CONCORD, Mass. – Vermont Transco, LLC and New York Power Authority are seeking a permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England District to conduct work in waters of the U.S. in conjunction with installation of four transmission lines in Lake Champlain between Plattsburgh, New York, and Grand Isle, Vermont. The purpose of this proposed project is to replace deficient cables with new cables to maintain an electric transmission interconnection between New York and Vermont.

The proposed work will involve the replacement of seven existing cables on the PV-20 electrical transmission line in Lake Champlain between Plattsburgh, N.Y., and Grand Isle, Vermont (a distance of 1.8 miles) with four new subaqueous 115kV transmission cables. The cables will be installed in the transition areas between aquatic and terrestrial portions of the project by using horizontal directional drilling (HDD).

Temporary 11-foot by 25-foot gravity cells will be installed on the lake bottom at the aquatic transitions to minimize turbidity and to confine drilling fluids or cutting material that may escape from the drill holes. In depths less than 100 feet the cables will be installed in a trench about 4 feet below the lake using a jet plow towed by a barge. In depths greater than 100 feet the cable will be laid on the lake bottom without burial or protection. The work will temporarily impact about 2.48 acres of lake bottom. The construction of a new Cumberland Head Transition Station and new Grand Isle Terminal Station will not impact waters of the U.S.

After the new cables are installed and commissioned into service the seven existing cables will be removed from the lake. This work will involve the removal of rock riprap placed to protect the existing cables and excavation of trenches to expose the cables. This work will extend a maximum of 250 feet beyond ordinary high water. The excavated material will be sidecast onto the lake bottom, the cables will be removed, and the lake bottom will be restored to pre-construction contours with the excavated material. This work will temporarily impact about 0.6 acre of lake bottom. Within deeper portions of the lake the cables will be removed using a barge and hoisting system that will lift the cables off the lake bottom and onto the barge deck for disposal.

The application for the federal permit was filed with the Corps in compliance with Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act, which provides for federal regulation of any work in, or affecting navigable waters of the U.S.; and Section 404 of the Clean Water Act, which regulates the discharge or fill of material in U.S. waters, including wetlands.

The public notice, with more detailed information, can be viewed on the Corps website at www.nae.usace.army.mil/Missions/Regulatory/PublicNotices.aspx.

Public comments on this work proposed by Vermont Transco, LLC and New York Power Authority (File # NAE-2014-1674) should be forwarded no later than April 29, 2016 to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England District, Vermont Project Office (ATTN: Michael Adams), 11 Lincoln Street, Room 210, Essex Junction, Vermont 05452. Additional information is available from Permit Project Manager Michael Adams at 802-872-2893 or by email to michael.s.adams@usace.army.mil.