Hydropower Reform Coalition - Iowa

License issued for continued operation of Ottumwa

Rupak Thapaliya — Thu, 01 May 2008 10:39:36 -0500

On April 30, 2008 FERC issued a license for operation of the Ottumwa project located on Des Moines River in Ottumwa, IA- 80 miles southeast of Des Moines. This 3.25 MW project is operated as run-of-river consisting of a 18-foot high dam and three generating units.

The license is issued on a condition that the City of Ottumwa, which operates the project, will provide FERC with plans and schedules regarding dam safety operations within 6 months of issuance of this license. According to FERC, the licensee is currently in violation for not filing such plans.

The license also requires Ottumwa to file a recreation management plan within 6 months. The plan, according to FERC, should address access points for fishing at the dam and access sites at the Blackhawk and Haupert rivers.

FERC recommends licensing of Ottumwa Hydroproject

Rupak Thapaliya — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 11:25:49 -0600

Project: Ottumwa : P-925

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission released the Environmental Assessment for the Ottumwa Hydropower Project (P-925) last month in which it recommended licensing of this 3.2 MW project located on the Des Moines river in the City of Ottumwa. In the EA, FERC has identified fish entrainment mortality as an "unavoidable adverse impact" but stated that this long term impact is expected to be minor.

Comments can be filed with the FERC secretary by Jan 21, 2008.

FERC issues NEPA Scoping Document for Ottumwa project relicensing

John Seebach — Tue, 05 Dec 2006 11:05:47 -0600

Project: Ottumwa : P-925

FERC has issued a NEPA scoping document for the relicensing of the Ottumwa Project in Wapello County, Iowa. The deadline for comments is January 4, 2007. Section 5 of the scoping document explains how to submit comments.

For this project, FERC plans to issue a single Environmental Analysis (EA) with a 30-day public comment period to follow.