BILLING CODE 6717-01-P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Project No. 2444-042]
Northern States Power Company; Notice of Application Accepted for Filing,
Soliciting Motions to Intervene and Protests, Ready for Environmental Analysis,
and Soliciting Comments, Recommendations, Terms and Conditions, and
Prescriptions
Take notice that the following hydroelectric application has been filed with the
Commission and is available for public inspection.
a.

Type of Application: Subsequent Minor License

b. Project No.: 2444-042
c.

Date Filed: July 21, 2023

d. Applicant: Northern States Power Company (Northern States)
e.

Name of Project: White River Hydroelectric Project (project)

f.

Location: On the White River in Ashland and Bayfield Counties, Wisconsin

g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act, 16 U.S.C. 791 (a) - 825(r)
h. Applicant Contact: Mr. Matthew Miller, Environmental Analyst, Northern States
Power Company – Wisconsin, 1414 W. Hamilton Avenue, P.O. Box 8, Eau Claire, WI
54702; telephone at (715) 737-1353; email at matthew.j.miller@xcelenergy.com

i.

FERC Contact: Nicholas Ettema, Project Coordinator, Great Lakes Branch, Division

of Hydropower Licensing; telephone at (312) 596-4447; email at
nicholas.ettema@ferc.gov
j.

Deadline for filing motions to intervene and protests, comments, recommendations,

terms and conditions, and prescriptions: 60 days from the issuance date of this notice;
reply comments are due 105 days from the issuance date of this notice.
The Commission strongly encourages electronic filing. Please file motions to
intervene and protests, comments, recommendations, terms and conditions, and
prescriptions using the Commission’s eFiling system at
https://ferconline.ferc.gov/FERCOnline.aspx. Commenters can submit brief comments
up to 6,000 characters, without prior registration, using the eComment system at
https://ferconline.ferc.gov/QuickComment.aspx. For assistance, please contact FERC
Online Support at FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov, (866) 208-3676 (toll free), or (202)
502-8659 (TTY). In lieu of electronic filing, you may submit a paper copy. Submissions
sent via the U.S. Postal Service must be addressed to: Debbie-Anne A. Reese, Acting
Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE, Room 1A,
Washington, DC 20426. Submissions sent via any other carrier must be addressed to:
Debbie-Anne A. Reese, Acting Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission,
12225 Wilkins Avenue, Rockville, MD 20852. All filings must clearly identify the
project name and docket number on the first page: White River Hydroelectric Project (P2444-042).
The Commission's Rules of Practice require all intervenors filing documents with
the Commission to serve a copy of that document on each person on the official service

list for the project. Further, if an intervenor files comments or documents with the
Commission relating to the merits of an issue that may affect the responsibilities of a
particular resource agency, they must also serve a copy of the document on that resource
agency.
k. This application has been accepted for filing and is now ready for environmental
analysis.
l.

Project Description: The project includes an approximately 782.3-foot-long

earthen and concrete dam that includes: (1) a 400-foot-long, 37-foot-high north earthen
embankment; (2) a 22-foot-long, 37-foot-high concrete intake structure equipped with an
approximately 16-foot-long, 20-foot-high trashrack with 1.25-inch clear bar spacing, and
an approximately 16-foot-long, 20-foot-high stoplog gate upstream of the trashrack; (3)
an approximately 60.3-foot-long, 35-foot-high concrete gated spillway section that
includes: (a) a 25-foot-long, 19-foot-high bottom Tainter gate and a 25-foot-long, 6-foothigh top Tainter gate; (b) a 4-foot-long pier; and (c) a 25-foot-long, 26.5-foot-high
Tainter gate; and (4) a 300-foot-long, 37-foot-high south earthen embankment. The dam
creates an impoundment that has a surface area of 39.9 acres at a normal elevation of
711.6 feet National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929 (NGVD 29).
From the impoundment, water flows through the intake structure to a 7-footdiameter, 1,345-foot-long concrete pipe that conveys water to a 16-foot-diameter, 62foot-high steel surge tank and two 30-foot-long steel penstocks. The penstocks provide
water to a 700-kilowatt (kW) horizontal Francis turbine-generator unit and a 500-kW
horizontal Francis turbine-generator unit, for a total installed capacity of 1,200 kW. The
turbine-generators are in a 69-foot-long, 39-foot-wide concrete and brick masonry

powerhouse. Water is discharged from the powerhouse to a 120-foot-long, 40-foot-wide
tailrace. The project creates an approximately 1,400-foot-long bypassed reach of the
White River. A 4.5-foot-long, 1-foot-diameter steel pipe conveys flow from the intake
structure to the bypassed reach immediately downstream of the dam.
Project recreation facilities include: (1) a boat access site and canoe portage takeout site at the north embankment of the dam; (2) an approximately 2,260-foot-long canoe
portage trail; (3) a canoe put-in site approximately 90 feet downstream of the
powerhouse; and (4) a tailrace fishing area.
Electricity generated at the project is transmitted to the electric grid via a 220-footlong, 2.4-kilovolt (kV) transmission line and a 2.4/69-kV step-up transformer. The
minimum and maximum hydraulic capacities of the powerhouse are 50 and 350 cfs,
respectively. The average annual energy production of the project from 2017 through
2022, was 4,927 megawatt-hours.
The current license requires Northern States to: (1) operate in a run-of-river mode,
such that outflow from the project approximates inflow and the impoundment is
maintained at an elevation of 710.4 to 711.6 feet NGVD 29; (2) manage any nonemergency drawdown so the reservoir drawdown rate does not exceed 12 inches per
24 hours for the first 48 hours and 6 inches per 24 hours after that; (3) release a minimum
flow of 16 cubic feet per second (cfs) or inflow, whichever is less, to the bypassed reach;
and (4) implement an operation compliance monitoring plan, land management plan, fly
ash/cinders monitoring plan, and purple loosestrife monitoring plan.
Northern States does not propose to add any new project facilities. However,
Northern States proposes to revise the project boundary around the impoundment to

