A briefing on the Sunset Falls Fish Passage and Energy project will be held during the Snohomish County Public Utility District Commission meeting next week, as engineers present the draft license application that will eventually be submitted to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).
The meeting takes place at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 15, at PUD headquarters in Everett. PUD Principal Engineer Mark Flury updated commissioners in November as to the next steps in the process. To remain in compliance with the FERC's integrated licensing process requirements, Flury said the application for license must be filed with the FERC by the end of January. A resolution ordering application submittal was tentatively scheduled for the Jan. 5 commission meeting.-á
Slated for the south fork of the Skykomish River roughly 3 miles south of Index, the Sunset Falls Fish Passage and Energy project has been opposed by local residents and environmental advocates who believe that the river's designation as a Washington State Wild and Scenic River should protect it from industrial development. The project's design has changed substantially since the FERC granted a preliminary application to study the project's feasibility in March 2012, but the updated design elements have not swayed the opposition.
When initially proposed, the project included a 132-foot inflatable weir, which raised and lowered depending on the river's rate of flow. The weir was eventually removed, and current design concepts include no cross-river structures.
Instead, the design takes advantage of the river's natural bend, diverting water through a 2,200-foot underground tunnel to a powerhouse at the base of Sunset Falls. The PUD engaged in a year's worth of studies to examine the potential environmental impacts.
"We commissioned 17 separate studies to establish an environmental baseline in the project vicinity and also to analyze impacts from the project. We completed those and compiled them into a compilation study report, which was completed early in 2015,GÇ¥ Flury said. "After we submitted that to the FERC, we were asked to address data gaps on three of the studies.GÇ¥
The FERC requested additional information on the aesthetic flow, downstream fish passage and recreation studies.
"We feel like we have a firm handle on project impacts and that we can appropriately propose protection, mitigation and enhancement measures to mitigate those impacts,GÇ¥ Flury told commissioners.
To opponents, the Sunset Falls area is an inappropriate place for a high-impact industrial project. Safety concerns have been raised by residents who worry that the PUD's proposal to blast out an underground tunnel using controlled dynamite charges could lead to additional landslides in the area. Notoriously unstable, the hillside south of Sunset Falls adjacent to Mt. Index River Road started sliding in December 2013 and has never stopped moving.
Debris from the northern-most portion of the slide area started to feed directly into the water at the base of Sunset Falls over the summer. Residents in the area have concerns about the results of the PUD's geotechnical studies and submitted comments outlining their concerns. The PUD response noted that, "the final report concludes that blasting is not anticipated to induce landslides, but includes recommendations for field monitoring and use of a blasting consultant to verify safe conditions during the construction phase.GÇ¥
Similar to city council meetings, PUD Commission meetings are open to the public and comments from the public can be heard. PUD is located at 2320 California St. in downtown Everett. For more information about the project, visit www.snopud.com/PowerSupply/hydro/sfpep.ashx?p=1956.
Photo by Chris Hendrickson The hillside south of Sunset Falls has been sliding ever since the first movement occurred in December 2013. Over the summer, wrecked houses sat abandoned, as Snohomish County deemed the residences unfit for occupancy.
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