DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR NEW HYDROPOWER LICENSE Blenheim-Gilboa Pumped Storage Project FERC Project No. 2685-029 New York Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Office of Energy Projects Division of Hydropower Licensing 888 First Street, NE Washington, D.C. 20426 August 2018 TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS .................................................................................................... ii LIST OF FIGURES ............................................................................................................. v LIST OF TABLES.............................................................................................................. vi ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS......................................................................... viii 1.0 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................... 1 1.1 APPLICATION ............................................................................................. 1 1.2 PURPOSE OF ACTION AND NEED FOR POWER .................................. 5 1.2.1 Purpose of Action ............................................................................ 5 1.2.2 Need for Power ................................................................................ 6 1.3 STATUTORY AND REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS ......................... 7 1.3.1 Federal Power Act ........................................................................... 7 1.3.1.1 Section 18 Fishway Prescriptions ............................................... 7 1.3.1.2 Section 10(j) Recommendations ................................................. 7 1.3.2 Clean Water Act .............................................................................. 8 1.3.3 Endangered Species Act .................................................................. 8 1.3.4 Coastal Zone Management Act ....................................................... 8 1.3.5 National Historic Preservation Act ................................................. 9 1.4 PUBLIC REVIEW AND COMMENT ....................................................... 10 1.4.1 Scoping .......................................................................................... 10 1.4.2 Interventions .................................................................................. 11 1.4.3 Comments on the Application ....................................................... 12 2.0 PROPOSED ACTION AND ALTERNATIVES ................................................... 13 2.1 NO-ACTION ALTERNATIVE .................................................................. 13 2.1.1 Existing Project Facilities and Project Boundary .......................... 13 2.1.2 Project Safety ................................................................................ 14 2.1.3 Existing Project Operation ............................................................ 15 2.1.4 Existing Environmental Measures ................................................ 16 2.2 NYPA’S PROPOSAL ................................................................................. 17 2.2.1 Proposed Project Facilities and Project Boundary ........................ 17 2.2.2 Proposed Project Operation and Environmental Measures ........... 18 2.3 STAFF ALTERNATIVE ............................................................................ 20 2.4 ALTERNATIVES CONSIDERED BUT ELIMINATED FROM DETAILED ANALYSIS ............................................................................ 21 2.4.1 Issuing a Non-power License ........................................................ 21 2.4.2 Federal Government Takeover of the Project ............................... 21 2.4.3 Retiring the Project ........................................................................ 21 3.0 ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS ......................................................................... 23 ii 3.1 GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE RIVER BASIN .............................. 23 3.2 SCOPE OF CUMULATIVE EFFECTS ANALYSIS ................................ 24 3.2.1 Geographic Scope .......................................................................... 24 3.2.2 Temporal Scope ............................................................................. 25 3.3 PROPOSED ACTION AND ACTION ALTERNATIVES ....................... 25 3.3.1 Geologic and Soils Resources ....................................................... 25 3.3.1.1 Affected Environment .............................................................. 25 3.3.1.2 Environmental Effects .............................................................. 33 3.3.2 Aquatic Resources ......................................................................... 35 3.3.2.1 Affected Environment .............................................................. 35 3.3.2.2 Environmental Effects .............................................................. 50 3.3.3 Terrestrial Resources ..................................................................... 67 3.3.3.1 Affected Environment .............................................................. 67 3.3.3.2 Environmental Effects .............................................................. 74 3.3.4 Threatened and Endangered Species ............................................. 76 3.3.4.1 Affected Environment .............................................................. 76 3.3.4.2 Environmental Effects .............................................................. 78 3.3.5 Recreation, Land Use, and Aesthetics ........................................... 79 3.3.5.1 Affected Environment .............................................................. 79 3.3.5.2 Environmental Effects .............................................................. 95 3.3.5 Cultural Resources ...................................................................... 105 3.3.5.1 Affected Environment ............................................................ 105 3.3.5.2 Environmental Effects ............................................................ 117 3.3.6 Socioeconomic Resources ........................................................... 119 3.3.5.1 Affected Environment ............................................................ 119 3.3.5.2 Environmental Effects ............................................................ 124 3.4 NO-ACTION ALTERNATIVE ................................................................ 129 4.0 DEVELOPMENTAL ANALYSIS ...................................................................... 130 4.1 POWER AND ECONOMIC BENEFITS OF THE PROJECT ................ 130 4.2 COMPARISON OF ALTERNATIVES .................................................... 131 4.2.1 No-Action Alternative ................................................................. 132 4.2.2 NYPA’s Proposal ........................................................................ 132 4.2.3 Staff Alternative .......................................................................... 132 4.3 COST OF ENVIRONMENTAL MEASURES......................................... 133 5.0 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS ................................................. 139 5.1 COMPREHENSIVE DEVELOPMENT AND RECOMMENDED ALTERNATIVE ....................................................................................... 139 5.1.1 Measures Proposed by NYPA ..................................................... 139 5.1.2 Additional Measures Recommended by Staff ............................. 140 5.1.3 Measures Not Recommended by Staff ........................................ 144 5.2 UNAVOIDABLE ADVERSE EFFECTS ................................................. 145 iii 5.3 SUMMARY OF SECTION 10(j) RECOMMENDATIONS .................... 145 5.4 CONSISTENCY WITH COMPREHENSIVE PLANS ............................ 150 6.0 FINDING OF NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ...................................................... 151 7.0 LITERATURE CITED ......................................................................................... 152 8.0 LIST OF PREPARERS ........................................................................................ 158 APPENDIX A: DRAFT LICENSE ARTICLES RECOMMENDED BY STAFF FOR THE BLENHEIM-GILBOA PUMPED STORAGE PROJECT NO. P-2685 ................ 159 iv LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Blenheim-Gilboa Project boundary, Schoharie County, New York (Source: license application, as modified by staff). ........................................................... 2 Figure 2. Blenheim-Gilboa Project location within the Schoharie Creek watershed, Schoharie County, New York (Source: license application, as modified by staff). ............ 3 Figure 3. Aerial view of Blenheim-Gilboa Project facilities (Source: license application, as modified by staff). ........................................................................................................... 4 Figure 4. South Access Road slide areas (Source: NYPA's May 25, 2018, additional information response, as modified by staff). ..................................................................... 31 Figure 5. 2012 Water quality sampling locations (Source: license application, as modified by staff). ............................................................................................................. 45 Figure 6. Locations of the four constant-level ponds and project intake in the upper reservoir. Note: Aerial imagery was taken on a date when the upper reservoir was not at full pool, and therefore depicts conditions when the constant-level ponds are retaining water at their designed outlet elevations and the ponds are separated