Auburn staff outline FERC relicensing timeline and local requests for Lewiston Falls hydropower project

Mr. Holmes, a City of Auburn staff member leading the city’s participation in the relicensing process for the Lewiston Falls hydropower project, told the council the city has been engaged with the process since 2021 and urged public participation at upcoming Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) scoping meetings.

The relicensing covers a 28.44‑megawatt hydropower facility that uses the public river for generation and, Mr. Holmes said, the process must balance power generation with fisheries, recreation and water quality. “Licenses are good for 30 to 50 years,” he said, adding that the city is trying to secure long‑term river benefits for recreation and downtown economic development.

City staff outlined several local priorities that remain unresolved with the applicant, Brookfield. Those include: a portage trail connection from the North River Road boat launch to the riverwalk that would pass under the railroad bridge (not solely along Center and Turner streets); expanded “aesthetic flow” releases timed for holidays and some Friday summer nights; improved emergency and recreational access below the Dresser (also called Penley) Rips; more robust maintenance plans; and publicly accessible, recreational flow information, ideally real‑time, so river users can plan trips safely.

“It's important that we participate. It's sort of a once in a career shot, I think, to be a part of this process for a community,” Mr. Holmes said, urging residents and stakeholders to review materials the city is maintaining on its Rivers and Hydropower webpage (auburnmaine.gov) and to attend FERC scoping meetings in Lewiston on Feb. 19 (9 a.m. and 7–10 p.m., Hampton Inn) and a site walk on Feb. 20 (participants must sign up for transportation). Scoping comments will be accepted through March 5.

Mr. Holmes said the FERC scoping document, issued to the city the week before the meeting, lays out the remaining issues FERC expects the applicant to address as part of the NEPA review; the agency could require additional mitigation through the NEPA process. He described a stakeholder flow study already completed that identified river reaches and flows that provide the best aesthetic effects at the falls; stakeholders requested roughly 40 scheduled aesthetic flow events, while Brookfield proposed six.

Next steps described by staff included participation at the Feb. 19 scoping meeting, possible council action in March to adopt a standard position if staff and Lewiston find it helpful to have elected officials coordinate requests, and an anticipated NEPA phase beginning in late summer with a license issuance process potentially concluding in 2026.

The presentation closed with staff encouraging the public to consult the city’s online Rivers and Hydropower page for documents assembled to make FERC filings and Brookfield’s materials easier to find than the FERC eLibrary.