Some Dam Hydro News - npdp.stanford.edu · The Klamath River dams owned by PacifiCorp have been...

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Copy obtained from the National Performance of Dams Program: http://npdp.stanford.edu

2/03/2012

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“Good wine is a necessity of life.” - -Thomas Jefferson Ron’s wine pick of the week: Treasure Hunter 'North Star' Pinot Noir 2009 “No nation was ever drunk when wine was cheap.” - - Thomas Jefferson

Dams: (One more nail in the coffin!) Explosion set for one of Elwha dams today By Tom Callis Peninsula Daily News, peninsuladailynews.com, 1/23/12 Port Angeles, WA — After nearly four months of chiseling away at Glines Canyon Dam, Barnard Construction is about to try a more explosive method of taking it down. Charges are scheduled to be set today on the east side of the dam, which cannot be reached by the company's hydraulic hammer. “Basically, we can't get the barge over into that corner,” said Brian Krohmer, project manager. Barnard, contracted by Olympic National Park to remove the Glines Canyon and Elwha dams on the Elwha River, drilled holes for the explosives last week. Crews used a “man basket” to lower themselves to that section of the dam, Krohmer said. Additional explosives may be set later this week, he said. Work on both dams began in September as part of a $325 million federal project to restore the river's ecosystem and salmon runs. Krohmer estimated dam removal is nearing the halfway mark but added, “We have a long way to go.” Progress may slow as the dams are lowered since they are wider at their base. Fifty-six feet of the Elwha Dam, which was 108 feet tall, has been removed. The only portions of the dam remaining are along the two former spillways, now used as interchanging river channels. The dam is scheduled to be fully removed in early 2013. Thirty-six feet of the larger Glines Canyon Dam, which was 210 feet tall, has been removed. Demolition of that dam is scheduled to be finished around early 2014. Work is limited during fish migratory periods, which last about two months at a time and take up between five to six months of the year. Krohmer said demolition has not been affected by last week's snowfall, and heavy

Some Dam – Hydro News ™

And Other Stuff

Quote of Note: “Inside every older person is a younger person wondering, 'What the heck happened?'” - Unknown

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rains projected through this week should also not be a problem. “We had to just plow the roads,” he said. “That's about it. “Just as with any weather event, we keep a close eye on river flow forecasts,” he added. “As of right now, we're not anticipating there to be a flooding concern.” (The debate rages on! The notion that Salazar is considering whether to approve dam removal is ridiculous. He knew going in it would be removal.)) Report: Removing Klamath dams would help fish, provide jobs, cost millions By Michael Doyle, McClatchy Newspapers, 01.24.12, miamiherald.com Washington -- The ambitious proposal to remove four Klamath River dams would add jobs and aid fish, a new federal report asserts, but the idea still leaves California lawmakers badly divided. As they approach a make-or-break decision on whether to recommend the dam removal, U.S. Interior Department officials on Tuesday touted anticipated benefits that include improved salmon habitat and 1,400 construction jobs during the year it would take to remove the hydroelectric dams. Long-term Klamath Basin restoration efforts would add an estimated 4,600 jobs, the report says. But the dam removals would also cost somewhere between $238 million and $493 million, potentially increase flooding risks and cut electricity production, the new Interior Department compilation shows. The new report pegs the most probable dam-removal cost at $291.6 million. "The science and analyses presented in these reports are vital to making an informed and sound decision on the Klamath River dam removal," Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said. Nevada City, Calif., resident Steve Rothert, California director of the group American Rivers, added in an interview that the latest study is "by far the most rigorous and comprehensive" of the subject to date. "This is really a path forward that will result in a better future for the Klamath River Basin," Rothert said. Salazar must decide by March 31 whether to recommend the long-debated removal of the four dams near the Oregon border. Three of the dams are in California's northernmost Siskiyou County. If Salazar decides the dams should go, the governors of Oregon and California will have 60 days to either concur or veto the plan. The governors appear sympathetic, while Congress seems ambivalent. A House bill introduced last November by Rep. Mike Thompson, D-Calif., would authorize restoration of the Klamath Basin following dam removals and would guarantee farmers certain water deliveries. The restoration effort could require more than half-a-billion dollars from the federal government. The chairman of the House water and power subcommittee, though, strongly opposes dam removal. Last February, in a largely party line 215-210 vote, the House approved an amendment by the panel chairman, Rep. Tom McClintock, R-Calif., blocking federal spending on studies of Klamath River dam removals. Although the amendment was eventually dropped, its House approval underscored political difficulties ahead. "To tear down four perfectly good hydroelectric dams at enormous cost is insane," McClintock said during a House debate. Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer of California backs a bill in the Senate identical to the one introduced by Thompson in the House, while Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California hasn't yet committed herself. The Senate is where any bill is likely to move first. The Klamath River dams owned by PacifiCorp have been under scrutiny for years, with the dam-removal debate accelerating since two landmark agreements were signed in 2010 by Oregon, California and tribal officials. The draft 333-page report issued Tuesday identifies costs as well as benefits, a number of which were previously noted last year. Removing the dams, for instance, would release suspended sediment that in the short term could kill about 10 percent to 15 percent of the river's steelhead salmon, the report says. Over the long haul, though, restoring habitat is "expected to increase the annual production of adult Chinook salmon by an average of 83 percent," the report notes. Local Indian tribes would see benefits "that cannot be quantified," according to the latest study. "It will make a substantial impact on the health of the river basin community," Rothert said. On the other hand, removing the dams would eliminate the capacity to produce 163 megawatts of electricity annually. The current proposal anticipates removing the dams in 2020. PacifiCorp and the company's ratepayers would shoulder up to $200 million of the total removal cost, with most of the rest paid for by Oregon and California. The federal

