PRE-APPLICATION DOCUMENT UPPER BARKER HYDROELECTRIC PROJECT FERC NO. 3562 VOLUME I Prepared for: KEI (Maine) Power Management (III) LLC Gardiner, Maine Prepared by: Pittsfield, Maine www.KleinschmidtUSA.com July 2018 PRE-APPLICATION DOCUMENT UPPER BARKER HYDROELECTRIC PROJECT FERC NO. 3562 VOLUME I Prepared for: KEI (Maine) Power Management (III) LLC Gardiner, Maine Prepared by: Pittsfield, Maine www.KleinschmidtUSA.com July 2018 UPPER BARKER HYDROELECTRIC PROJECT FERC PROJECT NO. 3562 KEI (MAINE) POWER MANAGEMENT (III) LLC GARDINER, MAINE PRE-APPLICATION DOCUMENT VOLUME I TABLE OF CONTENTS DEFINITIONS OF TERMS, ACRONYMS, AND ABBREVIATIONS ................................... VIII 1.0 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................... 1-1 1.1 AGENTS FOR KEI (MAINE) POWER MANAGEMENT (III) LLC ............................... 1-5 1.2 PAD CONTENT ..................................................................................................... 1-5 1.3 REFERENCES ......................................................................................................... 1-6 2.0 PLANS, SCHEDULE, AND PROTOCOLS ................................................................... 2-1 2.1 PROCESS PLAN AND SCHEDULE THROUGH FILLING OF LICENSE APPLICATION ........................................................................................................ 2-1 2.2 PROPOSED COMMUNICATIONS PROTOCOLS .......................................................... 2-3 2.2.1 PARTIES TO THE RELICENSING .................................................................. 2-3 2.2.2 GENERAL COMMUNICATIONS ................................................................... 2-3 2.2.2.1 TELEPHONE ............................................................................. 2-4 2.2.2.2 ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS ............................................. 2-4 2.2.2.3 MEETINGS ............................................................................... 2-4 2.2.3 DOCUMENTS ............................................................................................. 2-5 2.2.3.1 PUBLIC REFERENCE FILE ........................................................ 2-6 2.2.3.2 RESTRICTED DOCUMENTS ....................................................... 2-6 2.2.3.3 MAILING LISTS ....................................................................... 2-7 2.2.3.4 DOCUMENT DISTRIBUTION ..................................................... 2-7 2.2.4 STUDY REQUESTS ..................................................................................... 2-8 2.3 REFERENCES ......................................................................................................... 2-9 3.0 GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF RIVER BASIN ............................................................ 3-1 3.1 OVERVIEW ............................................................................................................ 3-1 3.2 MAJOR LAND USES ............................................................................................... 3-2 3.3 MAJOR WATER USES ............................................................................................ 3-3 3.4 PROJECT RESERVOIR AND STORAGE ..................................................................... 3-5 3.5 PROJECT DRAINAGE BASINS’ TRIBUTARY STREAMS............................................. 3-5 3.6 CLIMATE ............................................................................................................... 3-5 3.7 REFERENCES ......................................................................................................... 3-5 4.0 PROJECT LOCATION, FACILITIES, AND OPERATIONS ....................................... 4-1 Upper Barker Hydroelectric Project i Pre-application Document TABLE OF CONTENTS (CONT’D) 4.1 EXISTING PROJECT FACILITIES .............................................................................. 4-1 4.2 PROPOSED PROJECT FACILITIES .......................................................................... 4-12 4.3 PROJECT BOUNDARY .......................................................................................... 4-12 4.4 EXISTING PROJECT OPERATIONS ......................................................................... 4-13 4.4.1 NORMAL OPERATIONS ............................................................................ 4-13 4.4.2 LOW WATER OPERATIONS ...................................................................... 4-14 4.5 PROPOSED PROJECT OPERATIONS ....................................................................... 4-15 4.6 OTHER PROJECT INFORMATION........................................................................... 4-15 4.6.1 CURRENT LICENSE REQUIREMENTS ........................................................ 