Hydropower Licensing, Relicensing, and Compliance

FERC Licensing NEPA Support Services

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Louis Berger Group)
Meridian has been a contractor to the FERC since 1998, conducting over 25 NEPA environmental analyses for hydroelectric and hydrokinetic projects throughout the United States. Our work involves reviewing license applications and other applicant filings to ensure compliance with the FERC regulations and policies and preparing EISs and EAs. We address issues such as fish passage, instream flows, ramping rates, entrainment, reservoir fluctuation, bank stability, instream and riparian habitat quality, invasive plant management, wetlands and old-growth, wildlife movement and migration, listed species, grazing, and shoreline management.

Lewis River Hydroelectric Projects Relicensing

PacifiCorp and Cowlitz County PUD
Meridian was the lead consultant for this nine year program that successfully relicensed four major hydroelectric projects in southwestern Washington. We managed preparation of all FERC licensing documents and technical reports. Our technical roles included inventorying over 100 miles of potential anadromous fish habitat; documenting the life history, distribution and abundance of Chinook, coho, steelhead, sea-run cutthroat trout and nine other fish species in the basin; evaluating hatchery management goals and operations; and preparing Biological Assessments for ESA-listed salmon, steelhead and bull trout.

Henry M. Jackson Hydroelectric Project Relicensing

Public Utility District No. 1 of Snohomish County
Meridian is lead consultant for relicensing of this 104 MW hydroelectric and municipal water supply project. Our services include strategy workshops, stakeholder consultation, resource study plan development and study implementation. We studied reservoir productivity using hydroacoustic surveys and gill netting, took temperature profile measurements, and conducted zooplankton and neuston sampling. We advised the client on protection, mitigation and enhancement measures for the term of a new license, and prepared the Preliminary License Proposal and the Final License Application.

Ohio and Kanawha River Hydrokinetic Projects, OH, IN, IL, KY, WV, MO, TN, AL

McGinnis, Inc.
Meridian Environmental assisted McGinnis, Inc. in obtaining preliminary permits from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to investigate the potential for constructing hydrokinetic projects at 18 sites located below existing U.S. Army Corps of Engineers locks and dams in the Ohio and upper Mississippi River basins. Meridian assembled a consultant team, worked with the client and FERC staff to develop a strategy for licensing multiple projects at the same time, initiated consultation with stakeholder groups in four states, and coordinated Meridian's preparation of a draft Pre-Application Document for the first nine sites.

Cowlitz River Hydroelectric Project Relicensing and Implementation

Tacoma Power
Meridian staff managed the multi-year relicensing of this 462-megawatt, two dam generating complex. Services for this multi-million dollar effort included strategy guidance; agency consultation; developing a public involvement program; managing all engineering and environmental studies; and preparing federal licensing and NEPA documents. Our staff conducted extensive fisheries and terrestrial resource studies that were documented in technical reports, a NEPA EIS and a Biological Assessment. Since new license issuance, we are assisting Tacoma with measures to protect Chinook, steelhead, chum and coho salmon. Technical tasks include evaluating fish collection and downstream passage options using floating and radio telemetry; developing a Fisheries and Hatchery Management Plan; and coordinating with the fisheries technical committee to refine measures to improve upstream passage facilities.

Tacoma Narrows Tidal Power Project

Tacoma Power
Meridian prepared the FERC preliminary permit application for a proposed tidal generation project in Puget Sound. We then identified regulatory and permitting requirements, and potential environmental issues with a focus on the marine life-stages of anadromous fish and on mammal and seabird populations.