WPCU) ;eC%96'7eGf$o)!:f~ #037 gW 7\rHR ow/ChT׃1HbQQ6,'{V ^f#̶)&Rs6ps}:Idъa+S`qhdX'5Ѷ` \啺*$6N_]XdcԲlj*>`ylT2Ԣ*֞r|a f9 ć^ J 9PO^է}.f%ORGB* ?}QAyZiCqGFBNbYʹuDs Pye >Y)A,ᔞ^}햍ew?ϑ m} gm77k$OֹVqhPr6U >2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0} 0n 0\ 0J 02 0 0 0 0 0 0~ 0Z 06 0 0 0 0 0 0 0c 0> 0 0< 0< 0"! 0! 0Y," 0%"U>#*# 0%U,%& 0&#&UN( %(M(((N)^ )w$)4()<) m>)\  `&Times New Roman' January 27, 2005 kelly20kelly2 .   2P+M 0_level1  , 8.4 <DL!823  ..  5+ 4 <DL!5  2M+M 0_level2  X 5+4 44 <DL!523  ..  5+ 4 <DL!5  2M+M 0_level3   5+` ` ` <DL!523  ..  5+ 4 <DL!5  2J+M 0_level4   2( <DL!223  ..  5+ 4 <DL!5  2J+M 0_level5   2( <DL!223  ..  5+ 4 <DL!5  2G+M 0_level6   /% <DL!/23  ..  5+ 4 <DL!5  2G+M 0_level7  4 /% <DL!/23  ..  5+ 4 <DL!5  2D+M 0_level8  ` ,"< <<DL!,23  ..  5+ 4 <DL!5  2D+M 0_level9   ,"h hhDL!,23  ..  5+ 4 <DL!5  2PM 0_levsl1  , 8.4 <DL!823  Ԁ  5+ 4 <DL!5  2MM 0_levsl2  X 5+4 44 <DL!523  Ԁ  5+ 4 <DL!5  2MM 0_levsl3   5+` ` ` <DL!523  Ԁ  5+ 4 <DL!5  2JM 0_levsl4   2( <DL!223  Ԁ  5+ 4 <DL!5  2JM 0_levsl5   2( <DL!223  Ԁ  5+ 4 <DL!5  2GM 0_levsl6   /% <DL!/23  Ԁ  5+ 4 <DL!5  2GM 0_levsl7  4 /% <DL!/23  Ԁ  5+ 4 <DL!5  2DM 0_levsl8  ` ,"< <<DL!,23  Ԁ  5+ 4 <DL!5  2DM 0_levsl9   ,"h hhDL!,23  Ԁ  5+ 4 <DL!5  2PM 0_levnl1  , 8.4 <DL!823   5+ 4 <DL!5  2MM 0_levnl2  X 5+4 44 <DL!523   5+ 4 <DL!5  2MM 0_levnl3   5+` ` ` <DL!523   5+ 4 <DL!5  2JM 0_levnl4   2( <DL!223   5+ 4 <DL!5  2JM 0_levnl5   2( <DL!223   5+ 4 <DL!5  2GM 0_levnl6   /% <DL!/23   5+ 4 <DL!5  2GM 0_levnl7  4 /% <DL!/23   5+ 4 <DL!5  2DM 0_levnl8  ` ,"< <<DL!,23   5+ 4 <DL!5  2DM 0_levnl9   ,"h hhDL!,23   5+ 4 <DL!5  6/ 4Heading 1XXX    XXX<:Default Para6 4Body Text 0> .Header !>44 <DL!>0> .Footer !>44 <DL!>64Hyperlink    .}z ,Title   S%.~&ITC BookmanDemiS    XXXS\  `&Times New RomanS.~&ITC BookmanDemi  ''..      ,X,XX,XX,XX,X,  _!! !X!    !  (2$ *g!..      ,X,XX,XX,XX,X,  (\ Y`Symbol#|x(g$..      ,X,XX,XX,XX,X,HP LaserJet 4,,,,,,0(9 Z6Times New Roman Regular,X>2 t1'20803U *g!..      ,X,XX,XX,XX,X,  _       &XX$ XX,% BG     $  FRIENDSOFTHERIVER$݌  Ќ  %XfXX% BGX,XX%XfX     XX,%Y  91520THStreet,Sacramento,CA95691 , 9164423155(y%Y _ _%Y (yԀFAX:9164423396(y%Y _ _%Y (yԀwww.friendsoftheriver.org    %XfXX%Y X,XX%XfXJanuary27,2005  m Ms._Magalie_ԀRoman_Salas_  9 Secretary    FederalEnergyRegulatoryCommission    888FirstStreet,NE   Washington,D.C.20426        h  RE:Commentson_Scoping_ԀDocument1andPacificGasandElectricsPre M  ApplicationDocumentfortheDeSablaCentervilleHydroelectricProject(FERC 3  Project803) h݌ i Ќ  DearMs._Salas_, 5 FriendsoftheRiverappreciatestheopportunitytoprovidecommentson_Scoping_  Document1andPacificGasandElectrics(PG&E)PreApplicationDocumentforthe  DeSablaCentervilleHydroelectricProject(FERCProject803).Ourcommentswillfirst } address_Scoping_ԀDocument1beforeaddressingthePreApplicationDocumentand c PacificGasandElectricsproposedstudyplans. I