Notice of Application Tendered for Filing With the Commission and Soliciting Additional Study Requests

Take notice that the following hydroelectric application has been filed with the Commission and is available for public inspection:

a. Type of Application: Original Minor License.

b. Project No.: 2585-004.

c. Date Filed: July 24, 2000.

d. Applicant: JLH Hydro, Incorporated.

e. Name of Project: Idols Hydroelectric Project.

f. Location: On the Yadkin River near the town of Clemmons in Davie and Forsyth counties, North Carolina. The project would not utilize federal lands.

g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act, 16 U.S.C. §§ 791(a)-825(r).

h. Applicant Contact: James L. Horton, President, JLH Hydro, Inc. at 1800 Statesville Blvd., Salisbury, NC 28144. Telephone 704-638-0506.

i. FERC Contact: Jim Haimes, james.haimes@ferc.fed.us, Telephone 202-219-2780.

j. Deadline for Filing Additional Study Requests: September 22, 2000.

All documents (original and eight copies) should be filed with: David P. Boergers, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street, NE, Washington, DC 20426.

The Commission's Rules of Practice and Procedure require all interveners filing documents with the Commission to serve a copy of that document on each person whose name appears on the official service list for the project. Further, if an intervener files comments or documents with the Commission relating to the merits of an issue that may affect the responsibilities of a particular resource agency, they must also serve a copy of the document on that resource agency.

k. Status of Environmental Analysis: This application is not ready for environmental analysis at this time.

l. Description of the Project: The proposed project would consist of the following existing facilities: (1) A 10-foot-high, 660-foot-long, rubble masonry dam having an ungated 410-foot-long spillway; (2) a 1-mile-long, reservoir with a surface area of 35 acres, and no appreciable storage at normal pool elevation, 672.3 feet mean sea level; (3) a 900-foot-long, 100 to 150-foot-wide tailrace, separated from the main river channel by a 200-foot-long, concrete retaining wall and a mid-channel island; and (4) a 60-foot-long by 39-foot-wide brick utility building, which would contain the project's transformers.

The site's 146-foot-long by 36-foot-wide powerhouse, located at the northeast end of the dam, was a stone masonry and wood structure, which contained 6 vertical Francis-type turbines directly connected to 6 generators having a total installed capacity of 1,411 kilowatts. On February 8, 1998, a major fire destroyed the powerhouse's generators and electrical equipment as well as its wooden roof, walls, and floor.

The applicant proposes: (1) To use the project's existing dam, water intake structures, wicket gates, and turbines; (2) to reconstruct the powerhouse with a steel roof and red concrete block walls; (30 to install 6 generators having a combined capacity of 1,440 kilowatts in the restored powerhouse structure; (4) to install 3 dry-type transformers in the utility building; (5) to improve the existing canoe take-out, portage trail, and put-in area around the dam's west side; and (6) to operate the project in a run-of-river mode to produce an average of 5,866,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity per year.

m. Locations of the Application: A copy of the application is available for inspection and reproduction at the Commission's Public Reference Room, Room 2A, located at 888 First Street, NE, Washington, D.C. 20426, or by calling (202) 208-1371. The application may be viewed on the web at http://www.ferc.fed.us/online/rims.htm (call (202) 208-2222 for assistance). A copy is also available for inspection and reproduction at the address in item h above.

n. With this notice, we are initiating consultation with the State Historic Preservation Officer as required by § 106, National Historic Preservation Act, and the regulations of the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, 36 CFR 800.4.

o. Under Section 4.32(b)(7) of the commission's regulations (18 CFR 4.32(b)(7)), if any resource agency, Indian Tribe, or person believes that the applicant should conduct an additional scientific study to form an adequate factual basis for a complete analysis of the application on its merits, they must file a request for the study with the Commission, not later than 60 days after the date the application is filed, and must serve a copy of the request on the applicant.