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Independent regulatory commissions

Environmental Concerns Raised Over Hydropower Projects on the Connecticut River

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

Brian Yellen, a longtime watershed advocate and PhD holder in Geosciences from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, has submitted a detailed critique to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) regarding the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for two hydropower projects on the Connecticut River: the Northfield Mountain Pumped Storage Project and the Turners Falls Hydroelectric Project. Yellen, who has been following the relicensing process for over a decade, highlights critical issues that need to be addressed in the EIS to ensure the projects' impact on the environment is thoroughly understood.

Key Takeaways:

  • Yellen argues that the current shoreline erosion analysis in the EIS is incomplete and relies on flawed data from the FirstLight company's BSTEM model, which overestimates erosion caused by natural flooding and fails to account for key erosional processes.
  • He recommends incorporating the analysis from expert geomorphologist Dr. Evan Dethier, who has conducted a thorough examination of the erosion mechanisms in the Turners Falls impoundment.
  • The EIS misanalyses the relationship between levels at Turners Falls Dam, hydropeaking, and levels in the Turners Falls impoundment, leading to an incomplete understanding of the projects' impact on the environment.
  • Yellen advocates for an objective and comprehensive erosion baseline study and online erosion monitoring for the term of the license to accurately capture the complex interacting processes responsible for erosion.
  • He emphasizes the need for publicly available hydrological data from both the Northfield USGS gage and levels at Turners Falls Dam to understand the effects of the FirstLight projects on the TFI environment.
  • Yellen suggests that FirstLight should contribute to the maintenance of the Northfield USGS gage and make available historical, searchable data on levels measured and reported at the Turners Falls Dam to support research and environmental monitoring.
  • He recommends that Dr. Dethier's report be reviewed as part of the EIS analysis to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the erosion mechanisms in the impoundment.

Statistics:

  • According to Dr. Dethier's report, the shoreline erosion at the Turners Falls impoundment is underpredicted by the BSTEM model, leading to a lack of understanding of the dominant processes.
  • The Northfield USGS gage provides the best available measure of the impact of the FirstLight projects on the TFI environment.
  • As indicated in the EIS, the current relicensing process has been ongoing for 13 years.
  • According to Yellen's analysis, the frequency and magnitude of peaking operations would be reduced under the proposed operations, resulting in daily drawdowns of the Turners Falls impoundment by approximately 3.7 feet.

Sources:

  • Yellen, B. (2025). Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Hydropower Licenses: Northfield Mountain Pumped Storage Project (FERC Project No. 2485-071) and Turners Falls Hydroelectric Project (FERC Project No. 1889-085) CEQ# 20250075.
  • Dethier, E. (2025). Shoreline Erosion Analysis: Turners Falls Impoundment. (Report attached to Yellen's submission.)
  • Field, J., & Princeton Hydro. (Studies cited in Dethier's report.)
  • Reese, M. (FERC Official mentioned in Yellen's submission.)
  • USGS (United States Geological Survey). (Northfield USGS gage data referenced in Yellen's submission.)

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