Lake Flower Dam Hydroelectric Project Scoping Notice

Content

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. The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or Commission) will prepare an environmental document that
will discuss the environmental effects of relicensing the Weyauwega Hydroelectric Project. The Commission will use this environmental
document in its decision-making process to determine whether to issue a new license for the project.

k. This notice announces the opening of the scoping process the Commission will use to gather input from the public and interested
agencies regarding the project. This notice is intended to advise all participants as to the potential scope of the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) document and to seek additional information pertinent to this analysis. Commission staff does
not intend to issue a separate scoping document.

As part of the NEPA review process, the Commission takes into account concerns the public may have about proposals and the
environmental effects that could result from its action whenever it considers the issuance of a hydropower license. This gathering
of public input is referred to as “scoping.” The main goal of the scoping process is to focus the analysis in the environmental
document on the important environmental issues.

l. Scoping Comments: By this notice, the Commission requests written public comments on the scope of issues to address in the environmental document.
To ensure that your comments are timely and properly recorded, please submit your comments so that the Commission receives
them in Washington, DC on or before 5:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time on April 27, 2026.

Comments should focus on the potential environmental effects and reasonable alternatives. Your input will help the Commission
staff determine what issues they need to evaluate in the environmental document. Commission staff will consider all written
comments during the preparation of the environmental document.

The Commission strongly encourages electronic filing. Please file scoping comments 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.

m. The application is not ready for environmental analysis at this time.

n. 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.

o. A copy of the application, with details of the proposed project, can be viewed on the Commission's website at https://www.ferc.gov using the “eLibrary” link. Enter the project's docket number excluding the last three digits in the docket number field to
access the document (P-8369). For assistance, contact FERC at FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov, (866) 208-3676 (toll free), or (202) 502-8659 (TTY).

p. NEPA Process and the Environmental Document: Any environmental document issued by the Commission will discuss effects that could occur as a result of the project's relicensing
under the relevant general resource areas, such as:

• geology and soils;
• aquatic resources;
• terrestrial resources;
• threatened and endangered species;
• recreation, land use, and aesthetic resources;
• cultural resources; and
• developmental resources. Commission staff will also evaluate reasonable alternatives to the proposed project or portions of the project and make recommendations on how to lessen or avoid effects on the various resource areas. Your comments will help Commission staff identify and focus on the issues that might have an effect on the human environment and potentially eliminate others from further discussion in the environmental document.

Following this scoping period, Commission staff will determine whether to prepare an Environmental Assessment (EA) or an Environmental
Impact Statement (EIS). The EA or EIS will present Commission staff's independent analysis of the issues. If Commission staff
prepares an EA, a Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Assessment will be issued. The EA may be issued for an allotted public comment period. The Commission would consider timely comments
on the EA before making its decision regarding the proposed project. If Commission staff prepares an EIS, a Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement will be issued. Staff will then prepare a draft EIS which will be issued for public comment. Commission staff will consider
all timely comments received during the comment period on the draft EIS and revise the document, as necessary, before issuing
a final EIS. Any EA or draft and final EIS will be available in electronic format in the public record through eLibrary. If
eSubscribed, you will receive instant email notification when the environmental document is issued (see paragraph (r) of this
notice for instructions on using eSubscription).

q. 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.

r. This notice is being distributed to the Commission's official mailing list for the project and any additional entities
on the applicant's distribution list. You can access the Commission's official mailing list for this project at https://ferconline.ferc.gov/MailListLOR.aspx?Type=MailList&ListVar=P-8369. If you want to receive future mailings for the project and are not included on the Commission's official mailing list, or
if you wish to be removed from the Commission's official mailing list, please send your request by email to FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov. In lieu of an email request, you may submit a paper request. 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 written or emailed requests must specify your wish to be added to or removed
from the mailing list, and must clearly identify the following on the first page: Lake Flower Dam Hydroelectric Project No.
8369-050.

Additionally, the Commission offers a free service called eSubscription, which makes it easy to stay informed of all issuances
and submittals regarding the dockets/projects to which you subscribe. These instant email notifications are the fastest way
to receive notification and provide a link to the document files which can reduce the amount of time you spend researching
proceedings. Go to https://www.ferc.gov/ferc-online/overview to register for eSubscription.

In addition to publishing the full text of this notice in the
Federal Register
, the Commission provides all interested persons an opportunity to view and/or print the contents of this notice, as well
as other documents in the proceeding (e.g., license application) via the internet through the Commission's Home Page (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 at FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov, (866) 208-3676 (toll free), or (202) 502-8659 (TTY).

(Authority: 18 CFR 2.1)

Dated: March 27, 2026. Debbie-Anne A. Reese, Secretary. [FR Doc. 2026-06298 Filed 3-31-26; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6717-01-P

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