Augusta Canal Hydropower Project Licensing

Client: ZEL Engineers and the City of Atlanta

Location: City of August, GA

Summary: Augusta Canal Hydropower Project (ACHP) is a multi-purpose operated for municipal water supply, hydropower operations for municipal water pumping and private industrial use, recreation, and a variety of other beneficial uses. Cardno ENTRIX served as the environmental, technical and regulatory consultant, participating with the City of Augusta licensing team in all aspects of the process, technical, and strategic permitting issues during the licensing process.

Using the FERC Traditional Licensing Process (TLP), the Final License Application was filed with FERC in March 2006. Consultation throughout the licensing process has moved well beyond TLP requirements, and native tribes, ESA Section 7 (NOAA Fish, USFWS); U.S. Army Corps Section 404 wetlands; Clean Water Act Section 401 Water Quality Certification; Georgia SHPO Consultation and Section 106, and consultation with the National Park Service due to the project being within the Augusta Canal National Heritage Area and Historic Augusta Canal and Industrial District.

In close coordination with a multi-agency stakeholder group, Cardno ENTRIX designed and completed the Savannah River Instream Flow Study. The study was designed to establish the flows needed to maintain and enhance anadromous and resident fish habitat and populations, fish passage and other instream values. The study included extensive hydrologic analyses, anadromous fish passage evaluations, fisheries biological assessments, and temperature/water quality monitoring. Cardno ENTRIX provided strategic planning, consultation, and technical assistance for the submittal of resource reports, negotiation with agencies, and submittal of a license application, and development of a Settlement Agreement.

Cardno ENTRIX evaluated flow and operational alternatives and the frequency of need for Augusta Canal restrictions and changes to the seasonal minimum flow levels. To evaluate project economics, Cardno ENTRIX developed an automated Canal Operations Tool and Decision Support Tool to evaluate how Canal reductions could be achieved and the frequency and cost of those reductions under different instream flow assumptions. Cardno ENTRIX and ZEL Engineers developed a Low-Flow Management Plan to operate the Augusta Canal year-round and during drought and emergency conditions while meeting instream flow requirements and water pumping and raw water needs. The study results and flow management tools were used in the development and evaluation of alternative instream flows and operations leading to the development of a successful Settlement Agreement with Georgia and South Carolina agencies