2018-03384. City of Radford; Notice of 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.: 1235-017.

c. Date filed: May 30, 2017.

d. Applicant: City of Radford.

e. Name of Project: Municipal Hydroelectric Project.

f. Location: On the Little River near the City of Radford in Montgomery and Pulaski Counties, Virginia. The project does not affect federal lands.

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

h. Applicant Contact: Tim Logwood, Director of Electric Utilities for the City of Radford, 701 17th Street, Radford, VA 24141; Telephone [phone].

i. FERC Contact: Allyson Conner, [phone] or [e-mail].

j. Deadline for filing 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 comments, recommendations, terms and conditions, and prescriptions using the Commission's eFiling system at http://www.ferc.gov/​docs-filing/​efiling.asp. Commenters can submit brief comments up to 6,000 characters, without prior registration, using the eComment system at http://www.ferc.gov/​docs-filing/​ecomment.asp. You must include your name and contact information at the end of your comments. For assistance, please contact FERC Online Support at [e-mail], [phone] (toll free), or [phone] (TTY). In lieu of electronic filing, please send a paper copy to: Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE, Washington, DC 20426. The first page of any filing should include docket number P-1235-017.

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, and is ready for environmental analysis at this time.

l. The existing Municipal Hydroelectric Project consists of: (1) A 293-foot-long, 58-foot-high reinforced concrete slab and buttress dam that includes: (a) A south non-overflow section; (b) an overflow bulkhead section; (c) an eight-bay spillway section each with a steel tainter gate; (d) a powerhouse intake section; and (e) a north non-overflow section; (2) a 77-acre impoundment with a gross storage capacity of 562 acre-feet at a normal pool elevation of 1,772 feet National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929 (NGVD29) and a net storage capacity of 220 acre-feet between elevations 1,768 and 1,772 feet; (3) a 20-foot, 3-inch-wide intake section with angled steel trash racks (3-inch by 5/16th-inch trash rack bars spaced 2.5 inches on center) and a steel roller type head gate; (4) a 27-foot-long steel-lined penstock in concrete that transitions from a 13.5-foot-wide, 11-foot-high entrance to an 8-foot-diameter conveyance to the turbine scroll case; (5) a 30-foot-long, 28-foot-wide, and 62-foot-high powerhouse containing a single 1,185-kilowatt turbine-generator unit; (6) a 2.7-mile-long transmission line connected to the grid; and (7) appurtenant facilities.

The City of Radford proposes to revise its exhibit G to include transmission facilities composed of only three, 560-foot-long, 4.16-kV overhead conductors that transmit power to a switched disconnect/interconnection with the local distribution grid. The City of Radford states that the formerly licensed transmission line now serves to distribute power to other sources along its length and is no longer part of the project.

The City of Radford operates the project in both run-of-river and peaking modes. For the period 1984 through 2013, the project's average annual generation was about 4,550 megawatt-hours.

m. A copy of the application is available for review at the Commission in the Public Reference Room or may 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. For assistance, contact FERC Online Support. A copy is also available for inspection and reproduction at the address in item h above.

All filings must (1) bear in all capital letters the title “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, address, and telephone number 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. Each filing 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.

You may also register online at http://www.ferc.gov/​docs-filing/​esubscription.asp to be notified via email of new filings and issuances related to this or other pending projects. For assistance, contact FERC Online Support.

n. A license 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.

o. Procedural schedule: The application will be processed according to the following schedule. Revisions to the schedule will be made as appropriate.

Milestone	Target date
Deadline for Filing Comments, Recommendations and Agency Terms and Conditions/Prescriptions	April 2018.
Deadline for Filing Reply Comments	May 2018.
Commission issues EA	October 2018.
Comments on EA Due	November 2018.

Dated: February 13, 2018.

Nathaniel J. Davis, Sr.,

Deputy Secretary.