Project effects such as the fluctuation of reservoir water surfaces can result in impacts to shorelines, including aesthetic and recreation resources, as well as ecological function (e.g., nutrient cycling, fish and wildlife habitat) (FERC 2001, Kimball and Hovey 2002).
In situations where project owners have direct management responsibilities over shorelines, analyzing developmental impacts to shoreline values is also part of the licensing process. The FERC guidance document on shoreline management advises: “the licensee should have an idea of what the project's aesthetic resources are, areas of the project that are considered to have high aesthetic value, why those areas have high values, and who values the aesthetic resources. Aesthetic attributes that are commonly valued include vegetated shorelines, clean water, the presence of wildlife, and views of water. Conversely, licensees should have an idea of highly valued shoreline views that are threatened or have been degraded by past development.”
The first step of assessing effects to shorelines is to synthesize basic inventory data generated from geological, botanical, wildlife, and aquatic surveys, as well as land management information on shoreline ownership and applicable zoning regulations. Further analysis, on subjects such as aquatic habitat, sediment supply, or terrestrial connectivity studies, outlined in Sections 4.5, 3.2, and 6.1, may also be appropriate. These studies inform shoreline management plan features, including appropriate buffer widths and assignment of environmental sensitive zones. A “threat” assessment may also be conducted to determine how various developmental build out scenarios would affect identified ecological values.
These approaches have been applied at the Housatonic Hydroelectric Project (FERC Project No. 2597-019) on the Housatonic River, Connecticut; the Nantahala Hydroelectric Project (FERC Project No. 2692) on the Nantahala and Tuckasegee rivers, North Carolina; and the Smith Mountain Hydroelectric Project (FERC Project No. 2210) on the Roanoke River, Virginia.
8.2.1 Selected references
Kimball, K. D., and M. Hovey. 2002. Protecting shorelands as part of the hydroelectric relicensing process. Prepared by Research Department, Appalachian Mountain Club, Gorham, New Hampshire for American Rivers and the Hydropower Reform Coalition.
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