follow a contour elevation of 711.6 NGVD 29, which would result in a reduction in the
total acreage of the project boundary upstream of the dam from 76.5 to 39.9 acres.
Additionally, Northern States proposes the following changes to the project boundary:
(1) remove approximately 38.8 acres of land north of the project’s access road and
approximately 12 acres of land northeast of the powerhouse; (2) add approximately
0.3 acre of land associated with the substation that includes the project’s transformer;
(3) add approximately 0.6 acre of land associated with the project’s access road; (4) add
approximately 1.3 acres of water in the White River downstream of the project; and
(5) add approximately 0.3 acre of land east of the south earthen embankment.
Northern States proposes to: (1) continue operating the project in a run-of-river
mode and maintaining the surface elevation of the impoundment between 710.4 and
711.6 feet NGVD 29; (2) continue releasing a minimum flow of 16 cfs or inflow,
whichever is less, to the bypassed reach at all times; (3) develop an operation compliance
monitoring plan; (4) conduct shoreline erosion surveys every ten years; (5) develop an
invasive species monitoring plan; (6) pass woody debris from the impoundment to the
bypassed reach; (7) replace recreational signage; (8) maintain project recreation facilities;
(9) protect bats by restricting building and tree maintenance; (10) protect wood turtles by
restricting herbicide use; (11) avoid vegetation management and construction activities
within 660 feet of bald eagle nests during the nesting season; and (12) develop a historic
properties management plan to protect historic properties.
m. A copy of the application can be viewed on the Commission’s website at
http://www.ferc.gov using the “eLibrary” link. Enter the docket number excluding the

last three digits in the docket number field to access the document (i.e., P-2444). For
assistance, contact FERC Online Support.
n. Anyone may submit comments, a protest, or a motion to intervene in accordance
with the requirements of Rules of Practice and Procedure, 18 CFR 385.210, .211, and
.214. In determining the appropriate action to take, the Commission will consider all
protests or other comments filed, but only those who file a motion to intervene in
accordance with the Commission's Rules may become a party to the proceeding. Any
comments, protests, or motions to intervene must be received on or before the specified
comment date for the particular application.
All filings must (1) bear in all capital letters the title "PROTEST," "MOTION TO
INTERVENE," "COMMENTS," "REPLY COMMENTS," "RECOMMENDATIONS,"
"TERMS AND CONDITIONS," or "PRESCRIPTIONS;" (2) set forth in the heading the
name of the applicant and the project number of the application to which the filing
responds; (3) furnish the name of the person submitting the filing; and (4) otherwise
comply with the requirements of 18 CFR 385.2001 through 385.2005. All comments,
recommendations, terms and conditions or prescriptions must set forth their evidentiary
basis and otherwise comply with the requirements of 18 CFR 4.34(b). Agencies may
obtain copies of the application directly from the applicant. A copy of any protest or
motion to intervene must be served upon each representative of the applicant specified in
the particular application. A copy of all other filings in reference to this application must
be accompanied by proof of service on all persons listed on the service list prepared by
the Commission in this proceeding, in accordance with 18 CFR 4.34(b) and 385.2010.

The Commission’s Office of Public Participation (OPP) supports meaningful
public engagement and participation in Commission proceedings. OPP can help
members of the public, including landowners, environmental justice communities, Tribal
members and others, access publicly available information and navigate Commission
processes. For public inquiries and assistance with making filings such as interventions,
comments, or requests for rehearing, the public is encouraged to contact OPP at (202)
502-6595 or OPP@ferc.gov.
You may also register online at https://ferconline.ferc.gov/FERCOnline.aspx to be
notified via email of new filings and issuances related to this or other pending projects.
For assistance, contact FERC Online Support.
o. The applicant must file no later than 60 days following the date of issuance of this
notice: (1) a copy of the water quality certification; (2) a copy of the request for
certification, including proof of the date on which the certifying agency received the
request; or (3) evidence of waiver of water quality certification.
p. Procedural schedule: The application will be processed according to the following
schedule. Revisions to the schedule will be made as appropriate.
Milestone
Filing of Comments, Recommendations,

Target Date
August 2024

Terms and Conditions, and
Prescriptions
Filing of Reply Comments

September 2024

q. Final amendments to the application must be filed with the Commission no later than
30 days from the issuance date of this notice.
Dated: June 14, 2024.
Debbie-Anne A. Reese,
Acting Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2024-13720 Filed: 6/21/2024 8:45 am; Publication Date: 6/24/2024]