Description of Proposal: Public Utility District No. 1 of Douglas County (District) is proposing to construct and operate a commercial-scale wind energy generation facility. The proposed Withrow Wind Project may include up to approximately 106 wind turbines and have a nameplate generating capacity of up to approximately 160 megawatts (MW). The wind turbines would measure up to approximately 400 feet in total height (as measured at the blade tip), and would use rotors with a diameter of up to approximately 255 feet. Supporting infrastructure for the project would include a system of project access roads, an electrical collection system, a substation and transmission line interconnection, an operations and maintenance (O&M) facility, and permanent meteorological (met) towers. The District may decide to develop the project in two or more phases. The operating life of the project is expected to be approximately 30 years or more.
Lands within the proposed project area are virtually all within private ownership, and the District would develop the project through long-term lease agreements with the individual owners. Most of the area is zoned Dryland Agriculture (A-D); some lands within the project area are zoned Rural Resource 20 (RR-20).
The District proposes to provide road access to all turbines and support facilities, via project access routes connecting with State Route (SR) 172 and County roads serving the project area. The project access road system would be developed through improvements to existing roads where possible, with construction of new access roads where necessary. Turn-around and parking areas will be constructed as part of the permanent wind farm facilities, and temporary access roads, laydown areas, and crane pads would be needed during construction.
The electrical collection system would consist of a network of electrical cables to convey the electricity generated by the turbines from step-up transformers located at the base of each turbine to a larger transformer located at an on-site substation. The collection system cables would generally be located within narrow corridors adjacent to the project access roads, and would be buried in trenches wherever possible. Project substation equipment would be built in a new facility or as an expansion to an existing substation, depending on the transmission connection used to deliver power from the project to the regional grid. Existing transmission lines that could be used for a transmission connection include the Avista Corp. Chelan-Stratford 115-kilovolt (kV) line that passes through the project area and the District’s 230-kV Wells-Douglas transmission line, located less than 2 miles to the northwest of the project area.
An Operations and Maintenance (O&M) facility would be constructed to house the activities needed for ongoing operation of the project. This facility would include a main building with offices, project control equipment, storage for spare parts and vehicles, restrooms, and a shop area. The O&M facility would have an outdoor parking area, a potable water supply and a septic system, outdoor lighting for security, and perimeter fencing with a gated access.
Proponent: Public Utility District No. 1 of Douglas County (District)
Location of Proposal: The proposed project would be developed within an area of up to approximately 14,600 acres located generally north of the unincorporated community of Withrow in central Douglas County, Washington (see the attached map). The project area is primarily located within Township 26 North, Range 24 East and 25 East, and includes some land in Township 27 North, Range 24 East and Township 25 North, Range 25 East. The potential transmission connection point with the Wells-Douglas line is located in the southeast portion of Township 27 North, Range 23 East. The project area extends for approximately 7 miles from east to west, and is generally 3 to 4 miles wide from north to south. The southern edge of the project area is approximately 1 mile north of Withrow. SR 172, which is the primary access route to Withrow and the surrounding vicinity, bisects the project area. The project area is approximately 12 miles northeast of Waterville (the Douglas County seat), 12 miles southeast of Chelan, and 10 miles southwest of Mansfield.
Background Information: Wind is, as of yet, an untapped source of energy in Douglas County. The Pacific Northwest and the nation face an ever-increasing demand for electricity, preferably produced from domestic and renewable sources of energy. The District wants to help meet this demand by providing clean and renewable energy development from resources that are available locally. This is consistent with the District’s longstanding practice of providing clean, renewable hydro power. The development of a wind project by the District would ensure that control over this new resource stays in the hands of the citizens of Douglas County.
The District has been studying wind and other natural resource conditions in the Withrow area and elsewhere in Douglas County since 2001. Based on several years of wind monitoring data, the District has now formulated conceptual plans for project development that are ready for public review. Following review of the proposal under the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA), the District intends to apply for any federal, state and local government permits needed to develop the project, including a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) from Douglas County.
Lead Agency: Public Utility District No. 1 of Douglas County (District)
EIS Required: The District, as SEPA lead agency, has determined that this proposal may have a significant adverse impact on the environment. The District will prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), as required under RCW 43.21C030(2)(c).
Alternatives: The EIS will consider alternatives to the proposal. These will include a smaller capacity project and No Action.
Smaller Capacity Alternative – Under this alternative, the District would develop a utility-scale wind energy project within the same general area but with substantially less generating capacity than the proposal. Based on the wind resource and utility economic considerations, a project with up to approximately 55 turbines and an installed nameplate capacity of approximately 80 MW might be feasible at the Withrow site. This alternative would require the same types of supporting facilities as the proposed action, including a road system, electrical collection system, substation and transmission line connection, O&M facility and permanent met towers. The quantities associated with these facilities (e.g., miles of access roads, acres occupied by turbines and other facilities) would be less than the respective quantities for the proposed action.
No Action – SEPA requires that an EIS include a “No Action” alternative to provide a basis of comparison with the proposal and other alternatives. The No Action alternative will represent likely future conditions on the site if the District does not implement the proposed action, i.e., develop the Withrow Wind Project as proposed, or an alternative action. This alternative does not mean that nothing would happen on the site in the absence of a wind energy project. Future uses on lands within the project area would continue to be to subject to existing Douglas County land use regulations and policies. Under the current Douglas County Comprehensive Plan, land use designations and associated zoning, most of the project area is designated for agricultural use. Some lands are designated as rural resource lands, which permits rural residential development at low density (up to 1 unit per 20 acres). To provide a basis for comparison with other alternatives, the EIS evaluation will assume that project-area uses consistent with the existing rural resource and dryland agriculture zones will continue for the foreseeable future.
EIS Issues: The environmental analysis documented in the EIS will examine direct, indirect, and cumulative impacts of the proposed project and alternatives, reasonable mitigation measures, and significant adverse impacts which cannot be avoided. The analysis will include both construction- and operation-related impacts of the project. The District has identified the following elements of the environmental for discussion in the EIS:
The specific scopes of work and methods for the individual elements of the environment discussed above are subject to review and conformation by the District, based on consideration of scoping comments received from agencies and the public.
Scoping: Agencies, affected tribes, and members of the public are invited to comment on the scope of the EIS. You may comment on alternatives, probable significant adverse impacts, mitigation measures, and licenses or other approvals that may be required. You may provide scoping comments in writing or in person, as follows:
Written comments on the proposed scope of the EIS should be directed to the Responsible Official’s designee:
Robert W. Clubb, Ph.D., SEPA Responsible OfficialDesignee: John BrownPublic Utility District No. 1 of Douglas County1151 Valley Mall ParkwayEast Wenatchee, WA 98802-4497
Via facsimile to (509) 884-0553Via e-mail to jbrown@dcpud.org
A public scoping meeting will be held on April 23, 2008 at 7:00 pm at the Withrow Lutheran Church, located on Main Street in Withrow. The EIS scoping meeting will provide an opportunity for the public to learn more about the project and provide input to the environmental process. At the meeting, the public will be able to view graphics illustrating preliminary planning work. Written comments and testimony concerning the scope of the EIS will be accepted at this meeting.
Comments will be accepted via U.S. mail, e-mail and fax until 5:00 PM April 30, 2008.
