Separately, FERC has granted an extension of time to Woronoco Hydro for its production of a fish passage plan for Atlantic salmon and American eel at its facility on Westfield River, Hampden county, Massachusetts.
Avista filed two applications in 2005 for new licences for its 14.75MW Post Falls plant and the 122.9MW Spokane River Developments, located along at various sites along the river - in Kootenai and Benewah counties, Idaho and Spokane, Lincoln, and Stevens counties, Washington.
Power generated by the combined capacity of 137.65MW from five hydro plants accounts for approximately 6% of Avista's generation resources in the area. Key issues in the relicensing application include erosion and sedimentation, water quality and volumes, fisheries, wetlands, recreation and culture.
The final environmental impact statement (EIS) for Avista's relicensing application has been submitted to FERC's committee for consideration. FERC staff recommended that the relicensing should be approved as per Avista's suggested works but with some additional items such as water temperature monitoring, fisheries education, recording ramp rates and developing a land use plan.
