Application to the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission for a Facility Permit Wind Quarry Operations, LLC Willow Creek Wind Energy Facility Burns & McDonnell Project No. 84046 May 2015 Application to the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission for a Facility Permit Wind Quarry Operations, LLC Willow Creek Wind Energy Facility Butte County, South Dakota Burns & McDonnell Project No. 84046 May 2015 prepared by Burns & McDonnell Engineering Company, Inc. Denver, Colorado COPYRIGHT © 2015 BURNS & McDONNELL ENGINEERING COMPANY, INC. Application for Facility Permit Table of Contents TABLE OF CONTENTS Page No. 1.0 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................... 1-1 2.0 FACILITY PERMIT APPLICATION ................................................................... 2-1 3.0 COMPLETENESS CHECK ............................................................................... 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 Wind Resources Areas ......................................................................................... 6-2 6.2 Renewable Power Demand .................................................................................. 6-3 7.0 ESTIMATED COST OF THE WIND ENERGY FACILITY (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) ........................................................................... 8-1 8.1 Wind Farm Facility .............................................................................................. 8-1 8.2 Wind Turbine Generators .................................................................................... 8-2 8.3 Wind Turbine Towers .......................................................................................... 8-3 8.4 Wind Turbine Foundations .................................................................................. 8-4 8.5 Generator Step-up Transformers .......................................................................... 8-4 8.6 Access Roads ....................................................................................................... 8-4 8.7 O&M Facility ....................................................................................................... 8-5 8.8 Meteorological Towers and Sodar Units ............................................................. 8-5 8.9 Temporary Laydown/Stockpile Areas/Batch Plant/Crane Walks ........................ 8-6 8.10 Transmission Interconnection Facilities .............................................................. 8-6 8.10.1 34.5-kV Collector System ..................................................................... 8-6 8.10.2 Collector Substation (Willow Creek Substation) .................................. 8-7 8.10.3 Western Substation ............................................................................... 8-8 9.0 ALTERNATE SITES AND SITING CRITERIA (ARSD 20:10:22:12) ................ 9-1 9.1 General Project Location Selection ..................................................................... 9-1 9.2 Wind Resource and Land Availability ................................................................. 9-1 9.3 Transmission ........................................................................................................ 9-1 9.4 Site Configuration Alternatives ........................................................................... 9-2 Wind Quarry Operations, LLC TOC-1 Burns & McDonnell Application for Facility Permit Table of Contents 9.5 Lack of Reliance on Eminent Domain Powers .................................................... 9-2 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 Existing Physical Environment .......................................................................... 11-1 11.1.1 Geology ............................................................................................... 11-1 11.1.2 Soil Type ............................................................................................. 11-3 11.1.3 Seismic Risks ...................................................................................... 11-8 11.1.4 Subsidence Potential ........................................................................... 11-8 11.2 Facility Impacts .................................................................................................. 11-8 11.2.1 Potential for Impacts to Geologic and Soil Resources ........................ 11-8 11.2.2 Geological Constraints on Design, Construction, and Operation ....... 11-9 12.0 EFFECT ON HYDROLOGY (ARSD 20:10:22:14, 20:10:22:15) ..................... 12-1 12.1 Existing Hydrology ............................................................................................ 12-1 12.1.1 Hydrogeology ..................................................................................... 12-1 12.1.2 Surface Water Resources .................................................................... 12-1 12.1.3 Floodplains .......................................................................................... 12-2 12.1.4 National Park Service Nationwide Rivers Inventory (NRI) ............... 12-2 12.1.5 Impaired Waters .................................................................................. 12-3 12.2 Facility Impacts .................................................................................................. 12-3 12.2.1 Effect on Current or Planned Water Use ............................................ 12-3 12.2.2 Potential for Surface and Groundwater Impacts ................................. 12-4 13.0 EFFECT ON TERRESTRIAL ECOSYSTEMS (ARSD 20:10:22:16) .............. 13-1 13.1 Existing Terrestrial Ecosystem .......................................................................... 13-1 13.1.1 Vegetation ........................................................................................... 13-1 13.1.2 Wildlife ............................................................................................... 13-6 13.1.3 Sensitive Terrestrial Species ............................................................. 13-10 13.2 Impacts to Terrestrial Systems ......................................................................... 13-12 13.2.1 Vegetation ......................................................................................... 13-12 13.2.2 Wetlands ........................................................................................... 13-14 13.2.3 Wildlife ............................................................................................. 13-14 13.2.4 Sensitive Terrestrial Species ............................................................. 13-15 13.2.5 Bird and Bat Mortality ...................................................................... 13-17 14.0 EFFECT ON AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS (ARSD 20:10:22:17) ....................... 14-1 14.1 Existing Aquatic Ecosystem .............................................................................. 14-1 14.2 Impacts to Aquatic Ecosystems and Mitigation ................................................. 14-1 15.0 LAND USE (ARSD 20:10:22:18) .................................................................... 15-1 15.1 Existing Land Use .............................................................................................. 15-1 15.2 Existing Noise .................................................................................................... 15-1 15.3 Existing Visual resources ................................................................................... 15-3 Wind Quarry Operations, LLC TOC-2 Burns & McDonnell Application for Facility Permit Table of Contents 15.4 Land Use Impacts Analysis ............................................................................... 15-3 15.4.1 Displacement....................................................................................... 15-3 15.4.2 Recreational Impacts ........................................................................... 15-3 15.4.3 Noise Analysis .................................................................................... 15-4 15.4.4 Visual Impacts .................................................................................... 15-9 15.4.5 Electromagnetic Interference ............................................................ 15-10 16.0 LOCAL LAND USE CONTROLS (ARSD 20:10:22:19) .................................. 16-1 17.0 WATER QUALITY (ARSD 20:10:22:20) ......................................................... 17-1 18.0 AIR QUALITY (ARSD 20:10:22:21) ................................................................ 18-1 18.1 Existing Air Quality ........................................................................................... 18-1 18.2 Air Quality Impacts ............................................................................................ 18-1 19.0 TIME SCHEDULE (ARSD 20:10:22:22) ......................................................... 19-1 20.0 COMMUNITY IMPACT (ARSD (20:10:22:23) ................................................