2 Copy obtained from the National Performance of Dams Program: http://npdp.stanford.edu

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government would also spend hundreds of millions of dollars on restoring the 12,000-square-mile Klamath Basin. (Fence jumper and local idiot! And, they actually believe this guy. He is not credible. For community service, they should have him do something more than pick up garbage!) Oregon dam fence-jumper sentenced to community service gsnmagazine.com, 2012-01-27, By: Mark Rockwell The suspicious-looking man who jumped a security fence into a restricted area around an Oregon dam last spring -- raising alarms on infrastructure security nationwide -- was sentenced to probation and community service on Jan. 26. Wiley Nelson, 21, of Eugene, OR, had faced six months in prison for jumping the fence around the Lookout Point Dam southeast of Eugene on March 2, 2011. A federal judge, however, sentenced him to two years probation and 60 hours of community service after Nelson pled guilty to entering a restricted area. Nelson’s activity raised national alarms last spring because he was dressed in a camouflaged jacket, climbed a razor wire-topped fence in the middle of the night and was observed on surveillance cameras taking pictures along the top of the dam. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was so concerned, it offered a $1,000 reward through its Corps Watch program to anyone who could identify the intruder. The Corps operates the dam, which serves mainly as flood control and a reservoir for crop irrigation. According to reports, Nelson has maintained he climbed the fence to take long exposure photographs of the water downstream of the dam. “Our dams are critical assets to our local communities, and we respond decisively to any attempt to compromise their security,” said Erik Petersen, operations project manager for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Willamette Valley Projects, which operates the dam in a Jan. 26 FBI statement. “In this case, our security systems detected the intruder and our Corps Watch property protection program helped identify and bring him to justice.” The investigation into the breach was conducted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Federal Bureau of Investigation and Oregon State Police.

Hydro: Potsdam hydroelectric plant finally coming together, piece by piece January 22, 2012 - By Craig Freilich, northcountrynow.com Potsdam, NY -- The two turbines in Potsdam’s second hydroelectric installation are a little closer to spinning up following recent work by a Massena engineering company. LaFramboise Group in Massena, part of a company with its main offices in Cornwall, Ont., is helping Potsdam fit some critical parts in place. LaFramboise employees recently ground and milled rings on runner housings to accept other parts that will sit on them. That is some help in advancing the project, nudging it closer to completion in the wake of setbacks the village has had in acquiring parts it paid for from a reluctant contractor. Meanwhile Barrie Welding of Barrie, Ont. is balancing some cones that are a vital part of the assembly. Potsdam Village Administrator David Fenton says that could set the stage for the final assembly phase to be finished, perhaps by Feb. 1. Much more work will remain

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after that, particularly electrical work to engage controls and distribute the power. “We’re making decent progress on all fronts,” Fenton said. “We’ve got the people we need now.” This project, at the west dam on the Raquette River at Potsdam, is the second hydroelectric development for the village. The west dam project has been beset with years of delays, owing largely to the alleged failure of Richard Kuiper, owner of Canadian Turbines, Inc., to deliver parts that the village paid for in advance. More recently, another delay was caused by the manufacture of defective turbine blades from another maker. The blades had to be recast. The project is expected to supply electric power for village operations and bring in revenue from the sale of surplus power.

