Notice of Application Ready for Environmental Analysis

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Notice of Application Ready for Environmental Analysis

December 31, 1996.

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.: 1984-056.

c. Date filed: January 25, 1996.

d. Applicant: Wisconsin River Power Company.

e. Name of Project: Petenwell and Castle Rock Hydroelectric

Project.

f. Location: On the Wisconsin River in Adams, Juneau, and Wood

Counties, Wisconsin.

g. Filed pursuant to: Federal Power Act, 16 USC 791(a)-825(r).

h. Applicant Contact: Richard L. Hilliker, President, Wisconsin

River Power Company, P.O. Box 8050, Wisconsin Rapids, WI 54495-8050,

(715) 422-3722.

i. FERC Contact: Frank Karwoski at (202) 219-2782.

j. Deadline Date: See standard paragraph D10.

k. Status of Environmental Analysis: This application has been

accepted for filing and is ready for environmental analysis at this

time.

l. Description of Project: The Petenwell and Castle Rock project

consists of the 20-MW Petenwell Development and the 15-MW Castle Rock

Development. Together these developments provide average annual

generation of about 200,000 Mwh. Wisconsin River Power Company (WRPCo)

is owned by Consolidated Water Power Company (CWPCo), Wisconsin Public

Service Corporation (WPSC), and Wisconsin Power & Light Company (WP&L).

These owners each use about one-third of the project's power.

Project operation and administration is provided by CWPCo.

Maintenance and plant surveillance is provided by WRPCo. The project is

operated on a seasonal basis for flood control, power generation, and

recreation enhancement. The Petenwell Development is operated in a

peaking mode when river flows fall below the development's hydraulic

capacity, although it is generally operated such that daily average

outflows equal inflows. The reservoir's water level varies seasonally

to provide for flood control, reservoir recreation, and downstream

power production. The Castle Rock Development is operated in a modified

run-of-river mode allowing some peaking superimposed on a base-level

flow and providing for a recreation flow through the Wisconsin Dells.

Petenwell Development--The Petenwell Development consists of: (1) a

reservoir with a drainage area of 5,800 square miles, a normal surface

area of 25,180 acres and a storage volume of 495,000 acre-feet at the

normal operating water surface elevation of 923.9 feet NGVD which is

controlled by Petenwell Dam located at river mile 171.9 on the

Wisconsin River in Wisconsin; (2) and East Dike which is 7,000 feet

long and 20 feet high with top width of 12 feet at a crest elevation of

933.9 feet NGVD and side slopes of 2.5H: 1V, constructed of compacted

sand with riprapped upstream face; (3) an East Dam which is 8,000 feet

long and 50 feet high with top width of 12 feet at a crest elevation of

933.9 feet NGVD and side slopes of 2.5H:1V, constructed of compacted

sand with riprapped upstream face and gravel toe drains; (4) a West

Dike which is five miles long and 20 feet high with top width of 12

feet at a crest elevation of 933.9 feet NGVD and side slopes of

2.5H:1V, constructed of compacted sand with riprapped upstream face;

(5) a West Dam which is 500 feet long and 50 feet high with top width

of 12 feet at a crest elevation of 933.9 feet NGVD and side slopes of

2.5H:1V, constructed of compacted sand with riprapped upstream face and

gravel toe drains; (6) a 525-foot-long concrete overflow spillway with

30-foot-deep sheetpile cutoff and a crest elevation of 905.9 feet NGVD,

with 15 radial gates, each 30 feet wide and 18 feet high, operated by

individual hydraulic cylinder hoists and separated by concrete piers;

(7) a regulating bay containing one electric chain hoist operating a

30-foot-wide by 18-foot-high radial gate and a stilling basin separated

from the rest of the spillway by a concrete wall; (8) a 159-foot-long

powerhouse with 110-foot-wide concrete substructure, including intake

and draft tubes, 50-foot-wide masonry superstructure and truss

supported roof, containing four turbine/generating units having a total

rated capacity of 20 MW and total hydraulic capacity of 6,720 cfs,

protected by trashracks with 4.5-inch openings; (9) four S. Morgan

Smith 110-inch diameter four-blade vertical Kaplan turbines with rated

head of 41 feet and rated output of 7,200 horsepower, operating at

163.6 rpm and controlled by Woodward type H.R. governors rated at

60,000 ft-lbs; (10) four vertical General Electric synchronous

generators operating at 163.6 rpm with power factor of 0.8 rated at

6,250 KVA; (11) a switchyard containing two Westinghouse 6.9/138 Kv

power transformers rated at 15 MVA; and (12) accessory equipment

including a 50-ton overhead traveling crane in the powerhouse, two

gantry cranes, a compressed air system, spillway bubbler system, and a

battery bank.

