BILLING CODE 6717-01-P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Project No. 6066-042]
McCallum Enterprises I, Limited Partnership, Shelton Canal Company; Notice of
Application Tendered for Filing with the Commission and Establishing Procedural
Schedule for Relicensing and Deadline for Submission of Final Amendments
Take notice that the following hydroelectric application has been filed with the
Commission and is available for public inspection.
a.

Type of Application: New Major License

b.

Project No.: 6066-042

c.

Date filed: April 15, 2024

d.

Applicants: McCallum Enterprises I, Limited Partnership (McCallum) and

Shelton Canal Company (Shelton)
e.

Name of Project: Derby Dam Hydroelectric Project (Derby Project or project)

f.

Location: On the Housatonic River in Fairfield and New Haven Counties,

Connecticut.
g.

Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act, 16 U.S.C. 791(a) – 825(r)

h.

Applicant Contact: Mr. Joseph W. Szarmach Jr., McCallum Enterprises I, Limited

Partnership, 2874 Main Street, Stratford, CT 06614; telephone at (203) 368-1745; email
at joseph.szarmach@gmail.com.
i.

FERC Contact: Brandi Welch-Acosta, Project Coordinator, New England Branch,

Division of Hydropower Licensing; telephone at (202) 502-8964; email at brandi.welchacosta@ferc.gov.

j.

The application is not ready for environmental analysis at this time.

k.

Project Description: The existing Derby Project consists of: (1) a 23.7-foot-high,

675-foot-long dam made of concrete capped cut stone with flashboards of varying
heights, ranging from 1.8-foot-high to 2.2-foot-high, and a crest elevation of 25.2 feet
National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1988 (NGVD 88); (1) a 400-foot-long earth dike
with a maximum height of 10 feet, located at the east abutment and oriented in a
northwest-southwest direction; (2) a reservoir (Lake Housatonic) with a normal
maximum water surface elevation of 25.2 feet NGVD 88 and a usable storage capacity of
500 acre-feet; (3) a gatehouse (Derby gatehouse); (4) a gatehouse (Shelton gatehouse)
and 130-foot-long, 94-foot-wide headrace channel extending downstream from the dam;
(5) a navigation lock located at the west abutment, which constitutes the first 70 feet of
the Shelton canal; (6) a powerhouse (Shelton powerhouse) at the west abutment, in the
existing Shelton canal and lock structure, and located approximately 130 feet downstream
of the Shelton gatehouse, containing two horizontal A-C tube Kaplan turbines with two
direct drive generators with a total rated capacity of 7.8 megawatts (MW) and a rated
flow of 4,600 cubic feet per second; (7) a 775-foot-long, 13.8 kilovolt underwater
transmission line tying into the existing United Illuminating Company system; and
(8) appurtenant facilities.
The current license requires the implementation of an August 5, 1987 recreation
plan that includes: (1) fishing access with an information kiosk downstream of the dam
on the east shoreline; (2) fishing access with an information kiosk at the project’s tailrace
(west shoreline); (3) canoe portage and associated warning signs at the project’s tailrace;
(4) an information kiosk at the entrance to the project; and (5) picnic tables and benches
with scenic views of the river.

The current license requires the project to operate in a run-of-river mode such that
outflow from the project approximates inflow to the impoundment. The project bypasses
approximately 350 feet of the Housatonic River. The average annual generation of the
project was approximately 25,147 megawatt-hours from 2006 through 2016.
McCallum and Shelton propose to continue operating the project in a run-of-river
mode. McCallum and Shelton also propose to: (1) develop an operation monitoring
plan; (2) develop an impoundment refill plan; (3) install and operate an upstream fish
passage facility with an automated fish lift; (4) install a new 0.4-MW minimum flow
turbine within the upstream fish passage facility; (5) develop a fishway operation and
maintenance plan (6) install and operate one or more upstream eel passage facilities; (7)
install and operate a downstream fish passage facility; (8) install a seasonal 0.75-inch
partial depth trashrack overlay; and (9) implement downstream eel passage measures.
l.

In addition to publishing the full text of this notice in the Federal Register, the

Commission provides all interested persons an opportunity to view and/or print the
contents of this notice, as well as other documents in the proceeding (e.g., license
application) via the Internet through the Commission’s Home Page (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 (P-6066). For assistance, contact FERC at
FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov, (866) 208-3676, or (202) 502-8659 (TTY).
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.
m.

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.
n.

Procedural schedule: The application will be processed according to the following

preliminary schedule. Revisions to the schedule will be made as appropriate.
Milestone

Target Date

Issue Deficiency Letter and Request for Additional Information

August 2024

Issue Scoping Document 1 for comments

November 2024

Request Additional Information (if necessary)

December 2024

Issue Acceptance Letter

December 2024

Issue Scoping Document 2 (if necessary)

January 2025

Issue Notice of Ready for Environmental Analysis

January 2025

o.

Final amendments to the application must be filed with the Commission no later

than 30 days from the issuance date of the notice of ready for environmental analysis.
Dated: July 5, 2024.
Debbie-Anne A. Reese,
Acting Secretary.

[FR Doc. 2024-15301 Filed: 7/11/2024 8:45 am; Publication Date: 7/12/2024]