(Some sensible thinking in CA about hydropower) Editorial: Cheap, renewable electricity — but not for California January 23, 2012, redding.com How long — and how expensively — can California pursue the goal of expanding renewable, low-carbon energy while ignoring reality? That question is prompted not by the widespread conservative skepticism about climate change, which most scientists say is the real deal. Rather, we wonder after reading a report out last week from the Worldwatch Institute, an environmental research group, on the dramatic increase in the world's use of hydroelectric power. The total wattage of the planet's dams and powerhouses, the report found, jumped 5 percent from 2009 to 2010, continuing a surge through the past decade that has humanity getting 16.1 percent of its electricity from hydro. Worldwatch, whose self-declared mission is to help "create an environmentally sustainable society," by no means thinks this is an unalloyed good. Hydroelectric power, its announcement pointedly notes, "interrupts the flow of rivers and can harm local ecosystems, and building large dams and reservoirs often involves displacing people and wildlife and requires significant amounts of carbon-intensive cement." Even so, Worldwatch says it expects hydropower to continue to grow because it is a cheap source of renewable electricity. Its "competitive price and climate benefits," the report’s author says, "make it an attractive option as countries seek to lower their greenhouse gas emissions." Right. And then there's California. Even though the state already gets nearly 15 percent of its electricity from carbon-free hydropower — and considerably more up here in the rainy north — the state's costly efforts to shift its electricity production away from fossil fuels and toward "renewables" focuses on harnessing the sun, the wind and even the heat of the earth but simply ignores the rain that falls and can generate free power on its way to the ocean. By law, large hydroelectric projects are not "renewable." Instead of embracing hydroelectricity, right-thinking California environmentalists generally want to tear out dams — from little Kilarc near Whitmore to the massive Klamath dams in northern Siskiyou County. In some cases, they're right. Some dams should go. They're obsolete, silted up or just do more harm — especially to wild fish — than they're worth. But it's absurd that a substantial existing source of carbon-free energy might as well be, as far as renewable-energy laws go, as dirty as an old coal plant. Absurd — and expensive. Last month the Redding City Council, to comply with tougher renewable-power standards, had to rewrite its policies for Redding Electric Utility, which still uses a substantial amount of power from Shasta Dam. Because the city can no longer count that as renewable, over the coming years it will have to buy qualifying renewables at a cost the city estimates at "a minimum of $1.5 to $2 million per year" by 2012. That's on top of our already-rising power bills. Clean energy is great. Ignoring the clean energy we already generate is senseless. If the state's actual goal is reducing greenhouse-gas emissions, it needs to set aside other environmental hobbyhorses and count carbon dioxide. The Legislature can tinker with the Public Utility Code all it likes, but it cannot amend the laws of physics. (A community being smart now will pay dividends in the future) Kaukauna moves ahead with hydro plant plan

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Modernization of utilities, including rebuild of canal, will likely result in higher electrical rates for 15,000 power customers in 2013 to help repay bonds postcrescent.com, Written by Larry Avila, Post-Crescent business editor, Jan. 23, 2012 Kaukauna, WI — The scene outside Jeffrey Feldt's office window is dominated by the sight and sound of water rushing out of two aging hydro power plants. This will change in the spring when "Old Badger" and "New Badger," which have operated reliably together for more than 80 years, will be shut down and the area transformed into a construction site, said Feldt, general manager of Kaukauna Utilities. The time has come to replace the power-generating facilities, the first built in 1908 and the other in 1928. After a decade-long process, whiincluded assorted environmental and economic feasibility studies as well as securing state a

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federal regulatory approval, the Kaukauna Common Council approved a $44,875,000 bond issue Jan. 17 to cover the costs of building a new $25.5 million hydro power plant and rebuilding the canal — for $10.5 million — which supplies water to the facility. Work is scheduled to start in Maywith construction expected to last 18 months, city officials said. Modernization will come atprice, likely in the form of higher electrical rates for the utility's 15,000 power customers in 20The utility plans to file a request with the state Public Service Commission before the end of March to seek a 6.5 percent rate increase to generate more revenue to repay the bonds.

