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Independent regulatory commissions

Townsend Water-Power Project: Completeness Notification Issued

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

The Beaver Falls Municipal Authority (BFMA) has completed the necessary steps to proceed with the Townsend Hydroelectric Project (FERC No. 3451) license application. As required, BFMA held a Water Quality Certificate (WQC) pre-application meeting with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP) on January 22, 2025, and submitted the WQC application on February 10, 2025. PADEP has since issued a completeness notification, indicating that the application contains sufficient detail for a technical review.

Key Takeaways:

  • BFMA submitted the Final License Application (FLA) for the Townsend Hydroelectric Project to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) on July 29, 2022.
  • The application includes a Water Quality Certificate (WQC) application submitted on February 10, 2025.
  • PADEP issued a completeness notification on March 17, 2025, stating that the application contains sufficient detail for a technical review.
  • The completeness notification is the first step in a series of reviews conducted by PADEP, which will move the application to the technical review stage of the permit review process.
  • The technical review will evaluate the adequacy of the application and its components to determine if sufficient information exists to render a decision on the technical merits of the application.
  • BFMA can track the application's progress through the review process by visiting eFACTS on the Web at: http://www.ahs2.dep.state.pa.us/eFactsWeb/default.aspx.

Statistics:

  • 60 days: The timeframe within which BFMA was required to hold a WQC pre-application meeting and submit the WQC application after the December 12, 2024 REA Notice issuance from FERC.
  • 1 day: The time elapsed between the submission of the WQC application to PADEP and the issuance of the completeness notification on March 17, 2025.
  • 2 applications: The number of applications submitted by BFMA, including the Final License Application (FLA) and the Water Quality Certificate (WQC) application.
  • 2 review stages: The completeness review and technical review stages of the permit review process conducted by PADEP.

Sources:

  • PADEP Completeness Notification (Attachment A)
  • Correspondence from KLEINSCHMIDT ASSOCIATES to FERC ( Demae 12, 2024 REA Notice issuance from FERC)
  • Correspondence from PADEP to BFMA (February 10, 2025 WQC application submission)

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