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Submission of Indicated New York Transmission Owners for Authority to Construct and Operate Electric Transmission Facilities in Multiple Counties in New York

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Submission of Indicated New York Transmission Owners for Authority to Construct and Operate Electric Transmission Facilities in Multiple Counties in New York Submission of Indicated New York Transmission Owners For Authority to Construct and Operate Electric Transmission Facilities in Multiple Counties in New York Case 13-M-0457 Additional Environmental and Cost Information Edic to New Scotland 345 kV Transmission Line and Knickerbocker to Pleasant Valley 345 kV Transmission Line Project (ED-NS/KB-PV) Additional Environmental and Cost Information ED-NS/KB-PV This page intentionally left blank. Additional Environmental and Cost Information ED-NS/KB-PV EDIC TO NEW SCOTLAND 345 KV TRANSMISSION LINE AND KNICKERBOCKER TO PLEASANT VALLEY 345 KV TRANSMISSION LINE PROJECT (ED-NS/KB-PV) TABLE OF CONTENTS Section Page 1.0 Additional Environmental Information 1.1 Land Cover and Land Use 1 1.1.1 Land Cover Type Categories 1 1.1.2 Land Use Categories 5 1.1.3 Agricultural Lands 7 1.1.4 Residential Areas 11 1.1.5 Population Densities 16 1.2 Natural and Ecosystem Resources 17 1.2.1 Wetlands 17 1.2.2 Rivers and Streams 32 1.2.3 Significant Coastal Habitats & Significant Natural Ecological Communities 37 1.2.4 Rare, Threatened or Endangered Species Habitats 37 1.3 Cultural Resources 43 1.3.1 Archeological and Historic Properties and Historic Districts Listed on the NRHP and Archeological and Historic Properties Pre-determined Eligible for Listing on the NRHP 43 1.3.2 Assessment of Project Visual Impact on NRHP Listed and Pre-determined Eligible Properties 45 i Additional Environmental and Cost Information ED-NS/KB-PV 1.4 Visual Resources 79 1.4.1 Facility Locations with Visual Resources Within Three Miles or Scenic Areas of Statewide Significance (SASS) Within Five Miles 79 1.5 Sound Environment and Noise Assessment 95 1.5.1 Preliminary Assessment of the Existing Sound Environment 96 1.5.2 Noise Producing Equipment Proposed for the Project 103 1.5.3 Potential for Noise Producing Equipment to Increase Existing Residual Ambient Sound Levels 104 1.5.4 Local Laws, Noise Ordinances or Regulations Applicable to Noise Levels 107 1.5.5 Preliminary Assessment of Potential Annoyance or Community Noise Response Associated with Design Goals and/or Expected Noise Levels and Design Goals for Criteria for Minimizing Adverse Environmental Noise Impacts on Identified Noise Sensitive Receptor Locations 108 1.6 Storm Resiliency and Climate Change 110 1.6.1 Narrative Description of Major Flood Hazard Areas 111 2.0 Additional Cost Information 2.1 Project Total Cost 117 2.1.1 Development of the Project Estimated Cost 117 2.2 Transmission Line Costs 118 2.2.1 Methodology 118 2.2.2 Segmented Line Costs 118 2.3 Station Costs 118 2.3.1 Edic 345 kV Substation 118 2.3.2 New Scotland 345 kV Substation 119 ii Additional Environmental and Cost Information ED-NS/KB-PV 2.3.3 Rotterdam 345 kV Substation 119 2.3.4 Knickerbocker 345 kV Switching Station 120 2.3.5 Churchtown 115 kV Switching Station 120 2.3.6 Pleasant Valley 345 kV Substation 121 2.4 Basis of Estimate 121 2.4.1 Confidence Level of Estimate 121 2.4.2 Pricing Assumptions & Qualifications: Project Summary 121 2.4.3 Pricing Assumptions & Qualifications: Transmission Lines 122 2.4.4 Pricing Assumptions & Qualifications: Stations 123 **** iii Additional Environmental and Cost Information ED-NS/KB-PV LIST OF TABLES Description Table 1.1-1: Distance and Acreage of Land Cover Types Table 1.1-2: Real Property Classifications Codes (NYSORPS) Table 1.1-3: Distance and Acreage of Agricultural Lands Table 1.1-4: Structures within Agricultural Lands Table 1.1-5: Existing Residences Within 500 Feet of the Project Facilities Table 1.2-1 NWI-Mapped Wetlands Crossed and Anticipated Temporary Impacts Table 1.2-2: Anticipated Structures Within NWI-Mapped Wetland Boundaries and Structure-Related Impacts Table 1.2-3: NYSDEC-Mapped Wetlands Crossed and Anticipated Temporary Impacts Table 1.2-4: Anticipated Structures Within NYSDEC-Mapped Wetland Boundaries and Structure- Related Impacts Table 1.2-5: NYSDEC-Regulated Stream Crossings by the Project ROWs Table 1.2-6: Locations and Habitats for Listed State and Federal Plants and Animals Table 1.3-1: NRHP-Listed Properties Crossed By or in Proximity to the Project ROWs Table 1.3.2: Historic Properties Pre-Determined as Eligible for Listing on the NRHP Table 1.3-3: Archeological Properties Pre-Determined as Eligible for Listing on NRHP Table 1.4-1: Visual Resources Within Three Miles of the Project ROW and Projected Visibility Table 1.5-1: Far-Field Sound-Level Measurements: Rotterdam Substation Table 1.5-2: Far-Field Sound-Level Measurements: Knickerbocker Switching Station Table 1.5-3: Far-Field Sound-Level Measurements: Churchtown Switching Station Table 1.5-4: