Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) staff have prepared a final environmental impact statement (EIS) to evaluate the environmental effects of relicensing the 142.5 MW R.L. Harris hydroelectric project No. 2628 (Harris project), located on the Tallapoosa River near the City of Lineville in Randolph, Clay, and Cleburne Counties, Alabama. The Harris project also includes land within the James D. Martin-Skyline Wildlife Management Area (Skyline WMA) located approximately 110 miles north of Harris Lake in Jackson County, Alabama. The project occupies 4.9 acres of federal land administered by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM).
On 23 November 2021, Alabama Power Co. filed an application for a new license with the FERC to continue to operate and maintain the Harris project (FERC No. 2628). Alabama Power supplemented the application on 23 March 2022, 15 June 2022, and 27 December 2022.
This is the first relicensing process for the Harris project, which was originally licensed in 1973. The primary issues identified during the relicensing process are effects of peaking operations on:
- Erosion of private property along the Tallapoosa River downstream from Harris Dam.
- Water quality, including effects of (cold) temperatures and low dissolved oxygen on aquatic species (i.e., diversity and abundance) and their habitats in the Tallapoosa River downstream from Harris Dam.
- Water quantity, including the volume, velocity, and frequency, of peaking flows on flooding during wet years, and, more generally, on public safety during recreation activities in the Tallapoosa River downstream from Harris Dam.
In the final EIS, Commission staff recommends relicensing the Harris project under the Staff Alternative, which includes most of Alabama Power’s proposed measures, as well as certain mandatory conditions and recommendations made by state and federal agencies and some staff-recommended modifications to further minimise project-related effects on aquatic and terrestrial resources, threatened and endangered species, recreation, and cultural resources.
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Read the article online at: https://www.energyglobal.com/other-renewables/01042025/ferc-issues-final-eis-for-rl-harris-hydroelectric-project/
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