Granby Pumping Plant-Windy Gap Transmission Line Rebuild Project
Western owns and operates a 12-mile, 69‑kV electric transmission line in Grand County, Colo., that originates at Windy Gap Substation and terminates at Granby Pumping Plant Switchyard. The proposed project would rebuild the single circuit line as a double circuit transmission line and add a second power transformer.
One circuit would replace the existing 69‑kV line; the other circuit would be a new 138‑kV line. Granby Pumping Plant Switchyard would be expanded to accommodate the second line and power transformer. Windy Gap Substation would be modified to accommodate the second line.
This is a joint project between Western, Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association, Inc., Mountain Parks Electric and the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District. Western initially determined it would prepare an Environmental Assessment for this proposed project in December 2004 and held public open-house scoping meetings on July 28, 2005, and Nov. 15, 2006. Based on a review of public comments and issues, Western determined to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the proposed project.
Western is the lead agency on the EIS, the U.S. Forest Service and U.S. Bureau of Land Management are Federal cooperating agencies; and Grand County is a cooperating local agency.
The final EIS is available. Western sent about 1,200 mailed notices to those in the project area, agencies, and other interested stakeholders. Western will issue a Record of Decision, but not sooner than 30 days after the date of the Environmental Protection Agency’s publication date of the Notice of Availability (NOA). The Environmental Protection Agency published the NOA and set the end date of the 30-day waiting period at July 29, 2013.
Comments received on the draft EIS are addressed in Appendix L and the text in the final EIS was changed if needed to address the comments. Western’s preferred alternative is Alternative D, Option 1. Western and the U.S. Forest Service developed a modification to this alternative along CR 64 that moves the route discussed in the draft EIS to the west to respond to comments. The modification to the route moves the proposed route further away from residences and closer to the Forest Service campground. The final EIS discusses the modification and local issues that influenced the modification.
Rocky Mountain Customer Service Region
Western Area Power Administration, J0400
P.O. Box 3700
Loveland, CO 80539-3003