To access the comments filed on the Connelly Lake Project by July 6, 2009 with FERC, go to the FERC's E-library page do a general search under the Docket Number DI09-9 HERE.

Description of Project (from the June 10, 2009 FERC application by AP&T): "The proposed Connelly Lake Hydropower Project will include: (1) A 48-foot-high, 100-foot-wide rock-filled dam; (2) a lake with a storage capacity of 4,700 acre-feet; (3) a 6,188-foot-long, 30-inch-diameter penstock; (4) a 40-foot-wide, 60- foot-long metal powerhouse containing one or two turbines, with an installed capacity of 6,200 kW; (5) a tailrace emptying into the Chilkoot River; (6) a 14-mile-long, 34.5 kV underground and overhead transmission line; and (7) appurtenant facilities. The proposed project will not be connected to an interstate grid, and will not occupy any federal lands." For more information on AP&T's application, the following is the government document filed by AP&T with FERC on June 10, 2009.

In a related matter, the American Bald Eagle Foundation (ABEF) applied for, but was denied unanimously by Borough Assembly vote on July 14, 2009, tax exempt status on their property, Lot #13 within the Chilkoot Camp Subdivision, located above Chilkoot Lake in a private inholding within the Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve above Chilkoot Lake. The property was quit-claimed deeded to ABEF by Chris and Dan Turner when the Reeves/Turner homestead was subdivided in 20001. This transaction was not recorded in the State lands office or on the Haines Borough public record until May of 2009. The ABEF has for many years been attempting to raise funds to build a structure on this property--as stated on the ABEF website: "One of the Foundation's objectives is to build a Research-Resource Center in Haines, close to the unspoiled natural laboratory of the Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve. The research and instruction made possible by this Center will help interested citizens become more knowledgeable about the American Bald Eagle, its environment, and other animals that share that environment."

Construction of any structures and/or road above Chilkoot Lake raises serious questions concering access, septic disposal, and impacts to the sensitive salmon spawning grounds located within this area. The Chilkoot Watershed Coalition plans to keep a watchful eye on any proposed development of property and/or road access above Chilkoot Lake.

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Chilkoot Watershed Land Ownership and Boundaries 2009 showing location of proposed hydro-project and potential development in conflict with sensitive salmon and coho spawning and rearing grounds, Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve, and bear and moose habitat. Lower end is located ten miles north of townsite and four miles north of Alaska Marine Highway ferry terminal, Haines, Alaska. Entire watershed is public land (now all Alaska State Park and Forest Service lands with the 2009 transfer of BLM lands to the State) with the exception of a few private inholdings (shown). The watershed above the lake is currently pristine and undeveloped. This upper valley is the heart of the watershed supporting the salmon runs, eagle nests, and significant bear and other wildlife habitat which is why the dark cross-hatched area in the center above Chilkoot Lake is designated Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve.

Comments:

"I was again reminded, after a recent visit to the Upper Chilkoot River on 8/28/09, of the dynamic and productive nature of the Chilkoot River. The river is constantly cutting new channels and abandoning others. Any road constructed in this upper watershed will require large quantities of fill to raise the roadbed and riprap to prevent further migration of the river channels. Besides the significant cost and need to source this material, there will be a significant impact to the hydrology and fish producing capacity of this river system. The small size of this watershed also means that a large amount of high quality fish habitat is condensed into a small area. Making this watershed even more vulnerable to the impacts of road building." Ben Kirkpatrick, Haines

"The Chilkoot Lake area has been the hub of salmon, wildlife and people for hundreds of years times ten. Our Native people have done natural habitat enhancement by providing special spawning areas along the river and lake. The made sure the salmon were sustainable. My late husband, Pual Wilson Jr., was against any more impact on the Chilkoot River and Watershed, as am I. Once this area is impacted then any mitigation is moot as the damage will already be done. It would be to the benefit of this most sensitive area, the community, the commercial fisheries, our subsistence users plus the wildlife to not impact this area at all. The impact of change in water flow and temperature, new roads, traffic, waste products, and erosion will negatively impact this magnificent habitat. I support a thorough study of the Shubee Lake alternative." Marilyn R. Wilson, Haines, Alaska, speaking as a private citizen

