Tel. (207) 773-8190
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Fax (206) 984-3086 www.lowimpacthydro.org
Portland, Maine (January 8, 2011) – The Low Impact Hydropower Institute (LIHI) announced today that Mad River Power Associates (“Mad River Power”) has submitted an Application for LIHI Certification for the Campton Pond Dam hydroelectric project
(“Project”). The Project is located on the Mad River near the center of Campton Village,
New Hampshire. The Project is owned and operated by Mad River Power Associates
(“Mad River Power”), a New Hampshire limited partnership. A Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission (“FERC”) license that was issued on November 9, 1982, authorizes the construction, operation and maintenance of the Campton Pond dam hydroelectric project (FERC No. 3253).
The Campton Village section of the Mad River has a long history of waterpowered electricity used by local industry. The present Campton Dam replaced a timber crib structure, which was owned and operated by the Dole Family during the 1800s. The

Campton Pond dam is a federally owned dam constructed for recreational purposes by the U.S. Forestry Service in the 1930’s. A Special Use Permit including rights to flowage plus the right to draw against the top foot of water impounded by the Forestry Service was issued to E. Dole Co. Inc in 1938 and was inherited by its successor Dole and Robert
Sales Corp. All water rights associated with the Permit were transferred to Mad River
Power Associates with the transfer of the FERC license on September 28, 1984.
The Applicant says the project is operated as a run-of-river facility. During periods of non-generation, or if inflow to the project is less than 25 cfs, inflow to the project is required to be discharged over the spillway. During periods of generation, or if inflow to the project is greater than 25 cfs, 4.5 cfs are required to be discharged through the
Atlantic salmon smolt bypass facility. Project works include a concrete headgate structure at the easterly end of the Campton Dam that provides the intake for a 78 inch steel penstock that runs 600 feet downstream, generally parallel to the easterly bank of the River, to a power house building located 600 feet from the headgate. The 78 inch penstock trifurcates a short distance upstream from the power house building, dividing into three steel 48 inch steel pipes that deliver water to three turbines. Two of the turbines are submersible Flygt turbine/generators (rated at 236 kW) located in vertical draft tubes adjacent to the powerhouse building in which the electrical apparatus is housed. The third turbine is a Rodney Hunt horizontal Francis type turbine (rated as 167 kW) located in the basement of the powerhouse. A 34.5KV transformer is located outside the powerhouse, and the transmission line runs westerly from the powerhouse and transformer, over the Mad River, to an interconnection point westerly of the River and on the easterly side of Route 175. The project utilizes a previously existing impoundment and the plant is unmanned, but operation is monitored on a 24/7 basis.
Public Comment - We encourage public comments on this application. Specifically, we are interested in knowing whether you think this project meets our LIHI criteria. Review the program and criteria in greater detail and then review the Project’s application. Comments that are directly tied to specific LIHI criteria (flows, water quality, fish passage, etc) will be most helpful, but all comments will be considered. Comments may be submitted to the Institute by email (preferred) at info@lowimpacthydro.org
with " Campton Pond Hydropower Project comments" in the subject line; by fax at (206) – 984-3086; or by mail addressed to LIHI, 34
Providence Street, Portland, ME, 04103. Comments must be received at the Institute on or before
5 pm Eastern time on March 8, 2011 to be considered. All comments will be posted to the web site and the applicant will have an opportunity to respond. Any response will also be posted
For further information about the any of the projects certified as Low Impact, please contact Fred Ayer,
LIHI Executive Director at (207) 773-8190, or visit the LIHI website at www.lowimpacthydro.org. LIHI is a nonprofit organization that certifies environmentally low impact hydropower facilities nationwide to help energy consumers, and to support market incentives for reducing the effects of hydropower dams on the nation’s rivers and streams.
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