The Idaho Department of Environmental Quality is inviting public input on a draft water quality certification for the Felt Hydroelectric Project, a hydropower facility situated on the Teton River roughly nine miles northwest of Tetonia in eastern Idaho.

What’s Being Reviewed

The certification process stems from a federal relicensing proceeding before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Fall River Rural Electric Cooperative submitted its final license application to FERC on August 31, 2021, covering FERC Project No. P-5089. DEQ received the formal water quality certification request on December 5, 2025.

Under the federal Clean Water Act’s Section 401, any project requiring a federal license or permit that may affect water quality must first obtain state-level certification. Idaho has a one-year window from the date it receives a certification request to act before FERC can proceed with relicensing.

DEQ’s Preliminary Finding

In its draft certification, DEQ concludes that the licensed activities at the Felt project will comply with applicable water quality requirements, provided the licensee adheres to both the terms of the FERC license and any specific conditions DEQ attaches to its certification.

The certification addresses compliance with multiple provisions of the Clean Water Act, including Sections 301, 302, 303, 306, and 307, as well as Idaho Water Quality Standards under state administrative code and other relevant state water quality law.

How to Participate

Residents and stakeholders have two opportunities to engage. Those wishing to request a formal public hearing must submit a written request by August 15, 2026. Written comments on the draft certification are due by September 14, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. Mountain Time.

Interested parties can reach DEQ contact Alex Bell at (208) 528-2679 for additional information on the comment process.

Broader Context

The Felt Hydroelectric Project review is one of several regulatory processes moving through Idaho state agencies this summer. State officials have simultaneously been managing wildfire emergencies — Governor Little declared a wildfire disaster emergency and activated the National Guard in response to statewide burning — while also advancing federal economic development initiatives and navigating complex insurance and benefit fund questions.

The DEQ’s water quality certification authority represents one of the more significant tools Idaho holds in the federal hydropower licensing process, giving the state meaningful input over how river-based energy projects interact with Idaho’s water quality standards before FERC issues long-term operating licenses.