Castle Rock Development--The Castle Rock Development consists of:

(1) a reservoir with a drainage area of 6,870 square miles, a normal

surface area of 14,900 acres and a storage volume of 136,000 acre-feet

at the normal operating water surface elevation of 881.9 feet NGVD

which is controlled by Castle Rock Dam located at river mile 156.7 on

the Wisconsin River in Wisconsin; (2) an East Dike which is 3.3 miles

long and less than 25 feet high with top width of 12 feet at a crest

elevation of 891.4 feet NGVD and side slopes of 2.5H:1V, constructed of

compacted sand with riprapped upstream face; (3) an earth dam which is

1,400 feet long and 45 feet high with top width of 12 feet at a crest

elevation of 891.4 feet NGVD and side slopes of 2.5H:1V, constructed of

compacted sand with riprapped upstream face and gravel toe drains; (4)

a saddle dike which is 500 feet long; (5) a 590-foot-long concrete

overflow spillway with 35-foot-deep sheetpile cutoff and a crest

elevation of 863.4 feet NGVD with 17 radial gates, each 30 feet wide

and 18 feet high, operated by individual hydraulic cylinder hoists and

separated by concrete piers; (6) a regulating bay containing one

electric chain hoist operated 30-foot-wide by 18-foot-high radial gate

and stilling basin separated from the rest of the spillway by a

concrete wall; (7) a 193-foot-long powerhouse with 107-foot-wide

concrete substructure, including intake and draft tubes, 50-foot-wide

masonry superstructure and truss supported roof, containing five

turbine/generating units having a total rated capacity of 15 MW and

total hydraulic capacity of 7,520 cfs protected by trashracks with 4.5-

inch openings; (8) five S. Morgan Smith 110-

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inch diameter four-blade vertical Kaplan turbines with rated head of 28

feet and rated output of 4,370 horsepower operating at 150 rpm; (9)

five vertical Allis Chalmers synchronous generators operating at 150

rpm with power factor of 0.8 rated at 3,750 KVA; (10) a switchyard

containing two 4.2/69 Kv power transformers rated at 15 MVA; (11)

accessory equipment including a 34-ton overhead traveling crane in the

powerhouse, two gantry cranes, a compressed air system, spillway

bubbler system, and a battery bank; and (12) three parcels of land

owned by the United States comprising a total of 3.71 acres.

m. Purpose of Project: Project power would be provided to CWPCo,

WPSC, and WP&L; who would either use the power or utilize it for sale

to their customers.

n. This notice also consists of the following standard paragraphs:

A4 and D10.

o. Available Locations of Application: A copy of the application is

available for inspection and reproduction at the Commission's Public

Reference and Files Maintenance Branch, located at 888 First Street,

NE., Washington, DC 20426 or by calling (202) 208-1371. A copy is also

available for inspection and reproduction at Richard L. Hilliker,

President, Wisconsin River Power Company, P.O. Box 8050, Wisconsin

Rapids, WI 54495-8050, (715) 422-3722.

A4. Development Application--Public notice of the filing of the

initial development application, which has already been given,

established the due date for filing competing applications or notices

of intent. Under the Commission's regulations, any competing

development application must be filed in response to and in compliance

with the public notice of the initial development application. No

competing applications or notices of intent may be filed in response to

this notice.

D10. Filing and Service of Responsive Documents--The application is

ready for environmental analysis at this time, and the Commission is

requesting comments, reply comments, recommendations, terms and

conditions, and prescriptions.

The Commission directs, pursuant to section 4.34(b) of the

regulations (see Order No. 533 issued May 8, 1991, 56 Fed. Reg. 23108

(May 20, 1991)), that all comments, recommendations, terms and

conditions and prescriptions concerning the application be filed with

the Commission within 60 days from issuance date of this notice. All

reply comments must be filed with the Commission within 105 days from

the date of this notice.

Anyone may obtain an extension of time for these deadlines from the

Commission only upon a showing of good cause or extraordinary

circumstances in accordance with 18 CFR 385.2008.

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 and 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). Any of these documents must be filed by

providing the original and the number of copies required by the

Commission's regulations to: Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory

Commission, 888 First Street, NE., Washington, DC 20426. An additional

copy must be sent to: Director, Division of Licensing and Compliance,

Office of Hydropower Licensing, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission,

at the above address. Each filing must be accompanied by proof of

service on all persons listed in the service list prepared by the

Commission in this proceeding, in accordance with 18 CFR 4.34(b) and

385.2010.

Lois D. Cashell,

Secretary.

[FR Doc. 97-208 Filed 1-6-97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6717-01-M