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Home My WebLink About03.11.26 Board Correspondence - FW_ General Correspondence issued in FERC P-2088-085From:Clerk of the Board To:Clerk of the Board; Connelly, Bill; Cook, Holly; Cook, Robin; Durfee, Peter; Jessee, Meegan; Kimmelshue, Tod; Kitts, Melissa; Krater, Sharleen; Lee, Lewis; Little, Melissa; Pickett, Andy; Ritter, Tami; Stephens, Brad J.; Sweeney, Kathleen; Teeter, Doug; Zepeda, Elizabeth Cc:Loeser, Kamie; Cannon, Jamie Subject:Board Correspondence - FW: General Correspondence issued in FERC P-2088-085 Date:Wednesday, March 11, 2026 2:32:40 PM Please see Board Correspondence - -----Original Message----- From: 'FERC eSubscription' <eSubscription@ferc.gov> Sent: Wednesday, March 11, 2026 8:16 AM Subject: General Correspondence issued in FERC P-2088-085 .ATTENTION: This message originated from outside Butte County. Please exercise judgment before opening attachments, clicking on links, or replying.. On 3/11/2026, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), Washington D.C., issued this document: Docket(s): P-2088-085 Lead Applicant: South Feather Water & Power Agency Filing Type: General Correspondence Description: Letter to South Feather Water and Power Agency discussing the 08/05/2025 comment received about project operations affecting the private property on the Grass Valley Reservoir, upstream of the South Feather Power Project under P-2088. 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Comments and Suggestions can be sent to this email address: mailto:FERCOnlineSupport@Ferc.gov FEDERAL ENERGY REGULATORY COMMISSION Washington, D. C. 20426 OFFICE OF ENERGY PROJECTS Project No. 2088-085 – California South Feather Power Project South Feather Water and Power Agency March 11, 2026 VIA FERC Service Rath Moseley General Manager South Feather Water and Power Agency 2310 Oro Quincy Highway Oroville, CA 95966 Subject: Project Non-Compliance Investigation Dear Rath Moseley: This letter is regarding a comment we received about project operations affecting the private property on the Grass Valley Reservoir, upstream of the South Feather Power Project No. 2088.1 In a comment by Dominic Dominguez filed with the Commission on August 5, 2025,2 Mr. Dominguez alleges that the reservoir water elevation rapidly dropped in late July of 2025, and that the affected property owners were not given advanced notice of the drawdown as they were in past years. As discussed in more detail below, we find you to be in compliance with your license. Summary of the Allegation Mr. Dominguez’s August 5, 2025 filing expresses concerns with the project that he states occurred in both 2024 and 2025. The concerns are related to a rapid drop in water reservoir elevation on the Grass Valley Reservoir in late July 2025, and that property owners around the Grass Valley Reservoir were not notified of the drop. Mr. Dominguez states that the water elevation of the reservoir at his property dropped by nine feet. Mr. Dominguez also describes the effects on the people that live near the project and how they were scrambling to push their docks and boats out to prevent 1 Oroville-Wyandotte Irrigation District, 11 F.P.C. ¶ 1129 (1952). 2 See FERC Accession Number: 20250805-5001. Document Accession #: 20260311-3014 Filed Date: 03/11/2026 Project No. 2088-085 - 2 - damage from occurring. Furthermore, Mr. Dominguez states that the affected property owners were not given advanced notice of the drawdown as they were in past years, and that a similar event occurred the prior year (2024), which resulted in several property owners contacting you to request advanced notice of reservoir drawdown events. Mr. Dominguez concludes his letter by asking why property owners around Grass Valley Reservoir no longer receive advance notification of drawdowns. License Requirements and Background Article 30 of the license, in part, requires you to regulate the releases from the Grass Valley Reservoir so that such releases will be at as uniform a rate as practicable. During the fishing season, as prescribed from time to time by the California State Department of Fish and Game, the releases shall not be increased or decreased by more than 20 cubic feet per second (cfs) during any successive hour. During flood periods releases from the reservoirs shall be limited to an amount not greater than the inflows. Article 31, in part, requires you to maintain a minimum pool of 500 acre-feet at the Grass Valley Reservoir. Article 32, in part, requires you to make every effort to maintain the water surface of the reservoir at the maximum elevation and with a minimum fluctuation from June 15 to September 15 of each year as is consistent with the primary purpose of the reservoir. You provided annual notifications of planned, non- emergency drawdowns of project facilities for the purpose of conducting annual maintenance.3 4 Data and Additional Information Request As a result of the non-compliance allegation filed on August 5, 2025, we sent a letter on December 16, 2025,5 requiring information and data on your operation of the project for the time period of May 1, 2025, through August 5, 2025, for the Grass Valley Reservoir. Specifically, our letter requested: (1) All measured operations data (i.e., reservoir level and outgoing flow) in the smallest time increment available, including release levels, and flow; and (2) Operations data included a description of the method and/or equipment used to measure each type of operations data. Your response was to demonstrate your compliance with the requirements of your license or indicate any periods when you did not comply with the operational requirements of your license. We requested a response by January 30, 2026. 