Hydropower plan moves forward at Daguerre Point Dam

A proposed hydropower project at Daguerre Point Dam will move ahead in the application process, much to the dismay of groups concerned about river ecosystems.

In a preliminary permit issued this week by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Canada-based Archon Energy LLC received permission to proceed with an application for the 3-megawatt project on the Yuba River.

As a result, Archon is now obligated to gather data and conduct studies in anticipation of making a formal application to the commission.

The project, and the issuance of a preliminary permit, were opposed by a host of groups concerned about the river and conservation, including South Yuba River Citizens League, Trout Unlimited and American Rivers.

In a press release, SYRCL officials said the group will request several studies by Archon on the project's potential impacts, particularly on endangered species native to the Yuba.

"We remain concerned that FERC and Archon fail to fully understand the role of this dam, and any new facilities, in impacting populations of salmon, steelhead and sturgeon," the group's board president, John Regan, said in the release.

The league and other groups have also pointed out Daguerre Point Dam, which is a few miles east of Marysville on the Yuba River, was suggested for possible removal in a biological opinion issued by the National Marine Fisheries Service last year.

Under the terms of the preliminary permit, Archon Energy has three years to submit its formal application for the Daguerre Point Dam Hydropower project to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

CONTACT Ben van der Meer at bvandermeer@appealdemocrat.com or 749-4786. Find him on Facebook at /ADbvandermeer or on Twitter at @ADbvandermeer.