20140320-3029 FERC PDF (Unofficial) 03/20/2014 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA FEDERAL ENERGY REGULATORY COMMISSION Portland General Electric Company Project No. 2195-088 NOTICE OF AVAILABILITY OF ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT (March 20, 2014) In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's (Commission) regulations, 18 CFR Part 380 (Order No. 486, 52 F.R. 47897), the Office of Energy Projects has reviewed an application submitted by Portland General Electric Company (licensee) to construct, operate and maintain minimum flow turbines at its 136.6-MW Clackamas River Hydroelectric Project. The new minimum flow turbines would increase the capacity of the project by 3.89 MW. The project is located on the Oak Grove Fork of the Clackamas River and the mainstem of the Clackamas River in Clackamas County, Oregon. The project occupies federal lands within the Mt. Hood National Forest, under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Forest Service, and a reservation of the U.S. Department of Interior’s Bureau of Land Management. An environmental assessment (EA) has been prepared as part of staff’s review of the proposal. In the application the licensee proposes to construct, operate and maintain: 1) a powerhouse at the base of Timothy Lake Dam housing two 0.95-MW turbines, 2) a powerhouse at Crack-in-the-Ground located downstream of Lake Harriet housing a 1 MW turbine, 3) a powerhouse housing a 135-kW turbine utilizing return flows from the juvenile downstream migrant collection systems and the North Fork fishway adult fish trap, and 4) a turbine and an 850-kW turbine and induction generator utilizing North Fork fishway attraction flows. The EA contains Commission staff’s analysis of the probable environmental impacts of the proposed action and concludes that approval of the proposal would not constitute a major federal action significantly affecting the quality of the human environment. The EA is available for review and reproduction at the Commission’s Public Reference Room, located at 888 First Street, NE, Room 2A, Washington, DC 20426. The EA may also be viewed on the Commission’s website at http://www.ferc.gov using 20140320-3029 FERC PDF (Unofficial) 03/20/2014 the “elibrary” link. Enter the docket number (P-2195) in the docket number field to access the document. For assistance, contact FERC Online Support at [email protected] or toll-free at 1-866-208-3372, or for TTY, (202) 502- 865. Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary. 20140320-3029 FERC PDF (Unofficial) 03/20/2014 ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR NON-CAPACITY AMENDMENT TO LICENSE Clackamas River Hydroelectric Project—FERC Project No. 2195-088 Oregon Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Office of Energy Projects Division of Hydropower Administration and Compliance 888 First Street, NE Washington, D.C. 20426 March 2014 20140320-3029 FERC PDF (Unofficial) 03/20/2014 TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES ............................................................................................................iii LIST OF TABLES..............................................................................................................iii 1.0 INTRODUCTION.................................................................................................... 1 1.1 APPLICATION............................................................................................. 1 1.2 PURPOSE OF ACTION AND NEED FOR POWER.................................. 1 1.2.1 Purpose of Action ............................................................................ 1 1.2.2 Need for Power................................................................................ 2 1.3 STATUTORY AND REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS ......................... 3 1.3.1 Federal Power Act ........................................................................... 3 1.3.1.1 Section 4(e) Conditions .................................................. 3 1.3.1.2 Section 10(j) Recommendations..................................... 4 1.3.2 Clean Water Act .............................................................................. 5 1.3.3 Endangered Species Act.................................................................. 6 1.3.4 Coastal Zone Management Act ....................................................... 7 1.3.5 National Historic Preservation Act.................................................. 7 1.4 PRE-FILING PUBLIC REVIEW AND CONSULTATION........................ 8 1.4.1 Consultation..................................................................................... 8 1.4.2 Comments on the License Amendment Application and Interventions .................................................................................... 8 2.0 PROPOSED ACTION AND NO-ACTION ALTERNATIVES ............................. 9 2.1 NO-ACTION ALTERNATIVE.................................................................... 9 2.1.1 Existing Project Facilities................................................................ 9 2.1.2 Existing Project Operation ............................................................ 10 2.2 LICENSEE’S PROPOSAL ......................................................................... 14 2.2.1 Proposed Project Facilities and Construction Activities ............... 14 2.2.1.1 Proposed Project Facilities............................................ 14 2.2.1.2 Proposed Construction Activities ................................. 15 2.2.2 Proposed Operational Modifications............................................. 15 2.2.3 Proposed Environmental Measures ............................................... 16 2.2.4 Construction Schedule................................................................... 19 2.3 STAFF ALTERNATIVE ............................................................................ 19 2.4 ALTERNATIVES CONSIDERED BUT ELIMINATED FROM DETAILED ANALYSIS ............................................................................ 19 3.0 ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS......................................................................... 20 3.1 GENERAL SETTING................................................................................. 20 3.2 SCOPE OF CUMULATIVE EFFECTS ANALYSIS ................................ 26 3.3 PROPOSED ACTION ................................................................................ 26 3.3.1 Geology and Soils.......................................................................... 26 i 20140320-3029 FERC PDF (Unofficial) 03/20/2014 3.3.1.1 Affected Environment................................................... 26 3.3.1.2 Environmental Effects .................................................. 27 3.3.2 Water Resources............................................................................ 28 3.3.2.1 Affected Environment................................................... 28 3.3.2.2 Environmental Effects .................................................. 36 3.3.3 Aquatic Resources ......................................................................... 39 3.3.3.1 Affected Environment................................................... 39 3.3.3.2 Environmental Effects .................................................. 43 3.3.4 Wetland, Wildlife, and Botanical Resources ................................... 48 3.3.4.1 Affected Environment................................................... 48 3.3.4.2 Environmental Effects .................................................. 52 3.3.5 Threatened, Endangered, and Sensitive Species ........................... 54 3.3.5.1 Affected Environment................................................... 54 3.3.5.2 Environmental Effects .................................................. 57 3.3.6 Recreation and Land Use............................................................... 60 3.3.6.1 Affected Environment................................................... 60 3.3.6.2 Environmental Effects .................................................. 61 3.3.7 Aesthetic Resources....................................................................... 62 3.3.7.1 Affected Environment................................................... 62 3.3.7.2 Environmental Effects .................................................. 63 3.3.8 Cultural Resources......................................................................... 65 3.3.8.1 Affected Environment................................................... 65 3.3.8.2 Environmental Effects .................................................. 65 3.4 NO-ACTION ALTERNATIVE.................................................................. 66 4.0 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS................................................. 67 4.1 COMPREHENSIVE DEVELOPMENT AND STAFF RECOMMENDED MEASURES................................................................................................ 67 4.2 UNAVOIDABLE ADVERSE EFFECTS................................................... 69 4.3 CONSISTENCY WITH COMPREHENSIVE PLANS.............................. 70 5.0 FINDING OF NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ........................................................ 71 6.0 LITERATURE CITED........................................................................................... 72 7.0 LIST OF PREPARERS .......................................................................................... 73 ii 20140320-3029 FERC PDF (Unofficial) 03/20/2014 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Proposed turbine locations - Oak Grove Fork. (Source: Portland General Electric) .....................................................................................................................12