"I enthusiastically support this endeavor. It's a watershed worth protecting, FOR SURE." Nick Jans, Alaska Author/Publisher

"Watersheds forever. Chilkoot watershed must be protected for now and future generations." Carol Tuynman, Haines

"The Denali/San Andreas fault system goes right up through that valley. Geologists are in agreement that it's a Really Bad idea to put a dam up there on the side of that mountain!" Sally McGuire, Lutak/Chilkoot/Haines

"Once the concrete is poured for a dam for a 12 megawatt power plant that will hold back summer flows and release flows in the winter, then Chilkoot River flows and future will be based on power demand, not on the needs of wild fish stocks. We have an opportunity now to choose to protect our wild fish stocks and this special place we call Chilkoot." Kathleen Menke, Haines

Further Discussion of Connelly Lake Project & Schubee Lake Alternative:

"The cold winter of 2008-2009 caused power consumption in Haines and Skagway to exceed the capacity of Alaska Power & TelephoneÕs Goat Lake hydro project. AP&T restarted the old diesel power plants for a few weeks to augment the hydro-power serving the valley to meet the increased demand. AP&T has since decided to renew its efforts to provide another storage hydro project to meet the anticipated future demand for hydro-power in the upper Lynn Canal. Since the early 1980Õs they have been looking at Connelly Lake, in the Chilkoot Valley, for this purpose.

Connelly Lake is an 85 acre lake perched about 2100 feet above the Chilkoot River, about three miles upstream from Chilkoot Lake. AP&TÕs hydropower project calls for reconstruction of the old logging road to the upper Chilkoot, a powerhouse, buried transmission lines, and a 48-foot high and 575-foot long dam to enlarge and hold back Connelly Lake.

The value of the Chilkoot watershed to the community of Haines is enormous. It is in the community's best interest to make sure that the Chilkoot's salmon runs are not diminished by any development.

Biologists are concerned that sedimentation from road building, powerline burial and construction of the dam could lower survival rates for sockeye eggs and smolts. There is evidence that water clarity has a lot to do with the survival of zooplankton in the lake. Failure of the dam during an earthquake would release enough water to scour the Chilkoot Valley to bedrock, destroying everything downstream. Although this is an unlikely scenario, there have been six dam failures in the US in the last forty years.

An alternative site for a hydro-power project in the Upper Lynn Canal is Schubee Lake, a 300 acre lake located 3300 feet above the eastern shore of Taiya Inlet. It can produce as much power as Connelly Lake with far fewer risks. Schubee Lake had gone unnoticed as a power source until recently. Maps from the 1970Õs showed it as mostly covered by a glacier. A lot of ice has gone over the falls in the past few decades as a result of climate change.

Development of hydropower at Schubee Lake would be much simpler than at Connelly Lake. There would be no dam and no road. There would be no impact to salmon habitat. The transmission line to connect to the existing grid would be much shorter. The Connelly Lake hydro project has an estimated price tag of $34 million. A Schubee Lake hydro project would likely cost less than half of that amount. The choice seems obvious.

Research will be done this summer to determine the depth of Schubee Lake (storage capacity) and a site for the powerhouse."

Rob Goldberg, Haines

Report from AP&T (June 2009):

"Alaska Power & Telephone, via Temsco helicopters, toured the Connelly and Schubee sites yesterday. The primary goal was to determine if Schubee was accessible for any watershed review and unfortunately the lake is still frozen over with very few open water areas. Connelly, however, was also still frozen so any additional site specific work for permitting is on hold for later this summer.

