HomeMy WebLinkAbout06.25.26 Board Correspondence - FW_ Dam Safety Compliance Report submitted in FERC P-2088-000 byFrom:Clerk of the Board
To:Clerk of the Board; Connelly, Bill; Cook, Holly; Cook, Robin; Durfee, Peter; Jessee, Meegan; Kimmelshue, Tod; Kitts, Melissa;
Krater, Sharleen; Lee, Lewis; Little, Melissa; Pickett, Andy; Ritter, Tami; Stephens, Brad J.; Sweeney, Kathleen; Teeter, Doug;
Zepeda, Elizabeth
Cc:Loeser, Kamie; Cannon, Jamie
Subject:Board Correspondence - FW: Dam Safety Compliance Report submitted in FERC P-2088-000 by
Date:Thursday, June 25, 2026 4:51:44 PM
Please see Board Correspondence -
Lewis Lee
Administrative Technician - Confidential
Butte County Administration
25 County Center Drive, Suite 200 • Oroville, CA 95965
T: 530.552.3326
www.buttecounty.ca.gov | lelee@buttecounty.ca.gov
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Subject: Dam Safety Compliance Report submitted in FERC P-2088-000 by
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On 6/25/2026, the following Filing was submitted to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), Washington D.C.:
Filer: <Not available>
Docket(s): P-2088-000
Lead Applicant: South Feather Water & Power Agency
Filing Type: Dam Safety Compliance Report
Description: South Feather Water & Power Agency submits response to FERC's 05/22/2026 comments on the 2025 Dam
Safety Surveillance and Monitoring Report re the Sly Creek Dam et al. of the South Feather Power Project under P-2088.
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June 25, 2026 Filed Electronically
Frank L. Blackett, P.E., Regional Engineer
100 First Street, Suite 2300
San Francisco, CA 94105
RE: South Feather Power Project (FERC No. 2088)
Plan and Schedule to address comments outlined in response to the CY 2025 Dam Safety Surveillance
and Monitoring Report (DSSMR)
Dear Mr. Blackett,
This letter provides responses to your comments outlined in the May 22, 2026 correspondence following the
review of the Agency’s Calendar Year 2025 DSSMRs. We note that no response was required regarding the
comment on CEII labeling, but we will ensure that this is addressed in all future documentation. We offer the
following responses to comments 2 and 3 in your letter.
Sly Creek Dam (SCD) and Miners Ranch Dam (MRD):
Regarding threshold and action level exceedances, we recognize that these exceedances may not represent a
dam safety issue and are often affected by factors like precipitation for these projects. However, they were
set as monitoring levels for a reason. As noted by the Miners Ranch DSSMR Section 4.3 these exceedances are
“likely not related to seepage”, based on data review at some point after the exceedance occurred leaving an
implication that there is some chance it is related to seepage. Typically, an exceedance warrants some form
of immediate response to confirm the safety of the structure (e.g. data review, increased monitoring
frequency, site visits to confirm remote monitoring data, contacting chief dam safety engineer, notifying us
etc…). Future DSSMR narratives should clearly describe the actions taken in response to exceedances to
confirm whether a dam safety issue was developing. This includes precipitation data and information if you
determine the cause to be a result of a precipitation event.
The Agency acknowledges that we can improve on the documentation of our response process and
investigative actions following any threshold and/or action level exceedances. As of May 28, 2025, we
have begun developing SOPs for the documentation process. All staff who receive system alerts/alarms
will be refreshed on the response and documentation process. These procedures and any immediate
response actions will be documented in the CY 2026 DSSMRs.
Ponderosa Diversion Dam (PDD):
The 2024 DSSMR indicated that Comment 3 from our January 17, 2025 letter, regarding the recording of visual
observations for seepage near the toe of Ponderosa Dam (when not submerged by Lake Oroville) would be
implemented. We do not see any observations of whether there was any seepage noted at this location, or if
Lake Oroville was ever low enough in the year to observe any seepage at this location. This information should
be added to future DSSMRs. These seepage checks at the downstream toe of the dam should be added to your
routine inspection forms.
KRISTEN MCKILLOP
REGULATORY COMPLIANCE MANAGER
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The quarterly inspections conducted on September 8, 2025 by SFWPA and the Chief Dam Safety
Engineer, and November 4, 2025 by SFWPA, included a visual inspection of the downstream face when
Lake Oroville was low enough to expose the toe area. FERC staff accompanied SFWPA staff during the
annual inspections on September 16, 2025. No issues of concern were noted, and no seepage was
observed.
The site-specific inspection form for PDD requires inspecting the downstream toe area for seepage when
visible (not submerged by Lake Oroville). Any issues of concern would be documented on the inspection
form, and appropriate follow-up action would be taken. To date, no issues of concern have been noted.
If you have any questions related to this transmittal, please feel free to contact me at (530) 532-1348, or via
email at kmckillop@southfeather.com.
Sincerely,
South Feather Water and Power Agency
cc: Rath Moseley, General Manager
Hunter Doyle, Power Division Manager
Silas Sanderson, Chief Dam Safety Engineer