BURNS~ £DONNELL~ Application to the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission for Facility Permits Sweetland Wind Farm, LLC Sweetland Wind Farm Project Burns & McDonnell Project No. 103828 Final 3/6/2019 Application to the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission for Facility Permits Sweetland Wind Farm, LLC Sweetland Wind Farm Project Hand County, South Dakota Burns & McDonnell Project No. 103828 Final 3/6/2019 prepared by Burns & McDonnell Engineering Company, Inc. Centennial, Colorado COPYRIGHT © 2019 BURNS & McDONNELL ENGINEERING COMPANY, INC. Application for Facility Permit Table of Contents TABLE OF CONTENTS Page No. COMPLETENESS CHECKLIST 1.0 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................... 1-1 2.0 PROJECT DEVELOPMENT SUMMARY .......................................................... 2-1 2.1 Community Outreach and Land Acquisition ....................................................... 2-1 2.2 Summary of Agency Coordination ...................................................................... 2-2 2.3 County Permitting ................................................................................................ 2-3 2.4 Purchase and Off-take Agreements ..................................................................... 2-3 2.5 Environmental Analysis ....................................................................................... 2-3 2.6 Project Design ...................................................................................................... 2-4 3.0 FACILITY PERMIT APPLICATION ................................................................... 3-1 3.1 Relationship to NEPA .......................................................................................... 3-1 3.2 Summary of Potential Impacts ............................................................................. 3-1 4.0 NAMES OF PARTICIPANTS (ARSD 20:10:22:06) .......................................... 4-1 5.0 NAME OF OWNER AND MANAGER (ARSD 20:10:22:07) ............................. 5-1 6.0 PURPOSE OF, AND DEMAND FOR, THE WIND ENERGY FACILITY (ARSD 20:10:22:08, 20:10:22:10) .................................................................... 6-1 6.1 Renewable Power Demand .................................................................................. 6-1 6.2 Wind Resources Areas ......................................................................................... 6-3 6.3 Consequences of Delay ........................................................................................ 6-5 7.0 ESTIMATED COST OF THE PROJECT (ARSD 20:10:22:09) ......................... 7-1 8.0 GENERAL SITE AND PROJECT COMPONENT DESCRIPTION (ARSD 20:10:22:11, 20:10:22:33:02, 20:10:22:34) ...................................................... 8-1 8.1 Site Location and Overview................................................................................. 8-1 8.2 Wind Farm Facility .............................................................................................. 8-1 8.2.1 Turbines ................................................................................................ 8-3 8.2.2 Access Roads and Crane Paths ............................................................. 8-5 8.2.3 O&M Facility ........................................................................................ 8-5 8.2.4 Meteorological Towers ......................................................................... 8-6 8.2.5 Project Electrical System ...................................................................... 8-6 8.2.6 Switchyard ............................................................................................ 8-8 8.2.7 Construction and Operations................................................................. 8-9 Sweetland Wind Farm, LLC TOC-1 Burns & McDonnell Application for Facility Permit Table of Contents 8.3 Transmission Facility ......................................................................................... 8-10 8.3.1 Transmission Right-of-Way................................................................ 8-10 8.3.2 Configuration of Pole and Conductors ............................................... 8-12 8.3.3 Construction and Operations............................................................... 8-13 8.4 Temporary Laydown Yard ................................................................................. 8-16 9.0 ALTERNATE SITES AND SITING CRITERIA (ARSD 20:10:22:12) ................ 9-1 9.1 General Project Location Selection ..................................................................... 9-1 9.2 Site Configuration Alternatives ........................................................................... 9-2 9.3 Lack of Reliance on Eminent Domain Powers .................................................... 9-4 10.0 ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION (ARSD 20:10:22:13) ............................. 10-1 11.0 EFFECT ON PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT (ARSD 20:10:22:14) .................... 11-1 11.1 Geological Resources......................................................................................... 11-1 11.1.1 Existing Geological Resources ........................................................... 11-1 11.1.2 Geological Resources Impacts/Avoidance & Mitigation Measures ... 11-3 11.2 Soil Resources .................................................................................................... 11-4 11.2.1 Existing Soil Resources ...................................................................... 11-4 11.2.2 Soil Resources Impacts/Avoidance & Mitigation Measures .............. 11-8 12.0 EFFECT ON HYDROLOGY (ARSD 20:10:22:14, 20:10:22:15) ..................... 12-1 12.1 Groundwater Resources ..................................................................................... 12-1 12.1.1 Existing Groundwater Resources ........................................................ 12-1 12.1.2 Groundwater Resources Impacts/Avoidance & Mitigation Measures ............................................................................................. 12-2 12.2 Surface Water Resources ................................................................................... 12-3 12.2.1 Existing Surface Water Resources ...................................................... 12-3 12.2.2 Surface Water Resources Impacts/Avoidance & Mitigation Measures ............................................................................................. 12-4 12.3 Current and Planned Water Uses ....................................................................... 12-6 12.3.1 Current or Planned Water Use ............................................................ 12-6 12.3.2 Current or Planned Water Use Impacts/Avoidance & Mitigation Measures ............................................................................................. 12-6 13.0 EFFECT ON TERRESTRIAL ECOSYSTEMS (ARSD 20:10:22:16) .............. 13-1 13.1 Vegetation .......................................................................................................... 13-1 13.1.1 Existing Vegetation ............................................................................. 13-1 13.1.2 Vegetation Impacts/Avoidance & Mitigation Measures..................... 13-3 13.2 Wildlife .............................................................................................................. 13-5 13.2.1 Existing Wildlife ................................................................................. 13-5 13.2.2 Wildlife Impacts/Avoidance & Mitigation Measures ....................... 13-13 13.3 Wetlands and Waterbodies .............................................................................. 13-18 13.3.1 Existing Wetlands and Waterbodies ................................................. 13-18 Sweetland Wind Farm, LLC TOC-2 Burns & McDonnell Application for Facility Permit Table of Contents 13.3.2 Wetland and Waterbody Impacts/Avoidance & Mitigation Measures ........................................................................................... 13-19 14.0 EFFECT ON AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS (ARSD 20:10:22:17) ....................... 14-1 14.1 Existing Aquatic Ecosystems ............................................................................. 14-1 14.2 Aquatic Ecosystems Impacts/Avoidance & Mitigation Measures..................... 14-1 14.2.1 Wind Farm .......................................................................................... 14-1 14.2.2 Transmission Facility .......................................................................... 14-2 15.0 LAND USE (ARSD 20:10:22:18) .................................................................... 15-1 15.1 Land Use ............................................................................................................ 15-1 15.1.1 Existing Land Use ............................................................................... 15-1 15.1.2 Land Use Impacts/Avoidance & Mitigation Measures ....................... 15-2 15.2 Public Lands and Facilities ................................................................................ 15-4 15.2.1 Existing Public Lands and Facilities ................................................... 15-4 15.2.2 Public Lands and Facilities Impacts/Avoidance & Mitigation Measures ............................................................................................. 15-5 15.3 Sound ................................................................................................................. 15-5 15.3.1 Existing Sound ...................................................................................