Safe Harbor Hydroelectric Project Environmental Assessment for a License Amendment
Susquehanna River , Lancaster County, Pennsylvania

The Louis Berger Group, Inc. (Berger) prepared an Environmental Assessment (EA) for an amendment to the license of the Safe Harbor Hydroelectric Project on behalf of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). This project operates in a peaking mode and the amendment was to allow the normal maximum water surface of the impoundment to be increased by 0.8 feet.

The primary issue associated with this proposed action pertained to how the increase in the maximum water surface elevation would influence an important habitat for migratory shorebirds and wading birds known as the Conejohela Flats. The sand flats that are exposed when the impoundment is drawn down represent an extremely rare type of habitat in Pennsylvania. Migratory birds are attracted to these flats in unusually large numbers during their seasonal migrations. Consequently, these flats have also become a target destination for many ornithologists and amateur bird watchers. Concern was expressed by some that the proposed new operating mode could adversely influence the suitability of the flats for bird use or decrease the size of the flats.

The applicant proposed to conduct baseline surveys to quantify the size of the flats prior to implementation of the new regime. Bird use and flat size would be monitored for several years and if bird use or the size of available feeding or resting habitat at the flats was documented to be decreasing, the applicant would either take corrective action or return to the former operating regime.

The Berger staff assigned to this task included a senior geologist and a senior wildlife biologist. They were able to effectively assess the appropriateness of the applicant’s proposed protective and enhancement measures. The draft EA for this amendment received minimal comments from resource agencies and the public and the final EA, issued with the order amending the license, was acceptable to all parties.