X,XXX,     & J 4   Commentson_Scoping_ԀDocument14   i Ԍ e Ќ X,XXX,  ProcessIngeneral,FriendsoftheRiver(FOR)ispleasedthatFERChasdecidedto K perform_scoping_ԀearlierintheILPthaninotherrelicensingprocesses.WethinkthePAD, 1 aspreparedbyPG&E,isawonderfultoolforpullingtogetherexistinginformationfor  usein_scoping_.However,FORisconcernedthat_scoping_Ԁhasbeendonetooearlyandthat  thePADdoesnotprovideadequateinformationtodeterminewhichalternativesshould   beevaluatedinFERCsNEPAanalysis.'J  y!  Ordinarily,intheALPand_TLP_Ԁprocesses,FERChaswaitedtodoits_scoping_Ԁuntilsome E#" ofthestudieshavebeencompletedanddatagapshavebeenfilled.Thishasallowedboth +${# FERCandstakeholderstomakeinformeddecisions,basedonscience,aboutwhich %a $ alternativesneedtobeevaluatedintheNEPAanalysis.ThePAD,thoughprovidinga %G!% significantamountofinformation,doesnotprovideenoughinformationtomakean &-"& informeddecisionaboutwhichalternativesshouldbeevaluatedintheNEPAanalysis. '#' DespitetheinformationpulledtogetherbyPG&EinthePAD,datagapsstillexist.Tofill (#( thosedatagaps,PG&Ehasproposedstudiesthatwillprovideadditionalinformationto )$) informdecisionmakingabouttheproject. u*%* FORfeelsthatthisadditionaldatawillbehelpfulinmakinganinformeddecisionabout A,', whichalternativesneedtobeevaluatedintheNEPAanalysis.WehopethatFERCwill '-w(- _considerthedatafromPG&Esproposedstudiesandstakeholdercommentswhenthey  becomeavailableandbeopentoamendingtheirNEPAalternativesasnecessarybased  onthenewinformationtobeprovidedbythestudies. | ParticipationofFERCstaffFORispleasedthatFERCstaffhasbeensoinvolvedinthe H ILPthusfar.WerecognizethatinthenewILPprocess,FERCstaffwalksafineline . ~ betweenbeingdecisionmakersandparticipants.FORfeelsthatFERCstaffhave  d conductedthemselveswithahighdegreeofprofessionalismandwefindtheir  J participationtobeanasset.  0 ProductionofanEAvs.anEISFERCsregulationsprovidethatanEISmustbe    completedformajorfederalactionsthatsignificantlyaffectthequalityofthehuman   environment.18CFR380.6(b)TheDeSablaCentervilleprojectcontinuestoimpact x  thosewholiveonandaroundButteCreek.Theprojecthastemperatureandwaterquality ^  impactsthataffectthecreeksaestheticsandmayhavecontributedtolargefishkillson D  ButteCreek.ThefisheriesofButteCreekhavebeenseverelyimpactedinrecentyears. *z  AnEISwouldprovideamoreindepthanalysisoftheimpactsoftheprojectonthe ` fisheriesofButteCreekandwouldallowstakeholdersandFERCtomakeawell F informeddecisionabouthowtheprojectshouldbemanagedtoreduceitsimpactsonthe , ButteCreekecosystem.  ButteCreeksupportsoneofthelargestrunsofthreatenedspringrunChinooksalmonin  CaliforniasCentralValley.Italsosupportsthreatenedsteelhead.NEPAguidelines t requireanEISforaprojectthatmayresultinsignificantimpactstoESAlistedspecies Z andtheirhabitat. @ ̀Additionally,theprojectattractsrecreationists,whocancreateconflictswithprivate  \ landowners,increasemanagementproblems(littercleanup,trashdisposal),and B potentiallystressthreatenedsalmonthatholdindeeppoolsinthecreekduringthepeak ( summerrecreationseason.Forthesereasons,FORfeelsthattheDeSablaCenterville  projecthassignificanteffectsonthehumanenvironmentofButteCreekandweask  FERCtoconsiderperforminganEIS.   