20030179 Ver 6_Emails_20070723 (2)

Dillsboro dam
Subject: Dillsboro dam
From: Becky Johnson <[e-mail]>
Date: Mon, 23 Jul 2007 14:12:39 -0400
To: John Dorney <[e-mail]>
John,
The Duke power spokesperson who is insisting the state 401 certification has
already been issued and that the state is not requiring dredging was
apparently successful in getting his message printed in the Sylva Herald.
Below is the link, along with a cut and paste of the text.
www.thesylvaherald.com/html/duke applies for dredging perm.html
In preparation for the removal of its Dillsboro Dam, Duke Energy has applied
for a dredging permit. While the N.C. Division of Water Quality has already
issued a certification for the removal of the dam based on a plan that would
allow the sediment sand behind the dam to move down river as it would
have naturally, the permit Duke now seeks would allow sand mining
(dredging), to remove the sediment.
Whether dredging occurs will depend on the commercial value of the sand,
according to Duke spokesman Fred Alexander. During a series of federal
relicensing hearings for Dukels Jackson County hydroelectric plants, some
speakers indicated there might be environmental harm to the Tuckaseigee
River if sediment was flushed downstream in the process of dam removal.
According to Alexander, Duke officials took those concerns into account in
choosing to examine other options. Removing the Dillsboro Dam is part of the
remediation package Duke agreed to in return for new federal operating
licenses for its local generating plants. Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission staff members last summer approved a draft environmental
assessment that includes removing the dam. Those who favor removing the dam,
including N.C. Wildlife, U.S. Fish and Wildlife and the U.S. Forest Service,
say it would add some 10 miles of unimpeded river for boating and that it
will also allow aquatic species to move more freely. Opponents of dam
removal, including Jackson Countyls commissioners, say the dam is a historic
structure that should be preserved and that the site should continue to be
used to generate electricity.
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