Lake Flower Dam Hydroelectric License Application - Motions to Intervene

Notice

Village of Saranac Lake; Notice of Application Accepted for Filing and Soliciting Motions To Intervene and Protests

A Notice by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on 04/01/2026

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• Public Inspection Published Document: 2026-06299 (91 FR 16188) Document Headings ###### Department of Energy

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

1. [Project No. 8369-050] Take notice that the following hydroelectric application has been filed with the Commission and is available for public inspection.

a. Type of Application: Subsequent License.

b. Project No.: 8369-050.

c. Date Filed: September 30, 2025.

d. Applicant: Village of Saranac Lake (Village).

e. Name of Project: Lake Flower Dam Hydroelectric Project.

f. Location: On the Saranac River in Franklin and Essex Counties, New York.

g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act, 16 U.S.C. 791(a)-825(r).

h. Applicant Contact: Bachana Tsiklauri, Village Manager, Village of Saranac Lake, 39 Main Street, Saranac Lake, New York 12983; telephone at (518) 891-4150; email at manager@saranaclakeny.gov.

i. FERC Contact: Arash Barsari, Project Coordinator, Great Lakes Branch, Division of Hydropower Licensing; telephone at (202) 502-6207; email at Arash.JalaliBarsari@ferc.gov.

j. Deadline for filing motions to intervene and protests: May 26, 2026 by 5:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time.

The Commission strongly encourages electronic filing. Please file motions to intervene and protests using the Commission's eFiling system at https://ferconline.ferc.gov/​FERCOnline.aspx. Commenters can submit brief comments up to 10,000 characters, without prior registration, using the eComment system at https://ferconline.ferc.gov/​QuickComment.aspx. For assistance, please contact FERC Online Support at FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov, (866) 208-3676 (toll free), or (202) 502-8659 (TTY). In lieu of electronic filing, you may submit a paper copy. Submissions sent via the U.S. Postal Service must be addressed to: Debbie Anne A. Reese, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE, Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426. Submissions sent via any other carrier must be addressed to: Debbie-Anne A. Reese, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 12225 Wilkins Avenue, Rockville, MD 20852. All filings must clearly identify the project name and docket number on the first page: Lake Flower Dam Hydroelectric Project (P-8369-050).

The Commission's Rules of Practice and Procedure require all intervenors filing documents with the Commission to serve a copy of that document on each person on the official service list for the project. Further, if an intervenor files comments or documents with the Commission relating to the merits of an issue that may affect the responsibilities of a particular resource agency, they must also serve a copy of the document on that resource agency. ( printed page 16189)

k. This application has been accepted for filing, but is not ready for environmental analysis at this time.

l. Project Description: The project includes a 134-foot-long, 33-foot-high dam that includes a 49-foot-long spillway with a crest elevation of 1,528.0 feet National Geodetic Vertical Dam of 1929 (NGVD 29), two 8-foot-long slide gates, and two 6-foot-long sluice gates with trashracks that have 1.75-inch clear bar spacing. The dam creates an impoundment that has a surface area of 1,455 acres at an elevation of 1,528.67 feet NGVD 29. From the impoundment, water flows through an intake structure that includes two 8.5-foot-long slide gates located on the southern shoreline of the impoundment, approximately 100 feet upstream of the dam. The intake structure includes two trashracks with 1-inch clear bar spacing. From the intake structure, water flows to a powerhouse that contains a 200-kilowatt Kaplan turbine-generator unit. Water discharges from the powerhouse to a tailrace that empties into the Saranac River.

Electricity generated at the powerhouse is transmitted to the electric grid via an underground generator lead line, three 0.48/13.2-kilovolt (kV) step-up transformers, and a 130-foot-long, 13.2-kV overhead transmission line.

Project recreation facilities include: (1) Riverside Park that includes picnic tables and a pavilion; (2) Hydropoint Park that includes a hand-carry boat access site on the shoreline of the impoundment; (3) Beaver Park that includes a hand-carry boat put-in site on the west bank of the Saranac River downstream of the dam; and (4) the River Walk that includes a recreation trail along the Saranac River.

The Village proposes to: (1) continue operating the project in a run-of-river mode such that project outflow approximates inflow to the impoundment and the normal maximum surface elevation of the impoundment is maintained at 1,528.67 feet NGVD 29; (2) continue releasing a minimum flow of 55 cubic feet per second or inflow, whichever is less, as measured immediately downstream of the dam; (3) continue maintaining the project recreation facilities; (4) develop a whitewater park (Boothe River Park) downstream of the dam; and (5) implement an invasive species plan, bat and bald eagle plan, impoundment drawdown plan, and operation and compliance monitoring plan filed with the license application.

m. A copy of the application can be viewed on the Commission's website at http://www.ferc.gov using the “eLibrary” link. Enter the docket number excluding the last three digits in the docket number field to access the document (P-8369). For assistance, contact FERC Online Support. A copy is also available for inspection and reproduction at the Saranac Free Library, 109 Maine St., Saranac Lake, NY 12983.

You may also register online at https://ferconline.ferc.gov/​FERCOnline.aspx to be notified via email of new filings and issuances related to this or other pending projects. For assistance, contact FERC Online Support.

n. For public inquiries and assistance with making filings such as interventions, comments, or requests for rehearing, contact the Office of Public Participation at (202)502-6595 or OPP@ferc.gov.

o. Anyone may submit a protest or a motion to intervene in accordance with the requirements of Rules of Practice and Procedure, 18 CFR 385.210, 385.211, and 385.214. In determining the appropriate action to take, the Commission will consider all protests filed, but only those who file a motion to intervene in accordance with the Commission's Rules may become a party to the proceeding. Any protests or motions to intervene must be received on or before the specified deadline date for the particular application.

All filings must (1) bear in all capital letters the title “PROTEST” or “MOTION TO INTERVENE;” (2) set forth in the heading the name of the applicant and the project number of the application to which the filing responds; (3) furnish the name of the person protesting or intervening; and (4) otherwise comply with the requirements of 18 CFR 385.2001 through 385.2005. Agencies may obtain copies of the application directly from the applicant. A copy of any protest or motion to intervene must be served upon each representative of the applicant specified in the particular application.

p. Procedural Schedule: The application will be processed according to the following preliminary schedule. Revisions to the schedule will be made as appropriate.

| Milestone | Target date |
| --- | --- |
| Issue Scoping Notice | March 2026. |
| Scoping Comments Due | April 2026. |
| Filing of Motions to Intervene and Protests | May 2026. |
| Issue Notice of Ready for Environmental Analysis | May 2026. |
| Filing of Comments, Recommendations, Terms, Conditions, and Prescriptions | July 2026. |
| Filing of Reply Comments | August 2026. |
(Authority: 18 CFR 2.1)

Dated: March 27, 2026.

Debbie-Anne A. Reese,

Secretary.

[FR Doc. 2026-06299 Filed 3-31-26; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6717-01-P

Published Document: 2026-06299 (91 FR 16188)