Campton Pond Hydroelectric Project
Campton Pond Hydroelectric Project,
Campton Village, NH
Mad River Power Associates (“Mad River Power”) is in the process of submitting an application to the Low Impact Hydropower Institute (“LIHI”) for certification of its Campton Pond Dam Hydroelectric Project as a low impact facility. As part of its application to LIHI, Mad River Power is conducting this archeological/cultural resource review to confirm that there are no known historic properties impacted by the operation of this existing hydroelectric project.
Project Location and Operations
The Campton Pond dam hydroelectric project (“the project”) is located on the Mad River near the center of Campton Village, New Hampshire. The Campton Village section of the Mad River has a long history of waterpower generation as 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. A copy of the original Special Use Permit, which was granted to E. Dole Co., Inc. by the Forestry Service is included as Appendix 3-1. 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 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 is located on the Mad River approximately three miles above its confluence with the Pemigewasset River (see Appendix 3-2). The project utilizes a previously existing impoundment and the plant is unmanned, but operation is monitored on a 24/7 basis.
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