Lead consultant for relicensing efforts
Saluda Hydroelectric Project
South Carolina Electric & Gas Company (SCE&G) required a lead consultant for the relicensing of its Saluda Hydroelectric Project. The new operating license would establish operations and guide management of resources associated with the project, including Lake Murray, for the next 30 to 50 years.
Kleinschmidt has served as Lead Consultant for the relicensing efforts and has been responsible for strategic planning, preparing the Initial Stage Consultation Document (ISCD), conducting and managing relicensing studies including those involving dissolved oxygen, water quality, upgrade potential, diadromous fish, recreation, shoreline management, and rare, threatened and endangered species. Kleinschmidt conducted a series of Issue Identification workshops to solicit early stakeholder involvement and scoping of issues relating to the project. Kleinschmidt worked with SCE&G’s Relicensing Team to develop work scopes and prepare bid packages for study work. Kleinschmidt staff prepared the Draft License Application that incorporated the study results. SCE&G solicited input on project-related concerns of federal and state resource agencies, local and national nongovernmental organizations, home and boat owner associations, and individuals through public workshops facilitated by Kleinschmidt.
Through the many challenges, Kleinschmidt assisted SCE&G in developing and implementing a collaborative process to produce a Comprehensive Relicensing Settlement Agreement (CRSA) that was signed onto by 19 entities. Protection, Mitigation, and Enhancement (PME) measures were developed for many resource areas, and garnered a high degree of public support representing consensus among settling parties.