Document ID: FERC-2023-1659-0001
Agency: ferc
Document Type: Notice
Title: Reservoir Drawdown and Operations Plant Amendment: Santa Clara Valley Water District
Posted Date: 2023-12-22T05:00Z

[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 245 (Friday, December 22, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 88605-88606]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-28260]

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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No. 5737-031]

Santa Clara Valley Water District; Notice of Reservoir Drawdown 
and Operations Plan Amendment Accepted for Filing and Soliciting 
Comments, Motions To Intervene, and Protests

    Take notice that the following hydroelectric plan has been filed 
with the Commission and is available for public inspection:
    a. Filing Type: Amendment to Reservoir Drawdown and Operations 
Plan.
    b. Project No: 5737-031.
    c. Date Filed: September 14, 2023; supplemented November 2, 2023.
    d. Applicant: Santa Clara Valley Water District.
    e. Name of Project: Anderson Dam Hydroelectric Project.
    f. Location: The project is located on Coyote Creek in Santa Clara 
County, CA.
    g. Filed Pursuant to: Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 
1978, 16 U.S.C. 2705, 2708.
    h. Applicant Contact: Ryan McCarter, (408) 630-2983, 
[email protected].
    i. FERC Contact: Steven Sachs, (202) 502-8666, 
[email protected].
    j. Cooperating agencies: With this notice, the Commission is 
inviting Federal, State, local, and Tribal agencies with jurisdiction 
and/or special expertise with respect to environmental issues affected 
by the proposal, that wish to cooperate in the preparation of any 
environmental document, if applicable, to follow the instructions for 
filing such requests described in item k below. Cooperating agencies 
should note the Commission's policy that agencies that cooperate in the 
preparation of any environmental document cannot also intervene. See 94 
FERC ] 61,076 (2001).
    k. Deadline for filing comments, motions to intervene, and 
protests: January 17, 2024.
    The Commission strongly encourages electronic filing. Please file 
comments, motions to intervene, and protests using the Commission's 
eFiling system at http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/efiling.asp. 
Commenters can submit brief comments up to 6,000 characters, without 
prior registration, using the eComment system at http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/ecomment.asp. You must include your name and contact 
information at the end of your comments. For assistance, please contact 
FERC Online Support at

[[Page 88606]]

[email protected], (866) 208-3676 (toll free), or (202) 502-
8659 (TTY). In lieu of electronic filing, you may submit a paper copy. 
Submissions sent via the U.S. Postal Service must be addressed to: 
Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 
First Street NE, Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426. Submissions sent via 
any other carrier must be addressed to: Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, 
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 12225 Wilkins Avenue, Rockville, 
Maryland 20852. The first page of any filing should include the docket 
number P-5737-031. Comments emailed to Commission staff are not part of 
the Commission record.
    The Commission's Rules of Practice and Procedure require all 
intervenors filing documents with the Commission to serve a copy of 
that document on each person whose name appears on the official service 
list for the project. Further, if an intervenor files comments or 
documents with the Commission relating to the merits of an issue that 
may affect the responsibilities of a particular resource agency, they 
must also serve a copy of the document on that resource agency.
    l. Description of Request: Pursuant to a Commission dam safety 
directive and its approved Reservoir Drawdown and Operations Plan 
(Plan), the applicant has been operating Anderson Reservoir at its 
deadpool elevation, historically identified as a water surface 
elevation of 488 feet North American Vertical Datum of 1988 (NAVD88). 
In its current filings, the applicant states newer surveys indicate the 
deadpool water surface elevation is 490 feet NAVD88 and it wishes to 
revise the Plan to reflect the correct number. The applicant also 
proposes to operate the reservoir at an elevation 2 feet above 
deadpool, i.e., 492 feet NAVD88, to have stored water available for 
prompt releases to protect downstream aquatic habitat in Coyote Creek 
when other water sources are unavailable. Furthermore, when drawing 
down the reservoir back to 492 feet NAVD88 after large rainstorms that 
cause it to rise, the applicant proposes to ramp down releases by 
approximately 25 to 50 percent every 12 hours as the reservoir surface 
declines from elevations 493.5 to 492 feet NAVD88 while consulting with 
the National Marine Fisheries Service to determine the precise 
downramping schedule.
    m. Locations of the revised Plan: This filing may be viewed on the 
Commission's website at http://www.ferc.gov using the ``eLibrary'' 
link. Enter the docket number excluding the last three digits in the 
docket number field to access the document. You may also register 
online at http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/esubscription.asp to be 
notified via email of new filings and issuances related to this or 
other pending projects. For assistance, call 1-866-208-3676 or email 
[email protected], for TTY, call (202) 502-8659.
    n. Individuals desiring to be included on the Commission's mailing 
list should so indicate by writing to the Secretary of the Commission.
    o. Comments, Protests, or Motions to Intervene: Anyone may submit 
comments, a protest, or a motion to intervene in accordance with the 
requirements of Rules of Practice and Procedure, 18 CFR 385.210, .211, 
.214, respectively. In determining the appropriate action to take, the 
Commission will consider all protests or other comments filed, but only 
those who file a motion to intervene in accordance with the 
Commission's Rules may become a party to the proceeding. Any comments, 
protests, or motions to intervene must be received on or before the 
specified comment date for the particular application.
    p. Filing and Service of Documents: Any filing must: (1) bear in 
all capital letters the title ``COMMENTS'', ``PROTEST'', or ``MOTION TO 
INTERVENE'' as applicable; (2) set forth in the heading the name of the 
applicant and the project number of the application to which the filing 
responds; (3) furnish the name, address, and telephone number of the 
person commenting, protesting or intervening; and (4) otherwise comply 
with the requirements of 18 CFR 385.2001 through 385.2005. All 
comments, motions to intervene, or protests must set forth their 
evidentiary basis. Any filing made by an intervenor must be accompanied 
by proof of service on all persons listed in the service list prepared 
by the Commission in this proceeding, in accordance with 18 CFR 
385.2010.
    q. The Commission's Office of Public Participation (OPP) supports 
meaningful public engagement and participation in Commission 
proceedings. OPP can help members of the public, including landowners, 
environmental justice communities, Tribal members and others, access 
publicly available information and navigate Commission processes. For 
public inquiries and assistance with making filings such as 
interventions, comments, or requests for rehearing, the public is 
encouraged to contact OPP at (202) 502-6595 or [email protected].

    Dated: December 18, 2023.
Debbie-Anne A. Reese,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2023-28260 Filed 12-21-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P