3 18 C.F.R. §12.4(b). 4 See FERC Accession Nos. 20230828-5282 and 20240815-5050. 5 See FERC Accession No. 20251216-3037. Document Accession #: 20260311-3014 Filed Date: 03/11/2026 Project No. 2088-085 - 3 - On February 17, 2026, you filed a response to our December 16, 2025 letter.6 Regarding Mr. Dominguez’s concern of a rapid drop in water surface elevation, leaving the property owners with permanent dock rights to scramble to push docks and pull boats out to prevent damage, you state that water surface elevation fluctuations on the Grass Valley Reservoir are based on the reservoir’s use for its constructed purpose and licensed terms as a hydropower project, as well as for water supply and delivery to downstream users, maintaining satisfactory conditions for fish and wildlife, and recreational benefits. Additionally, you state that you work daily to respond to climatic changes to balance dam safety with the intended uses of the reservoir but recognize that you can improve communications with the permanent community residing around the reservoir. You provided Microsoft Excel data files showing elevation and flow data recordings from May 1, 2025, through August 5, 2025, for the Grass Valley Reservoir. You provided graphs to visualize the data, as well as raw data files to allow for a more comprehensive review. Additionally, you provided a topographic map of reservoir elevations, including the upper and lower operating thresholds. Regarding the complaint that you did not include Grass Valley Reservoir in your annual notification of scheduled maintenance; you acknowledge this but state that your annual notifications are specific to penstock dewatering associated with the maintenance of each of the four powerhouses in the South Feather Power Project. Additionally, you acknowledge that any unscheduled rapid drawdown of impounded water poses a major compromise of dam safety, and that you are obligated to report such events to the Commission immediately. You state that you will continue to operate the South Feather Power Project in a safe and compliant manner. Review and Conclusion Based on our review of the license, the project record, and the information that you provided, you complied with the requirements of the license. In addition, you provided adequate information to demonstrate your compliance with the license and to address the other allegations referenced in this letter. The Grass Valley Reservoir gradually dropped from 5,040.07 feet on July 21, 2025, to 5,036.04 feet on July 31, 2025. You stated that you maintain the reservoir elevation at or below 5,034 feet by September 30 to hold the radial spillway gates in the fully open position between October 1 and March 15, and that the December 31 carryover storage target for the Little Grass Valley Reservoir is 5,013.9 feet. You maintained compliance pursuant to Article 32 by gradually reducing the reservoir elevation to reach reservoir elevation goals. You maintained compliance pursuant to Articles 30 and 31 by maintaining uniform flows and 6 See FERC Accession No. 20260217-5285. Document Accession #: 20260311-3014 Filed Date: 03/11/2026 Project No. 2088-085 - 4 - a minimum pool of 500 acre-feet, respectively. There are no license requirements pertaining to notification of the public prior to gradual drawdowns. The topography map you filed shows a property with a shoreline near a wash. Shorelines near washes are more prone to receding quickly during reservoir drawdowns, due to having less steep slope gradients relative to other regions of shoreline.7 You also have demonstrated that the methods and systems you are using to ensure compliance are adequate and sufficiently demonstrated due diligence to address all allegations made, including environmental effects resulting from project operations. You recognize that you can improve communications with the permanent community residing around the reservoir. We encourage you to notify potentially affected landowners prior to drawing the reservoir down when practicable. Our December 16, 2026 letter required you to file additional information within 45 days of the request, or by January 30, 2026; however, you did not file until February 17, 2026. You explained during a phone call on February 9, 2026, that there was confusion regarding whether this meant 45 business days or 45 calendar days. Commission staff may consider future untimely filings as violations of the license. Thank you for your cooperation, and if you have any questions, please contact Mark Mattozzi at (202) 502-8087 or Mark.Mattozzi@ferc.gov. Sincerely, Kelly Houff Chief, Engineering Resources Branch Division of Hydropower Administration and Compliance CC: VIA FERC Service Dominic Dominguez 2826 Little Grass Valley Rd P.O. Box 333 La Porte, CA 95930 7 A wash is a narrow, dry bed of an intermittent stream, shaped by erosion and runoff, often found at the bottom of a canyon or drainage area. Document Accession #: 20260311-3014 Filed Date: 03/11/2026 Document Content(s) P-2088-085 MM.pdf.........................................................1 Document Accession #: 20260311-3014 Filed Date: 03/11/2026