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ising expenses and president of Roloff Manufacturing in Kaukauna, recognizes the benefit of

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RDave Roloff, ownerupdating the power plants and understands higher electric bills are coming. "Personally, it's something that's needed," said Roloff, whose business produces assorted castings and is a big power user. He estimates electricity costs represent 15 percent of his company's overall annual expenses. A rate increase may raise his power costs up to 20 percent, but Roloff sees that as a worst-case scenario. "The higher costs will be something all (Kaukauna Utilities) customers will have to face," Roloff said. "How I will recoup my costs — we're still trying to figure out." Bassett Mechanical, another Kaukauna-based manufacturer and heavy power user, also recognizes the benefits of the project but is concerned about rising costs. "We're never pleased when the cost ofbusiness goes up because of increased utility rates, because, ultimately, those costs will be passed onto our customers," said Kim Bassett-Heitzmann, president and chief executive officBassett Mechanical. While Kaukauna Utilities customers likely will see higher rates in the short-term, increases will be minimized over time since the new power-generating equipment can produce up to 25 percent more electricity than the old units. This means the utility won't havepurchase as much electricity from outside sources to meet customer demands, Feldt said.

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tility spent years examining various options for the Badger plants. Plans included BFeldt said the uretiring the facilities, doing nothing and buying power on the open market, refurbishing the plants to extend their operating life another 20 years or building a new plant. Feldt said the new plant was the best option because over time, rate increases would be kept to a minimum. By 2021, the utility estimated rate increases with a new plant would be 4.8 percent. But buying power on the open market would push rates up by 5.6 percent, accounting for inflation. Refurbishing the plantwould bring some efficiencies and cost-savings to customers in the short-term, Feldt said, but by 2033, the plants would need to be replaced and construction costs would be considerably higher

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than today. "In this economy, doing this project now helped us get lower costs on the equipment and the construction," he said. "We're financing the project over 20 years at 3.5 percent, so the timing is just extraordinarily good." When the two Badger hydro plants are taken offline in May, Kaukauna Utilities will buy power on the open market — at an estimated cost of between $2 million and $2.5 million — to accommodate the loss of the electricity generated by those facilities.

mailto:[email protected]

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This cost, projected at 3.6 percent per customer, will be passed on to customers through the utility's monthly purchased power adjustment charge. Feldt said the cost could be lower sinceutility recently brought another hydro plant back online that had been out of service the past 18 months. Feldt said the utility's eight hydro plants generate about 20 percent of all of its power

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needs. The rest comes from outside sources. The two Badger plants generate about 4 percent of the utility's total power requirements. Those two plants, which ran four turbines, will be replaced by one plant equipped with two power-generating units. The project calls for razing the New Badger plant and selling any of its salvageable equipment, Feldt said. The new generating fawill be built on that site.

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ixed feelings s is owned by the city of Kaukauna. In addition to serving Kaukauna, the utility

MKaukauna Utilitiealso provides power to parts of the towns of Buchanan, Freedom, Holland, Oneida, Vandenbroekand Wrightstown as well as most of the villages of Combined Locks and Little Chute. The utility, which has 57 employees, also manages and maintains Kaukauna's water service for 6,000 city customers. Emily Schuh of Little Chute, a Kaukauna Utilities customer, has reservations about the massive public works project. "I was not aware nor do I remember being notified by the utilitycompany that this was even an up-and-coming discussion," she said. Schuh questioned why the utility decided to wait so long to replace the facilities. She co-owns a business, Drainage USA, and said she factors in equipment replacement costs so items are replaced gradually, avoiding larger future expenses. "As a business owner, we are required to repair and replace all of our tools and equipment and that is something we automatically budget from the moment we buy it," Schuh said. "In my opinion, (they) should have been planning for this 100 years ago when it was built and adjusted according to the cost increases throughout the years." Feldt said the Badger turbines have operated reliably together for more than 80 years and have been well maintained by the utility, but over time even the best cared-for equipment needs replacing. Another aspect of the project — which the utility appealed with federal regulators and lost, requires making more than $1 million in recreational improvements to the area. The improvements will include upgradto nearby Hydro Park and the installation of a dock and access point to accommodate kayakers. The city also is considering converting the Old Badger building into a museum. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission said the recreational improvements were needed to fulfill thepermitting requirements, Feldt said.