4-15 4.6.2 COMPLIANCE HISTORY OF THE PROJECT ................................................. 4-16 4.6.3 SAFETY PROCEDURES ............................................................................. 4-16 4.6.4 SUMMARY OF PROJECT GENERATION ..................................................... 4-21 4.6.5 DELIVERY OF WATER FOR NON-POWER USES ........................................ 4-23 4.6.6 CURRENT NET INVESTMENT ................................................................... 4-23 4.6.7 AVERAGE ANNUAL ENERGY AND DEPENDABLE CAPACITY .................... 4-23 4.7 REFERENCES ....................................................................................................... 4-23 5.0 DESCRIPTION OF EXISTING ENVIRONMENT ........................................................ 5-1 5.1 GEOLOGY AND SOILS ............................................................................................ 5-1 5.1.1 EXISTING GEOLOGICAL FEATURES ........................................................... 5-1 5.1.2 BEDROCK GEOLOGY ................................................................................. 5-3 5.1.3 SOILS ........................................................................................................ 5-5 5.1.4 RESERVOIR SHORELINE AND STREAMBANK CONDITIONS ......................... 5-9 5.1.5 EROSION ................................................................................................. 5-10 5.1.6 REFERENCES ........................................................................................... 5-10 5.2 WATER RESOURCES ............................................................................................ 5-12 5.2.1 DRAINAGE AREA .................................................................................... 5-12 5.2.2 STREAMFLOW, GAGE DATA, AND FLOW STATISTICS .............................. 5-13 5.2.3 EXISTING AND PROPOSED USES OF WATER............................................. 5-14 5.2.4 EXISTING INSTREAM FLOW USES ............................................................ 5-14 5.2.5 EXISTING WATER RIGHTS ....................................................................... 5-14 5.2.6 RESERVOIR BATHYMETRY ...................................................................... 5-15 5.2.7 GRADIENT OF DOWNSTREAM REACHES .................................................. 5-15 5.2.8 FEDERALLY-APPROVED WATER QUALITY STANDARDS ......................... 5-15 5.2.9 BASELINE WATER QUALITY MONITORING ............................................. 5-16 5.2.10 ADDITIONAL WATER QUALITY MONITORING ......................................... 5-21 5.2.11 BENTHIC MACROINVERTEBRATES .......................................................... 5-23 5.2.12 REFERENCES ........................................................................................... 5-24 5.3 FISH AND AQUATIC RESOURCES ......................................................................... 5-27 5.3.1 FISH SPECIES AND HABITATS .................................................................. 5-27 5.3.2 EXISTING FISH PASSAGE MEASURES....................................................... 5-29 5.3.3 RESIDENT FISH........................................................................................ 5-29 5.3.4 AQUATIC HABITAT ................................................................................. 5-31 5.3.5 BENTHIC MACROINVERTEBRATES .......................................................... 5-33 5.3.6 AMPHIBIAN AND AQUATIC REPTILE SPECIES .......................................... 5-34 5.3.7 REFERENCES ........................................................................................... 5-35 5.4 UPLAND WILDLIFE AND BOTANICAL RESOURCES ............................................... 5-38 Upper Barker Hydroelectric Project - ii - Pre-application Document TABLE OF CONTENTS (CONT’D) 5.4.1 WILDLIFE HABITATS IN THE PROJECT AREA AND VICINITY .................... 5-38 5.4.2 WILDLIFE RESOURCES IN THE PROJECT AREA AND VICINITY ................. 5-39 5.4.3 TEMPORAL AND SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION OF WILDLIFE SPECIES.............. 5-40 5.4.4 INVASIVE WILDLIFE SPECIES .................................................................. 5-40 5.4.5 INVASIVE PLANTS AND WEEDS ............................................................... 5-41 5.4.6 REFERENCES ........................................................................................... 5-42 5.5 SHORELINE WILDLIFE AND BOTANICAL RESOURCES .......................................... 5-43 5.5.1 FLOODPLAIN AND WETLAND SPECIES AND HABITATS OF THE PROJECT AREA AND VICINITY ................................................................. 5-43 5.5.2 RIPARIAN AND LITTORAL SPECIES AND HABITATS OF THE PROJECT AREA AND VICINITY ..............................................................................