@Waterboards <Savannah.Downey@Waterboards.ca.gov>; Lind, Amy -FS <amy.lind@usda.gov>; Bartoo, Aondrea <aondrea_bartoo@fws.gov>; Reyes, Catalina <CERh@pge.com>; Salve, Rohit <ROSK@pge.com>; Lose, Sarah@Wildlife <Sarah.Lose@wildlife.ca.gov>; Wetzel, Jeff@Waterboards <Jeff.Wetzel@waterboards.ca.gov>; Lawson, Beth@Wildlife <Beth.Lawson@wildlife.ca.gov>; Angulo, Oswaldo -FS <oswaldo.angulo@usda.gov>; Hoffman, Joseph A -FS <joseph.hoffman@usda.gov> Cc: Johnson, Shannon <SxDm@pge.com> Subject: RE: Poe Project Sediment Mgmt Plan 2020 Monitoring Discussion Hi everyone, As we discussed on 9/3/2020, PG&E has made a few edits to the Sediment Monitoring Plan, please see attached. As discussed, the edits will change the 6 month window for monitoring to 9 months. Please review and approve at your earliest convenience, or if you have additional questions or comments, let us know and we can work through them. In terms of process, the attached plan should be considered the final version of the Sediment Monitoring Plan for SWRCB approval and Forest Service reapproval. Once approved by both agencies, PG&E will resubmit this final version of the plan for FERC approval with both agency approval letters. If CDFW or USFWS would like to provide a concurrence email on this revision, PG&E will also include these emails in our submittal to FERC. PG&E is still on track to perform the baseline monitoring next week even without full approvals. Thanks, Matt Matthew Joseph Senior License Coordinator Power Generation – Hydro License Management 530-889-3276 -----Original Appointment----- From: Joseph, Matthew Sent: Thursday, August 27, 2020 4:08 PM To: Joseph, Matthew; Jamie Visinoni; Downey, Savannah@Waterboards; Lind, Amy -FS; Bartoo, Aondrea; Reyes, Catalina; Salve, Rohit; Lose, Sarah@Wildlife; Wetzel, Jeff@Waterboards; Lawson, Beth@Wildlife; Angulo, Oswaldo -FS; Hoffman, Joseph A -FS Cc: Johnson, Shannon (SxDm@pge.com ) Subject: Poe Project Sediment Mgmt Plan 2020 Monitoring Discussion When: Thursday, September 03, 2020 11:00 AM-12:00 PM (UTC-08:00) Pacific Time (US & Canada). Where: Teams Meeting (Information Below) Hello everyone, Rohit and I wanted to hold a call to discuss options for sediment monitoring in 2020 given that the Sediment Management Plan is not yet approved by the SWRCB or FERC, and we are outside of the 6 month event window that is outlined in the Plan. Thanks, Matt Matthew Joseph Senior License Coordinator Power Generation – Hydro License Management 530-889-3276 ________________________________________________________________________________ Join Microsoft Teams Meeting +1 415-906-0873 United States, San Francisco (Toll) Conference ID: 362 401 985# Local numbers | Reset PIN | Learn more about Teams | Meeting options Need Help with Teams? Click on the Help option in this invite to connect you directly to our Teams at PG&E Training site! Help ________________________________________________________________________________ This electronic message contains information generated by the USDA solely for the intended recipients. Any unauthorized interception of this message or the use or disclosure of the information it contains may violate the law and subject the violator to civil or criminal penalties. If you believe you have received this message in error, please notify the sender and delete the email immediately.