Predicted Sound Pressure Levels: Rotterdam Substation Table 1.5-5: Predicted Sound Pressure Levels: Knickerbocker Switching Station Table 1.5-6: Predicted Sound Pressure Levels: Churchtown Switching Station Table 1.6-1: River and Stream Flood Hazard Areas Crossed **** iv Additional Environmental and Cost Information ED-NS/KB-PV LIST OF FIGURES Description Figure 1.1-1: Population Density by Municipality Figure 1.4-1: Preliminary Viewshed Area Based on Assumed Structure Heights and Screening by Vegetation: Edic to New Scotland (Maps 1-14) Figure 1.4-2: Preliminary Viewshed Area Based on Assumed Structure Heights and Screening by Vegetation: Knickerbocker to Pleasant Valley (Maps 1-7) Figure 1.4-3: Edic to New Scotland Simulation Locations Figure 1.4-4: Knickerbocker to Pleasant Valley Simulation Locations Figure 1.4-5: Photosimulations Figure 1.5-1: Rotterdam Substation Sound Measurement Locations Figure 1.5-2: Knickerbocker Switching Station Sound Measurement Locations Figure 1.5-3: Churchtown Switching Station Sound Measurement Locations **** LIST OF EXHIBITS Description Exhibit 2.1: ED-NS/KB-PV Project Summary Estimate **** v Additional Environmental and Cost Information ED-NS/KB-PV This page intentionally left blank. vi Additional Environmental and Cost Information ED-NS/KB-PV ADDITIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION 1.0 Additional Environmental Information The Additional Environmental Information provided herein is based wholly or predominantly on desktop review and thus should be considered preliminary pending further review in the field. For purposes of the land cover and land use information provided herein, the “affected ROW” is defined as the existing Edic to New Scotland (“ED-NS”), Knickerbocker to Churchtown (“KB-CT”), and Churchtown to Pleasant Valley (“CT-PV”) ROW corridors, which vary in width along their approximately 145.7 mile total length. 1.1 Land Cover and Land Use 1.1.1 Land Cover Type Categories Table 1.1-1 lists land cover type classifications based on United States Geological Survey (“USGS”) National Land Cover Database 2011 (“NLCD 2011”) mapping for the Edic to New Scotland and Knickerbocker to Pleasant Valley Project (“ED-NS/KB-PV” or the “Project”). This mapping, based on Landsat satellite data, categorizes land into 16 land cover types at a spatial resolution of 30 meters. Per the Multi-Resolution Land Characteristics Consortium website, “NLCD products are intended for use in identifying regional landscape patterns and major functional habitats. NLCD is a national and regional dataset that should only be used as a screening tool for state, local or site-specific analysis or management decisions.”1 Therefore, some data contained within Table 1.1-1 (e.g. deciduous forest within Project rights-of-way (“ROW”)) may indicate slight deviations from data that would be obtained through a higher-resolution dataset or field survey. The Project is proposed to be constructed entirely within existing ROW. Therefore, the Project ROW has been subject to long-term removal of tall-growing tree species in accordance with National Grid’s ROW Management Program and associated vegetation management efforts. The distances of identified land cover type classifications crossed by the ROW are expressed in miles and areas of land cover types included in the Project ROW and included within 500 feet of Project ROW limits are expressed in acres. Data is reported for the ED-NS/KB-PV Project as a whole and also for its segments (Edic to New Scotland, Knickerbocker to Churchtown, and Churchtown to Pleasant Valley). 1 http://www.mrlc.gov 1 Additional Environmental Information ED-NS/KB-PV The land cover type classification along the Project ROW with the largest total distance crossed is Pasture / Hay (50.81 miles). The land cover type with the largest area within the Project ROW is Pasture / Hay (1,310.3 acres). The largest land cover type within 500 feet of Project ROW is Deciduous Forest (5,459.6 acres). 2 Additional Environmental Information ED-NS/KB-PV Table 1.1-1: Distance and Acreage of Land Cover Types Project Segment Project Total Edic to New Scotland (ES-NS) Knickerbocker to Churchtown (KB-CT) Churchtown to Pleasant Valley (CT-PV) Land Cover Type (NLCD 2011) Area Within 500 Area Within 500 Area Within 500 Area Within 500 Distance Area in Affected Distance Area in Affected Distance Area in Affected Distance Area in Affected feet of ROW feet of ROW feet of ROW feet of ROW Crossed (miles) ROW (acres) Crossed (miles) ROW (acres) Crossed (miles) ROW (acres) Crossed (miles) ROW (acres) (acres) (acres) (acres) (acres) Open Water (11) 0.14 4.5 37.8 0.05 0.5 4.0 0.07 0.5 25.0 0.26 5.5 66.8 Developed Open Space (21) 3.29 115.0 478.4 0.32 5.8 39.9 0.76 17.1 136.5 4.37 138.0 654.9 Low Intensity (22) 0.65 36.6 124.4 0.46 7.9 49.7 0.32 8.7 61.9 1.43 53.2 236.0 Medium Intensity (23) 0.08 18.5 41.0 0.03 0.0 12.4 0.05 2.3 26.7 0.17 20.9 80.1 High Intensity (24) 0.01 12.9 5.0 0.00 0.0 5.8 0.00 9.2
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