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Home My WebLink About04.23.2024 Board Correspondence - FW_ DOCKET CHANGE- Project Operations Compliance Report submitted in FERC P-619-180 by Pacific Gas and Electric CompanyFrom:Clerk of the Board To:Bennett, Robin; Clerk of the Board; Connelly, Bill; Cook, Holly; Cook, Robin; Durfee, Peter; Hancock, LeAnne; Jessee, Meegan; Kimmelshue, Tod; Kitts, Melissa; Lee, Lewis; McDonnell, Susan; Pickett, Andy; Ritter, Tami; Stephens, Brad J.; Sweeney, Kathleen; Teeter, Doug; Zepeda, Elizabeth; Loeser, Kamie Cc:Nevers, Dawn Subject:Board Correspondence - FW: DOCKET CHANGE- Project Operations Compliance Report submitted in FERC P-619-180 by Pacific Gas and Electric Company Date:Tuesday, April 23, 2024 8:11:01 AM Please see board correspondence - -----Original Message----- From: 'FERC eSubscription' <eSubscription@ferc.gov> Sent: Tuesday, April 23, 2024 6:06 AM Subject: DOCKET CHANGE- Project Operations Compliance Report submitted in FERC P-619-180 by Pacific Gas and Electric Company .ATTENTION: This message originated from outside Butte County. Please exercise judgment before opening attachments, clicking on links, or replying.. On 3/28/2024, the following Filing was submitted to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), Washington D.C.: Filer: Pacific Gas and Electric Company Docket(s): P-619-180 Lead Applicant: Pacific Gas and Electric Company Filing Type: Project Operations Compliance Report Description: Pacific Gas and Electric Company submits Request for Approval of the Dewatering and Diversion Plan for the Lower Bucks Spillway at the Bucks Creek Hydroelectric Project under P-619. To view the document for this Filing, click here https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://elibrary.ferc.gov/eLibrary/filelist? accession_num=20240328-5029__;!!KNMwiTCp4spf!AkPXLi3sDT- IiBp1rqv6DFjcYdnpWOGHZgsNGZEfUyYor57Y1R3UUGHHRhZeWSd8VRZkKLJUdMaWUG3F89XBTLJVSSGdi0FwvbuA$ To modify your subscriptions, click here: https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://ferconline.ferc.gov/eSubscription.aspx__;!!KNMwiTCp4spf!AkPXLi3sDT- IiBp1rqv6DFjcYdnpWOGHZgsNGZEfUyYor57Y1R3UUGHHRhZeWSd8VRZkKLJUdMaWUG3F89XBTLJVSSGdixtahmpF$ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Please do not respond to this email. Online help is available here: https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://www.ferc.gov/efiling-help.asp__;!!KNMwiTCp4spf!AkPXLi3sDT- IiBp1rqv6DFjcYdnpWOGHZgsNGZEfUyYor57Y1R3UUGHHRhZeWSd8VRZkKLJUdMaWUG3F89XBTLJVSSGdi3sH8tZD$ or for phone support, call 866-208-3676. Power Generation 300 Lakeside Drive Oakland, CA 94612 Mailing Address: P.O. Box 28209 Oakland, CA 94604 March 27, 2024 Via Electronic Submittal (E-File) Debbie-Anne Reese, Acting Secretary Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Division of Hydropower Administration and Compliance 888 First Street, NE Washington, D.C. 20426 RE: Bucks Creek Hydroelectric Project, FERC No. 619-CA Dewatering and Diversion Plan , Lower Bucks Spillway 2024/2025 – Request for Approval ENCLOSURE CONTAI NS CUI//CEII – DO NOT RELEASE Dear Acting Secretary Reese: Attached for your review and approval is the Dewatering and Diversion Plan, Lower Bucks Spillway (Plan) (Enclosure 1) for Pacific Gas and Electric Company’s (PG&E) Bucks Creek Hydroelectric Project, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) No. 619. FERC issued a new license for the Bucks Creek Project on June 16, 2022. Subsection (b) of Article 401 of the License requires PG&E to submit to FERC the final Plan that has been approved by the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) Deputy Director. As background, the Plan is required under Condition 23 of the SWRCB Water Quality Certification Conditions, which are included in the License as Appendix A. Condition 23 requires the Plan be approved by the Deputy Director . In a n email dated December 21 , 2023 , PG&E requested approval of the Plan from the Deputy Director of the SWRCB. On March 27 , 2024 , the SWRCB Deputy Director provided PG&E with approval of the Plan . Enclosure 2 