[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 72 (Thursday, April 15, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19632-19633]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-8590]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No. 12747-001]


San Diego County Water Authority; Notice of Preliminary Permit 
Application Accepted for Filing and Soliciting Comments, Motions To 
Intervene, and Competing Applications

April 7, 2010.
    On March 1, 2010, San Diego County Water Authority filed an 
application for a preliminary permit, pursuant to section 4(f) of the 
Federal Power Act, proposing to study the feasibility of the San 
Vicente Pumped Storage Water Power Project No. 13747. The proposed 
project would be located at the existing San Vicente dam and reservoir 
on San Vicente Creek in San Diego County, California. The project would 
consist of the existing San Vicente reservoir functioning as the lower 
reservoir of the project and one of three alternatives as an upper 
reservoir: the Iron Mountain Alternative, the Foster Canyon 
Alternative, and the East Reservoir Alternative. Specific details about 
each of these alternatives are described below. The sole purpose of a 
preliminary permit, if issued, is to grant the permit holder priority 
to file a license application during the permit term. A preliminary 
permit does not authorize the permit holder to perform any land-
disturbing activities or otherwise enter upon lands or waters owned by 
others without the owners' express permission.
    All three of the alternatives would use the San Vicente reservoir 
as the lower reservoir of the pumped storage project. The San Vicente 
reservoir portion of the project would consist of:
    (1) an existing dam, currently being raised to a dam height of 337 
feet, and a length of 1,442 feet; and (2) an existing impoundment, that 
upon completion of the dam raise will have a surface area of 1,600 
acres, and storage capacity of 247,000 acre-feet with a normal maximum 
water surface elevation of 767 feet above mean sea level (msl).
    The three alternatives for the upper reservoir are described below.

Iron Mountain Alternative

    (1) A proposed 235-foot-high, 1,250-foot-long upper dam located 3 
miles north of San Vicente reservoir; (2) a proposed reservoir with a 
surface area of 93 acres having a storage capacity of 8,070 acre-feet 
and a normal maximum water surface elevation of 2,110 feet above msl; 
(3) a proposed 12,300-foot-long, 20-foot-diameter concrete power 
tunnel; (4) two proposed 500-foot-long, steel-lined penstocks; (5) a 
proposed powerhouse containing two generating units having a total 
installed capacity of 500 megawatts; (6) a proposed 3,300-foot-long, 
24-foot-diameter concrete tailrace; (7) a proposed 14,000-foot-long, 
230-kilovolt transmission line; and (8) appurtenant facilities.

Foster Canyon Alternative

    (1) A proposed upper dam approximately one half mile north of San 
Vicente reservoir; (2) a proposed upper reservoir with a surface area 
of 100 acres normal maximum water surface elevation of 1,490 feet above 
msl; (3) a proposed 3,000-foot-long, 20-foot-long, concrete power 
tunnel; (4) two proposed 300-foot-long, steel-lined penstocks; (5) a 
proposed powerhouse containing two generating units having a total 
installed capacity of 480 megawatts; (6) a proposed 2,700-foot-long, 
24-foot-diameter concrete tailrace; (7) a proposed 9,000-foot-long, 
230-kilovolt transmission line; and (8) appurtenant facilities.

The East Reservoir Alternative

    (1) A proposed upper dam approximately 0.8 miles east of San 
Vicente Reservoir; (2) a proposed upper reservoir with a surface area 
of 60 acres and a normal maximum water surface elevation of 1,600 feet 
above msl; (3) a proposed 6,000-foot-long, 20-foot-long concrete power 
tunnel; (4) two proposed 300-foot-long, steel-lined penstocks; (5) a 
proposed powerhouse containing two generating units having a total 
installed capacity of 570 megawatts; (6) a proposed 2,600-foot-long, 
24-foot-diameter concrete tailrace; (7) a proposed 15,000-foot-long, 
230-kilovolt transmission line; and (8) appurtenant facilities.
    The proposed project would have a maximum estimated annual 
generation of up to 1,000 gigawatt-hours, which would be sold to a 
local utility.
    Applicant Contact: Frank Belock, Deputy General Manager, San Diego

[[Page 19633]]

County Water Authority, 4677 Overland Avenue, San Diego, CA 92123; 
phone: (858) 522-67881.
    FERC Contact: Joseph P. Hassell, 202-502-8079
    Deadline for filing comments, motions to intervene, competing 
applications (without notices of intent), or notices of intent to file 
competing applications: 60 days from the issuance of this notice. 
Competing applications and notices of intent must meet the requirements 
of 18 CFR 4.36. Comments, motions to intervene, notices of intent, and 
competing applications may be filed electronically via the Internet. 
See 18 CFR 385.2001(a)(1)(iii) and the instructions on the Commission's 
Web site (http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/ferconline.asp) under the 
``eFiling'' link. For a simpler method of submitting text only 
comments, click on ``Quick Comment.'' For assistance, please contact 
FERC Online Support at [email protected]; call toll-free at 
(866) 208-3676; or, for TTY, contact (202) 502-8659. Although the 
Commission strongly encourages electronic filing, documents may also be 
paper-filed. To paper-file, mail an original and eight copies to: 
Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 
First Street, NE., Washington, DC 20426.
    More information about this project, including a copy of the 
application, can be viewed or printed on the ``eLibrary'' link of 
Commission's Web site at http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/elibrary.asp. 
Enter the docket number (P-12747) in the docket number field to access 
the document. For assistance, contact FERC Online Support.

Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2010-8590 Filed 4-14-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P