Inadditiontoimpactstothehumanenvironment,theBureauofLandManagement V"! (ReddingFieldOffice)hasdetermineda14.2milesegmentofButteCreekaffectedby <#" theDeSablaCentervilleprojecttobeeligibleforNationalWild&ScenicRiverstatus,in "$r# recognitionofitsoutstandinglyremarkablescenic,recreational,historical/cultural,and %X $ geologicalvalues.Federalguidelinesrequirefederalagenciestoprotectandenhancethe %>!% freeflowingcharacterandoutstandingvaluesofeligiblestreamsuntilafinaldecisionis &$"& madeconcerningthesuitabilityofdesignationbyCongress.Thus,thealternatives ' #' evaluatedinFERCsNEPAdocumentshouldconsiderwaystoprotectandenhancethe (#( outstandinglyremarkablequalitiesofButteCreekaspartoftherelicensingprocess. )$)   8,', X,XXX,     & d  c   CommentsonthePreApplicationDocumentc   Ԍ  Ќ X,XXX,  Ingeneral,FriendsoftheRiverthinksthatPG&Edidagoodjobofputtingtogethera  comprehensivePAD.Wefeeltheextensiveinformationandproposedstudiesprovidedin | thePADhavecontributedgreatlytostakeholderknowledgeandtheefficiencyofthe b DeSablaCentervilleILP.WesincerelyhopethatFERCwillusePG&EsPADasthe H standardtobeachievedinotherILPs.'d  . ~ TheremainderofourcommentsonthePADwillfocusonstudyplansandspecific  J studiesproposedbyPG&E.  0 MonitoringandDevelopmentofaWaterTemperatureModelStudyplan6.3.24states    thegoalofthisstudyisto:1)providemonitoringsufficienttoassessprojectrelatedwater   temperaturerelicensingissues;and2)developastreamtemperaturemodelthatcanbe x  usedtoevaluatetherangeofoperationalalternativesformanagingstreamtemperatures ^  inlowerButteCreekduringsummermonths(JunethroughSeptember)8forthebenefit D  ofspringrunChinooksalmon.FriendsoftheRiverconcurswiththesegoalsandasserts *z  thattheywouldbebetterachievedifPG&Econsideredaddinganevaluationofwater ` temperatureintheWestBranchFeatherRiver(WBFR)inadditiontothemodeling F proposedinButteCreek.WearesupportiveofrequestsfromtheStateWaterResources , ControlBoard(SWRCB)andtheForestService(USFS)tomodeltheWBFRbelow  HendricksDiversionDam.Specifically,werequestthatsuchmodelingeffortexamine  summerlethaltemperaturesforaquaticspecies.Inlightofrecentextremelyhotwater  temperaturesandfishkillsinButteCreek,FORconsidersitimperativethatstudiesdone t inthisrelicensingprovideanadequateunderstandingofwatertemperaturesinbothButte Z CreekandtheWBFRandhowthetransferofwaterfromWBFRtoButteCreekeffects @ watertemperaturesinButteCreek. &v Likewise,FORissupportiveoftherequestfromFriendsofButteCreek(FBC)that B PG&EconsiderincludingthetwoCDFGtemperaturemonitorsbelowCenterville ( Powerhouseinitsstudy.FORagreeswithFBCthatthisdatamaybeusefulin  