Research

Scope and Content Note

The series consists of unannotated site plans of a proposed power station at Cayuga (and the alternate site at Somerset) to be built by the New York State Electric and Gas Corporation of Binghamton next hit, New York. The only date in the series appears on a copy of an aerial photograph of one site, which dates the series circa 1973.

At least some of the records were submitted to and maintained by the Public Service Commission, which is responsible for regulating the rates and services of public utility companies, and for ensuring service for reasonable rates with the least impact on the environment. The commission establishes service standards and monitors the operation of utilities; it also exercises jurisdiction over citing of major utility facilities. After 1970, the Department of Public Service, which is the staff arm of the commission, was responsible for considering environmental impacts of utility facilities. The Department of Public Service apparently maintained these plans as part of that oversight function; whether they constitute a full or partial environmental report is not known.

Records include plans and maps made up of intermixed paper copies and tracing paper overlays. The plans show: general site plans and locations; elevations and cross sections; railroad access and coal car storage areas; transmission line arrangements; and locations of existing and supplemental structures (including intake and discharge structures, towers, air quality samplers, etc.). Maps and plot plans show: bedrock and surface geology; seismic survey lines; soil content; existing site contours and vegetation; finished site grading; proposed facilities and alternate site locations; and construction facilities. There is also one copy of an aerial photograph of the Cayuga site.

The sheets contain specific title and legend information, along with a scale (in feet) and a consecutive figure number in the lower right corner. Each measures differently within neat lines, from the smallest 53 x 78 cm to the largest at nearly the full uniform sheet size of 89 x 137 cm.