2025 Dam Safety Surveillance and Monitoring Report: Lower Village Hydroelectric Project

Strategic Insights -

The Lower Village Hydroelectric Project, operated by Sugar River Power LLC, has submitted a detailed report to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) on the safety and performance of its dam, penstock, and powerhouse. The report, dated March 23, 2025, outlines the findings of surveillance and monitoring activities conducted over the past year. The report concludes that the penstock, intake, and powerhouse have all performed adequately, with no issues reported or observed.

Key Takeaways:

  • The penstock, intake, and powerhouse have all performed adequately, with no issues reported or observed.
  • Surveillance and monitoring is executed on a daily basis by local operators, with the owner-operators visiting the site at least weekly and daily during work periods.
  • There is no instrumentation monitoring the condition of the dam outside of turbine readings and data captured by the Programmable Logic Controller (PLC).
  • The PLC provides text messages to the owners and operators twice daily, and in the event of high water levels, to inform them of the dam's status.
  • Manual inspection and daily observations deem the penstock, intake, and powerhouse to be performing adequately.
  • Visual monitoring is executed on a daily basis to look for possible failure modes, and other data initiates closer inspection when necessary.
  • The owner-operators, local operators, FERC inspectors, and the NH dam bureau have all confirmed that the powerhouse, intake, and penstock are safe for continued operation.
  • The report concludes that no changes are needed to the current Dam Safety Surveillance and Monitoring Reporting (DSSMR) procedures.

Statistics:

  • The surveillance and monitoring activities are conducted on a daily basis.
  • The owner-operators visit the site at least weekly and daily during work periods.
  • The Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) provides text messages to the owners and operators twice daily on average.
  • High water levels trigger additional text messages to the owners and operators.
  • No issues have been reported or observed with the penstock, intake, or powerhouse.

Sources:

  • 2025 Dam Safety Surveillance and Monitoring Report (DSSMR) Lower Village Hydroelectric Project FERC License No. P-9088-NH, NATDAM ID No. NH83042, March 23, 2025, submitted by Sugar River Power LLC to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.