determiningtheaffectoftheDeSablaCentervilleprojectonwatertemperaturesinButte  CreekwhentherearenodiversionsfromtheWBFR.Again,FORconsidersitimperative   thatthestudiesyieldanunderstandingoftemperaturesineachcomponentpartofthe p!  project(i.e.WBFRandButteCreek)andhowthosepartsandtheprojectitselfinteract V"! andimpactthetemperaturesinButteCreek. <#" InstreamFlowStudyFORwouldlikePG&Etoconsiderincorporatingsomedifferent %X $ methodologyintoitsinstreamflowstudy.Wearenotcertainofthefeasibilityof %>!% performinganinstreamflowstudysimilartowhatPG&EperformedonthePit3,4,5 &$"& relicensingonButteCreekandWBFR,butFORfoundthemethodsusedtheretoyield ' #' lotsofgooddataonhowdifferentflowsaffectstreamandriparianhabitatforfishand (#( amphibians.Specifically,inadditiontotheIFIMandPHABSIMmethodsproposed,FOR )$) wouldlikePG&EtoconsiderusingthehabitatmappingmethodusedonthePit3,4,5 l*%* relicensingorotherappropriatemappingmethod.Itisourunderstandingthatinaddition R+&+ toIFIMandPHABSIM,flyoversofthePitRiverweredoneandphotosweretaken 8,', showingtheriveratdifferentflows.Thesephotosprovidedavaluable realitycheckon -n(- themodelsandthedataprovidedcouldbeusedtoevaluatehabitatfordifferentaquatic  andamphibianspecies.Again,FORisnotcertainofthefeasibilityofthisapproachon  ButteCreek,butwefoundthisvaluableonthePit3,4,5relicensingandwouldlike | PG&EtoconsiderifasimilarapproachwouldbevaluablefortheDeSablaCenterville b relicensing. H Additionally,FORissupportiveoftheUSFSsrequestthatatechnicalsubcommitteebe  d formedtodiscussthedetailsofthisstudyplan.Likewise,wecommendPG&Efor  J agreeingtodosoandmovingquicklytoestablishthesubgroupsetupameeting.FOR  0 feelsitisimportantthatthestudyplanmethodologyandotherdetailsbedeveloped    collaborativelyandthatsubcommitteediscussionsfocusonselectingthemethodology    thatwillyieldthemostrelevantinformationfordecisionmaking.   BenthicMacroinvertebratesSurveyIntheDecember28,2004versionofthestudyplan, ^  PG&EproposestoconductBMIsamplinginfall2005toestablishbaselinedatafor D  projectaffectedstreamreaches.However,inthePADsection6.3.3,underitsdescription *z  oftheproposedBMIstudy,PG&Eproposessamplingforupto2years.Friendsofthe ` RiverfeelsstronglythattheBMIstudyshouldcollectdataforatleasttwofieldseasons F toestablishbaselinedata.Macroinvertebratepopulationsarehighlyvariablefromyearto , yearandweassertthatoneyearofdataissimplynotenoughtodevelopanadequate  understandingofbaselineconditions.  Further,FORwouldliketorequestthatPG&Edistributetostakeholdersresultsfromthe t fall2005sampling(whenavailable)toallowstakeholdersandPG&Etoevaluateif Z changesneedtobemadetosamplingmethodorlocation. @ Again,thankyoufortheopportunitytocommentontheScopingDocument1andthe  \ PreApplicationDocument.Ifyouhaveanyquestions,pleasefeelfreetocontactmeat B (916)4423155ext.223. ( Sincerely,  /s/ p!  KellyL.Catlett <#" PolicyAdvocate "$r# FriendsoftheRiver %X $