There seems to be some confusion from some members of the public about why we have chosen to permit Connelly versus permitting Schubee. AP&T (and previously AEL&P) decided several years ago that the Connelly Lake system was the most feasible project in the Haines area. Many studies over many years have been completed onpotential hydrosystems in our area, and Connelly has continued to consistently rise to the top. We have not been able to determine if any study has been completed on the Schubee system. We are committed to doing our ownpreliminary look at Schubee. Until we determine that Schubee is in fact a more feasible project, AP&T has decided we are not stopping any efforts we have in pursuing Connelly's permit while we review options, available water, powerhouse locations, watershed size, etc on the Schubee system. To do so only extends the period of time to get a license (for any project) unnecessarily.

It was somewhat of a surprise to see how big Schubee Lake is compared to the 1949 topo maps. However, due to the ice cover it is not possible to make a guess as to how deep the overall average of the lake might be.

I've attached some photos taken yesterday that shows a part of the original 1949 lake that is somewhat ice free. I'm pretty sure that this section of lake may be quite deep. But the jury is out on the remainder until the ice is gone and we can get our Zodiac up there and do some sounding as well as getting GPS coordinates to size the lake accurately.

Also, the Kasidaya Hydro project has been placed in full operation and we are getting anywhere from 2.5 to 3 MW of power from that system which is allowing Goat Lake to refill - as was the original plan of the project. We are cautiously optimistic that we'll be able to fill and spill at Goat Lake and enter the winter of 09-10 with a full lake, perhaps even supplemented by Kasidaya if we have a late winter onset, or an early spring onset."

Danny Gonce, Manager Power Operations - Haines, Alaska Power and Telephone

Schubee Lake/June 2009/AP&T Photo

Schubee Lake Update (9/2/09) from Rob Goldberg with permission from Stan Selmer:

I met with Stan Selmer of AP&T recently. Schubee Lake is about 260 acres in size and over 300 feet deep. It has plenty of water for hydro power. There are several ways to use the water to make power. Option 1 would move the water over to the Kasidaya drainage. This would require a borehole through a ridge. This water could keep the Kasidaya powerhouse working all winter. Option 2 would bring the water through the borehole down to a powerhouse at 1100' and then release it into Kasidaya Creek and run it through the existing generator, making power twice. Option 3 would run a penstock straight down the hill to a new powerhouse at tidewater. The challenge with this option is siting the penstock and powerhouse in a manner acceptable to the US Forest Service. Stan Selmer also noted that Schubee Lake has risen in value now that it has proven water reserves."

Schubee Lake Update (9/10/09) Chilkat Valley News (excerpts):

"...AP&T regional manager Stan Selmer said the utility is currently seeking cost estimates for a hydroelectric development at Schubee Lake.."It's being looked at as a potential project," Selmer said. "We have interest in it."...The lake could generate up to 13 megawatts of power...Selmer said the cost could be as high as $15 million...Opponents to Connelly Lake, a 12-megawatt project estimated to cost $33 million [or more], have argued that the project would endanger fish and wildlife habitat in the Chilkoot River drainage...For now it is "full steam ahead with Connelly. [said Selmer]"

Businesses and Organizations that support the protection of the critical fish and wildlife habitat of the Chilkoot Watershed:

Alaska: The Conservation Fund
Alaska Chilkoot Bear Foundation
Alaska Indian Arts
Alaska Native Sisterhood Camp #5
Alaska Nature Tours
Artful Boats
Bell's Seafood
Cloudburst Productions
cstudios
Crystal Images Photography and Publishing
Dejon Delights
Geosemiotics
Lynn Canal Conservation
Natural Channel Design, Inc.
Rainbow Glacier Adventures
Richard Folta, L.L.C.
Sockeye Cycle Co.
Southeast Alaska Conservation Council
Takshanuk Watershed Council
TJ Marine
Windy Ridge Publishing

Please E-mail Chilkoot Watershed Coalition coordinator, Kathleen Menke, Haines, Alaska, with your comments and suggestions for this site. Statements requested (with permission to post) of what the Chilkoot River and its natural resources mean to you, your family, your business. E-mail

Fisheries/Watershed Credentials/Kathleen M.K. Menke