Feds want more info about power lines

Federal regulators on Thursday asked for more information from the Department of Water Resources before approving DWR’s plan to relocate 2 miles of transmission lines at Oroville Dam.

DWR last month said it wanted to move the 230-kilovolt lines “to avoid the potential for future damage to the transmission lines if water is released over the emergency spillway.”

In a May 17 letter to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, DWR official Ted Craddock wrote, “DWR has determined that a permanent realignment of the transmission lines is essential to restore the reliability and capability to transmit high-voltage power to and from the Hyatt Powerplant.”

Craddock wrote that moving the lines “away from the main spillway and emergency spillway erosion zones (will) restore a permanently reliable route for power to and from the Oroville Facilities.”

Craddock assured FERC that state officials had performed preliminary work on environmental and cultural resources surveys and had deter- mined a bald eagle nest “is located near the siting of the transmission towers on the south side of the division pool.”

In its response, FERC said it “noted several topics that require clarification or additional information before we can complete our review of your application.”

FERC gave the state two weeks to provide the additional information about 10 items, including “clarification on the urgent nature of the transmission line relocation” and other environmental matters.