SUPPLEMENTAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT (SEIS) FOR THE Jericho Rise Wind Farm Towns of Chateaugay and Bellmont Franklin County, New York Co-lead Agencies: Town of Chateaugay and Bellmont Applicant: Jericho Rise Windfarm, LLC 808 Travis Street, Suite 700 Houston, Texas 77002 Contact: Aron Branam Phone: (503)-535-1519 Prepared By: Environmental Design & Research, Landscape Architecture, Engineering & Environmental Services, D.P.C. 217 Montgomery Street, Suite 1000 Syracuse, New York 13202 Contact: John Hecklau Phone: (315) 471-0688 Date of DEIS Submittal: February, 2008 Date of DEIS Acceptance: February, 2008 Date of SEIS Submittal: November 10, 2015 Date of SEIS Acceptance: December 7, 2015 Public Comment Period: December 9, 2015 – January 11, 2016 TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ............................................................................................................................................... ii 1.0 DESCRIPTION OF PROPOSED ACTION ........................................................................................................ 1 1.1 PROJECT SUMMARY/INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................... 1 1.2 PROJECT LOCATION ................................................................................................................................... 3 1.2.1 Project Participation .................................................................................................................................. 4 1.3 PROJECT FACILITY OWNER/DEVELOPER/OPERATOR ........................................................................... 4 1.4 PROJECT PURPOSE, NEED, AND BENEFIT .............................................................................................. 4 1.4.1 Project Purpose ......................................................................................................................................... 4 1.4.2 Public Need and Benefits to Be Derived From Project .............................................................................. 5 1.5 PROJECT FACILITY LAYOUT AND COMPONENTS ................................................................................. 11 1.5.1 Facility Layout Criteria ............................................................................................................................. 11 1.5.2 Roads and Civil Construction Work ......................................................................................................... 11 1.5.3 Turbine Tower Foundations .................................................................................................................... 12 1.5.4 Wind Turbine Generators and Central Control System ........................................................................... 12 1.5.5 Electrical Collection System Infrastructure .............................................................................................. 12 1.5.6 Interconnection Substation Facilities ....................................................................................................... 13 1.5.7 Project Grounding System ...................................................................................................................... 13 1.5.8 Meteorological Monitoring Station Towers .............................................................................................. 13 1.5.9 Operations and Maintenance Facility ...................................................................................................... 13 1.6 PROJECT CONSTRUCTION ...................................................................................................................... 13 1.7 OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE .......................................................................................................... 15 1.8 DECOMMISSIONING .................................................................................................................................. 16 1.9 PROJECT COST AND FUNDING ............................................................................................................... 16 1.10 PERMITS AND APPROVALS REQUIRED .................................................................................................. 17 1.11 PUBLIC AND AGENCY INVOLVEMENT ..................................................................................................... 19 1.12 SEQRA PROCESS ...................................................................................................................................... 19 1.12.1 Agency and Public Review ................................................................................................................... 20 2.0 DESCRIPTION OF PROPOSED ACTION ...................................................................................................... 21 2.1 GEOLOGY, TOPOGRAPHY & SOILS ......................................................................................................... 21 2.1.1 Geology and Topography ........................................................................................................................ 21 2.1.2 Soils ........................................................................................................................................................ 23 2.2 WATER RESOURCES ................................................................................................................................ 29 2.2.1 Existing Conditions .................................................................................................................................. 29 2.2.2 Anticipated Impacts ................................................................................................................................. 35 2.2.3 Mitigation Measures ................................................................................................................................ 41 2.3 BIOLOGICAL, TERRESTRIAL & AQUATIC ECOLOGY.............................................................................. 43 2.3.1 Existing Conditions .................................................................................................................................. 43 2.3.2 Potential Impacts ..................................................................................................................................... 57 2.3.3 Mitigation ................................................................................................................................................. 66 2.4 CLIMATE & AIR QUALITY ........................................................................................................................... 67 2.4.1 Existing Conditions .................................................................................................................................. 67 2.4.2 Potential Impacts ..................................................................................................................................... 69 2.4.3 Proposed Mitigation ................................................................................................................................ 71 2.5 AESTHETIC & VISUAL RESOURCES ........................................................................................................ 71 2.5.1 Existing Conditions .................................................................................................................................. 71 2.5.2 Anticipated Impacts ................................................................................................................................. 77 2.5.3 Mitigation Measures ................................................................................................................................ 89 Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement Jericho Rise Wind Farm ii 2.6 HISTORIC, CULTURAL & ARCHEOLOGICAL RESOURCES .................................................................... 92 2.6.1 Existing Conditions .................................................................................................................................. 92 2.6.2 Anticipated Impacts ................................................................................................................................. 94 2.6.3 Proposed Mitigation ................................................................................................................................ 98 2.7 SOUND ...................................................................................................................................................... 100 2.7.1 Existing Conditions ................................................................................................................................ 101 2.7.2 Anticipated Impacts ............................................................................................................................... 103 2.7.3 Mitigation ............................................................................................................................................... 112 2.8 TRAFFIC & TRANSPORTATION .............................................................................................................. 113 2.8.1 Existing Conditions ................................................................................................................................ 113 2.8.2 Anticipated Impacts 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