includes a record of this approval. If conditional allow, PG&E plans to dewater the plunge pool starting June 1, 2024 to support construction . PG&E respectfully requests review and approval of this Dewatering and Diversions Plan no later than May 10, 2024. For questions, please contact Jamie Visinoni, senior license coordinator for PG&E, at (530) 215-6676. Sincerely, Matthew Joseph Supervisor, Hydro License Compliance Enclosures : 1. Dewatering and Diversion Plan, Lower Bucks Spillway , prepared by PG&E and dated December 2023 - CUI//CEII – DO NOT RELEASE 2. SWRCB Approval cc: See Attached List Document Accession #: 20240328-5029 Filed Date: 03/28/2024 Debbie-Anne Reese , Acting Secretary March 27, 2024 Page 2 cc: via email w/enclosures Erik Ekdahl (SWRCB) – erik.ekdahl@waterboards.ca.gov Bryan Muro (SWRCB) – Bryan.muro@Waterboards.ca.gov Parker Thaler (SWRCB) – Parker.thaler @waterboards.ca.gov Document Accession #: 20240328-5029 Filed Date: 03/28/2024 ENCLOSURE 2 Document Accession #: 20240328-5029 Filed Date: 03/28/2024 State Water Resources Control Board March 27, 2024 Ms. Jamie Visinoni Hydro License Coordinator Pacific Gas and Electricity Company 77 Beale Street San Francisco, CA 94105 Sent via Email: JNVS@pge.com Bucks Creek Hydroelectric Project Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Project No. 619 Plumas County Bucks Creek, Grizzly Creek, Milk Ranch Creek, and Tributaries to Milk Ranch Creek CONDITIONAL APPROVAL OF LOWER BUCKS DAM SPILLWAY REHABILITATION PROJECT WATER MANAGEMENT PLAN Dear Ms. Visinoni: On December 21, 2023, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) submitted the Lower Bucks Dam Spillway Rehabilitation Project Water Management Plan (Plan) for review and approval by the State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board) Deputy Director of the Division of Water Rights (Deputy Director). The Deputy Director approved the original plan for the first year (2023) of the Lower Bucks Dam Spillway Rehabilitation Project (Spillway Project) on August 22, 2023. The updated Plan describes how PG&E will manage water during the second and third year (planned for 2024 and 2025) of the Spillway Project. The updated Plan also describes how PG&E will relocate fish during dewatering of the plunge pool and how it will stabilize the Spillway Project area after completion of construction. PG&E’s Plan is requested per Condition 23: Dewatering of the Bucks Creek Hydroelectric Project (Hydroelectric Project) water quality certification (certification).0F 1 Background Lower Bucks Lake is owned and operated by PG&E as part of the Hydroelectric Project. Lower Bucks Lake is located on Bucks Creek in Plumas County on lands managed by Plumas National Forest and PG&E. Lower Bucks Lake is impounded by Bucks Diversion Dam (Lower Bucks Dam) and serves as the forebay to Grizzly Powerhouse. 1 The State Water Board Executive Director issued the Hydroelectric Project certification on October 22, 2020. Document Accession #: 20240328-5029 Filed Date: 03/28/2024 Ms. Jamie Visinoni - 2 - March 27, 2024 Lower Bucks Dam is a concrete arch dam approximately 99-feet-high and 500-feet-long with two ungated spillways: (1) the service spillway; and (2) an emergency spillway. The service spillway is located on the left dam abutment and discharges to Bucks Creek approximately 100 feet downstream of Lower Bucks Dam. The emergency spillway consists of five 20-foot-wide overpour bays located at the center of the dam. The Spillway Project involves rehabilitation of the service spillway. PG&E is implementing the Spillway Project to address recommendations from a 2020 dam safety inspection that found severe spalling and surface delamination of concrete at the service spillway. Minimum instream flows (MIFs) below Lower Bucks Dam are primarily met through releases at Lower Bucks Dam’s low-level outlet (LLO), which discharges into a plunge pool at the base of the service spillway. MIFs below Lower Bucks Dam are established in the Hydroelectric Project certification, which was incorporated into the license issued by Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) on June 16, 2022.1F 2 No changes to MIFs are proposed as part of the Spillway Project. MIFs required below Lower Bucks Dam, per Condition 1 (Table 2) of the certification, are as follows: Table 2. Bucks Creek Minimum Instream Flow Requirements below Lower Bucks Lake by Water Year Type (in cubic feet per second), as measured at USGS [United States Geologic Survey] Gage No. 11403530 (also referred to as Project ID NF82) Water Year Type Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Critically Dry 6 4 4 4 6 7 7 7 6 6 6 6 Dry 6 5 5 5 6 8 8 8 8 6 6 6 Normal 6 6 6 6 8 12 12 12 9 8 8 7 Wet 8 8 8 8 10 15 15 15 11 10 8 8 Condition 13: Streamflow and Reservoir Level Gaging of the certification establishes MIF gage compliance locations. For Bucks Creek below Lower Bucks Dam, Condition 13 establishes the NF82 gage as the MIF compliance location. The NF82 gage is located at the Lower Bucks Dam LLO. For the Spillway Project, PG&E has constructed a temporary bypass water system to redirect MIFs at the LLO outside of the work area, to approximately 150 feet downstream of Lower Bucks Dam. Accordingly, the NF82 gage will not correctly measure flow released from the Lower Bucks Dam LLO. In the August 22, 2023 approval letter for the first year of construction of the Spillway Project, the Deputy Director approved PG&E’s request to modify its MIF compliance point during the Spillway Project from NF82 to NF118. Pre-construction site development took place in 2023, which included the initial dewatering of the plunge pool and installation of a temporary bypass water system at the LLO. PG&E will also dewater the plunge pool at the start of the 2024 and 2025 2 Per Ordering Paragraph D of the new FERC license for the Hydroelectric Project, the license is subject to the conditions submitted by the State Water Board under section 401(a)(1) of the Clean Water Act, 33 U.S.C. § 1341(a)(1). Document Accession #: 20240328-5029 Filed Date: 03/28/2024 Ms. Jamie Visinoni - 3 - March 27, 2024 work seasons and as needed throughout Spillway Project activities to maintain dewatered conditions necessary to perform the project. Work in 2024 and 2025 includes rehabilitation of the service spillway to repair concrete spalling and delamination. As part of this work, in 2024, PG&E will install debris barriers around the dewatered plunge pool to prevent debris from entering the plunge pool. The Plan notes that no concrete work will occur in or around the spillway plunge pool as part of the Spillway Project. In an email dated July 13, 2023, PG&E states the Spillway Project does not require a United States Army Corp of Engineers Clean Water Act Section 404 permit or FERC license amendment action. Conditional Approval: State Water Board staff reviewed PG&E’s Plan as submitted on December 21, 2023. The Plan is hereby approved with the following modifications: • Water Management Plan: This approval is for the work proposed for the second and third year of the Spillway Project (planned for 2024 and 2025 construction seasons). PG&E shall notify the Hydroelectric Project Manager of the construction start date for each season no less than 60 days prior to the anticipated start day for the season. PG&E shall notify the Hydroelectric Project Manager of the completion of construction for each season no later than 30 days following completion of construction of the Spillway Project for the season. • Fish Rescue Report: If any fish become stranded during dewatering activities, PG&E shall relocate the fish to a suitable location downstream of the Spillway Project area. If fish relocation is required, PG&E shall submit a Fish Relocation Report to the State Water Board, United States Fish and Wildlife Service, United States Forest Service, and California Department of Fish and Wildlife within 30 days of concluding Spillway Project work for each construction season (planned for 2024 and 2025). The Fish Relocation Report shall include at a minimum: o Location and date of capture for each fish; o Fish species, life stage, fork length, and weight for each fish; o Location of