The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission this week approved Lake Lynn Generation’s 2024 update to its recreation plan for the Lake Lynn Hydroelectric Project.
The approval came as Lake Lynn pursues relicensing for the project.
Lake Lynn did not propose any new recreation sites, facilities, or amenities in its update.
FERC approved a couple small changes to the plan. Lake Lynn will remove the fish cleaning station at Cheat Lake Park. And the company will no longer be required to submit recreation plan updates every three years.
FERC notes that this update was based on a 2020 recreation assessment, in consultation with stakeholders, with data obtained from spot visits to recreation sites on random weekdays, weekends and holidays during the year, for a total 40 days at each site.
Lake Lynn reported that all sites, except Cheat Lake Park Lower Parking Area and Sunset Beach Marina, are used at less than 50% capacity. Cheat Lake Park Lower Parking Area and Sunset Beach Marina were operating between 50% and 100% percent capacity.
Lake Lynn old FERC that it will work to address the parking capacity issues that occur at Sunset Beach Marina on certain peak weekends.
Lake Lynn wants to close the fish cleaning station, it told FERC, because it is consistently being misused and vandalized, requiring additional maintenance. Providing surveillance through security cameras or increasing security patrols would be costly. The station was not used at any time during the 2020 spot counts.
The West Virginia Department of Natural Resources supports the removal of the station, Lake Lynn told FERC, and no stakeholders have objected to its removal. FERC found the request justified and reasonable.
On the topic of stopping the triennial recreation plan updates, Lake Lynn told FERC that it began the current relicensing process in 2019, and it has proposed a new recreation management plan in its Final License Application. WVDNR supports the request and no stakeholders objected.
FERC said Lake Lynn “is reminded that it has a continued obligation to maintain its project recreation facilities under its recreation management plan” and under federal code.