Niagara Power Project FERC No. 2216

INVESTIGATION OF HABITAT IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS FOR THE NIAGARA POWER PROJECT

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Prepared for: New York Power Authority

Prepared by: Kleinschmidt Associates and Riveredge Associates

August 2005

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The New York Power Authority is in the process of applying for a new federal license to operate the Niagara Power Project in New York. As part of this process, potential habitat improvement and enhancement projects in the vicinity of the Project were identified by various stakeholders. This report provides the results of an investigation of conceptual design and feasibility of 17 potential habitat improvement projects.

Conceptual designs and plans for all 17 habitat improvement projects were developed based on: site visits; generally available information from peer-reviewed literature, textbooks, and other references, including the Internet; site-specific data; discussions with stakeholders and others who have participated in similar habitat improvement projects; and professional judgment. The conceptual design for each habitat improvement project included the primary and secondary target species and communities that would benefit from habitat improvement, information that would be needed to complete a final design, recommended monitoring and maintenance activities, potential constraints or obstacles to completion, and an assessment of project feasibility. The feasibility of projects was ranked from poor to very good and was based on factors such as construction techniques needed to complete the project, whether the project was a restoration or creation project, the need and extent for long term maintenance, potential permitting issues, potential conflicts due to land ownership, existing abundance of target species, whether projects of a similar nature have been successfully completed elsewhere, and expected benefits from project completion.

The habitat improvement projects ranged from fairly simple exercises, such as constructing nesting platforms for osprey, to much more involved island restoration and creation projects. Shoreline stabilization, wetland restoration, bird nesting habitat improvements, invasive plant species control, and fish habitat structures were also among the projects evaluated. These projects would collectively benefit a variety of native fish, bird, and plant species. The potential habitat improvement projects and their feasibility ranking are:

HIP Number	HIP Project Name	Feasibility
1	Strawberry Island Wetland Creation	Good
2	Frog Island Restoration	Fair/Good
3	Motor Island Shoreline Protection	Very Good
4	Beaver Island Wetland Restoration	Good
5	Spicer Creek - Tributary Enhancements	Poor
6	Gun Creek - Tributary Enhancements	Very Good
7	Fish Access to Burnt Ship Creek	Good
8	Control of Invasive Sp. - Buckhorn & Tifft Marshes	Good
9	Shallow-water Habitat Creation - Burnt Ship Creek	Fair/Good
10	Feasibility of Restoring Native Terrestrial Plants	N/A
11	Osprey Nesting	Good
12	Black Tern Nesting	Fair
13	Common Tern Nesting	Very Good
14	Enhancements to Motor Island Heron Rookery	Good
15	Installation of Fish Habitat/Attraction Structures	Very Good
16	Native Coregonid Hatchery	Poor
17	Hacking Program for American Bittern	Fair/Good

1.0 INTRODUCTION

The New York Power Authority (NYPA) is engaged in relicensing of the Niagara Power Project (NPP) in Lewiston, Niagara County, New York. The present operating license for the plant expires in August 2007. As part of its preparation for the relicensing process, NYPA is developing background information related to the ecological, engineering, recreational, cultural, and socioeconomic aspects of the NPP. This report summarizes an evaluation of potential Habitat Improvement Projects (HIPs) in the vicinity of the NPP.

The Kleinschmidt Associates team (Team), including Riveredge Associates and W.F. Baird Associates, was hired to conduct an investigation of HIPs that were identified by NYSDEC and other stakeholders. Some of the potential HIPs could directly or indirectly address potential effects to aquatic and terrestrial habitats related to the NPP while other HIPs are located in areas beyond the effects of Project operation. It is anticipated that information in this report will be used by interested parties during the relicensing process for discussions related to a potential settlement agreement. This report includes a detailed evaluation of 17 HIPs in the vicinity of the NPP, representing a variety of resource areas. The HIPs were selected in cooperation with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) and other stakeholders.

The objectives of this evaluation were to:

· Develop detailed conceptual level designs for each HIP, and

· Evaluate the feasibility, potential constraints, and potential benefits, of each HIP.

The following sections of this report include, Section 2.0 Methods, Section 3.0 Description of the Habitat Improvement Projects, and Section 4.0 Summary. References pertinent to each HIP are provided at the end of individual HIP evaluations in Section 3.0.

2.0 METHODS

2.1 Investigation Area

The investigation area was the Niagara River from Buffalo Harbor to its mouth at Lake Ontario, including Grand Island tributaries and wetland habitats adjacent to the river. Tifft Marsh, a wetland nature preserve near Buffalo Harbor, was also included in several HIPs.

2.2 Identification of HIPs

An initial list of potential HIPs was provided in the Request for Proposals for this study. The initial list was generated by NYPA and its consultants based on discussions with NYSDEC and other stakeholders. The feasibility of HIPs on that list had not been evaluated or developed. General HIP categories identified on the initial list included:

· Creating, restoring, or enhancing nesting habitat for waterbirds (common tern, black tern, pied-billed grebe, American bittern, and herons), including methods to improve habitat by control of invasive plant species in Buckhorn Marsh.

· Enhancing or creating spawning habitat for lake sturgeon at several locations, including the upper and the lower Niagara River.

· Performing a cost-benefit analysis for construction and maintenance of pond facilities in western New York for the springtime culture of bloater chub.

· Creating/restoring, enhancing, or maintaining the vegetation of riverine wetlands or associated habitat at several locations along and in the Niagara River, including:

· Strawberry Island;

· Motor Island shoreline;