relocation as depicted on a map that includes the Spillway Project area; o Total number of fish captured and relocated; and o The number of and related information above for any deceased fish. • Water Quality Monitoring: As proposed by PG&E in its July 13, 2023 email and Plan, during dewatering of the plunge pool PG&E shall monitor turbidity at: (1) the LLO temporary bypass release point; and (2) approximately 300 feet downstream of the LLO temporary bypass release point. The Deputy Director and the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board Executive Officer shall be notified promptly, and in no case more than 24 hours following a turbidity exceedance of a Water Quality Control Plan for the Sacramento River Basin and the San Joaquin River Basin (SR/SJR Basin Plan) turbidity water quality objective. Regardless of when such notification occurs, activities associated with the SR/SJR Basin Plan exceedance shall cease immediately upon detection of the exceedance. Work activities may resume after any appropriate corrective actions have been implemented, water quality meets the applicable SR/SJR Basin Plan water quality objective(s), and the Deputy Director has provided Document Accession #: 20240328-5029 Filed Date: 03/28/2024 Ms. Jamie Visinoni - 4 - March 27, 2024 approval to proceed. Within 60 days of concluding Spillway Project work for each construction work season (planned for 2024 and 2025), PG&E shall submit a Water Quality Monitoring Report to the Hydroelectric Project Manager. The Water Quality Monitoring Report shall include at a minimum: o Turbidity levels measured in Nephelometric Turbidity Units (NTUs) for all monitoring locations, as well as the applicable water quality objective from the SR/SJR Basin Plan; o If applicable, a description of best management practices implemented to ensure turbidity levels remained in compliance with SR/SJR Basin Plan water quality objectives; and o A summary of any exceedances and any corrective actions taken to address the exceedance(s). If you have questions regarding this letter, please contact Bryan Muro, Hydroelectric Project Manager, by email to: Bryan.Muro@waterboards.ca.gov or by phone call to: (916) 327-8702. Written correspondence should be mailed to: State Water Resources Control Board Division of Water Rights – Water Quality Certification Program Attn: Bryan Muro P.O. Box 2000 Sacramento, CA 95812-2000. Sincerely, Erik Ekdahl, Deputy Director Division of Water Rights ec: Debbie-Ann Reese, Acting Secretary Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Via e-filing to FERC Project Docket Steve Hance, Division Manager City of Santa Clara SHance@SantaClaraca.gov Leigh Bartoo, Fish and Wildlife Biologist United States Fish and Wildlife Service aondrea_bartoo@fws.gov Leslie Edlund, Public Service Staff Officer United States Department of Agriculture leslie.edlund@usda.gov Erika Brenzovich, Recreation and Land Program Manager United States Forest Service ebrenzovich@usda.gov Document Accession #: 20240328-5029 Filed Date: 03/28/2024 Ms. Jamie Visinoni - 5 - March 27, 2024 Michael Maher, Senior Environmental Scientist California Department of Fish and Wildlife michael.maher@wildlife.ca.gov Amber Mouser, Environmental Scientist California Department of Fish and Wildlife Amber.Mouser@wildlife.ca.gov Jason Julienne, Senior Environmental Scientist California Department of Fish and Wildlife Jason.Julienne@wildlife.ca.gov Patrick Pulupa, Executive Officer Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board Patrick.Pulupa@waterboards.ca.gov Larry Wise Jr., Senior Aquatic Biologist Pacific Gas and Electric Company LMWO@pge.com Holly Tarr, Hydro License Coordinator Pacific Gas and Electric Company H1TC@pge.com Tony Gigliotti, Senior Licensing Project Manager Pacific Gas and Electric Company T1GF@pge.com Document Accession #: 20240328-5029 Filed Date: 03/28/2024 Document Content(s) PGE20240327_619_Lower_Bucks_Dewater_Plan_P1_Ltr.pdf ......................1PGE20240327_619_Lower_Bucks_Dewater_Plan_P1_Enc2.pdf ......................3Document Accession #: 20240328-5029 Filed Date: 03/28/2024