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ong-term benefits said reaction to the project has been mostly positive. "This project assures

LMayor Eugene Rosin Kaukauna Utilities will remain competitive and offer its customers some of the lowest rates in the state," he said. "After this project is carried out, it will serve us another 80 to 100 years. There's no cleaner power than water/hydro power." Rosin said the city has been as open as possible about the project, giving tours of the plants to be replaced and sharing information about the proposals during public meetings as well as with anyone who asked about it. He said the lengthy state and federal approval process seemed never-ending at times. "I realize government moves slowly, but it seemed unreal to me," he said. The FERC licensing process took about seven yearsbecause it required assorted environmental and feasibility studies to show need and proof the

project would not be harmful to the surrounding environment, water or wildlife. Feldt said a 50-year operating license from FERC for the new Badger facility was issued in May 2011. It received approval for its water certification license from the state Department of Natural Resources in February 2011. The utility awaits approval from the Public Service Commission on its certificaof authority, which authorizes it to move forward with the project. Feldt expects that process to becompleted within 90 days.

ollowing in Grandpa’s footstep

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ild hydroelectric plant at site of grandpa's

(F s) The power of water Mueller set to buBy Jessica Cohea — morrisdailyherald.com, January 25, 2012

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Marseilles, IL — A new construction project will begin this summer in Marseilles. By December 2013, a new 10.26-megawatt hydroelectric power plant will be constructed on the Illinois River in Marseilles. Over the course of the 21-month project, approximately $12.5 million will be expended for local services, including engineering and surveying, materials testing, on-site construction management and labor and locally procured materials, such as concrete, steel, lumber, road gravel, paving and other supplies, according to Marseilles Land and Water Company President Lee Mueller. Once completed, the new plant will employ at least four full-time, on-site staff members and possibly four or more part-time workers as well. William D. Boyce, Mueller's grandfather and founder of the Boy Scouts of America, constructed the first hydroelectric power plant in Marseilles in 1907. His plant ceased operation in the late 1920s, however. Another plant, built in 1911 at the end of the North Headrace by the Northern Illinois Light and Traction Company, owned and operated by Illinois Power Company, continued to operate until it closed in 1988. The 1911 building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989. In November 2003, North American Hydro received a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) license that "entitled them to rehabilitate the antique hydro-plant in Marseilles and operate a less-than-5-megawatt project," Mueller said. In 2005, MLWC was issued a preliminary permit by FERC, Mueller explained, to study the feasibility of developing a second hydroelectric plant using the balance of the water available. NAH's FERC license was for only half of the water power available in the North Headrace. "When we learned through a public notice that they were losing their license, we adjusted our plans," Mueller said. "Instead of a 6-megawatt project, we altered plans and sought the entire water power because it would be available." On Dec. 15, 2011, MLWC was granted a license to construct, operate and maintain the proposed Marseilles Lock and Dam Hydroelectric Project, a 10.26-megawatt project, by FERC, Mueller said. The new "state-of-the-art" plant will be in the same location as Boyce's original 1907 plant. It will be approximately 136 feet by 76 feet by 60 feet and will have four Kaplan, S-type, double-regulated turbines each with an output of 2.563 megawatts, totaling 10.26 megawatts. MLWC will also refurbish the civil structures at the North Headrace as well as constructing a new intake diversion structure at the new power house. A two-acre wetlands preserve will be constructed in the South Headrace. In addition to the money that will be spent on local services throughout the project construction and the employment opportunities that will stem from the new power plant, Mueller noted some long term contributions to local property taxes as well as Illinois State business income taxes. The City of Marseilles is looking forward to the upcoming project. "We are looking forward to something positive happening in the community soon," Marseilles Mayor Patricia Smith said. "We are looking forward to progress."

(This is one of those – everybody wins things) We Energies dam by Adam Chick, uppermichiganssource.com, 01.24.2012 Dickinson County, MI -- We Energies is attempting to build a new powerhouse for its hydro dam near Iron Mountain. Officials at the Twin Falls hydro dam near the Menominee River are attempting to build a new powerhouse on the Wisconsin side of the river. The current facility is very old. In fact it's over 100 years old, and it's not operating as efficiently as it could. That's why, according to the people at We Energies, building a new facility is in order. “The project is just tired,” said Todd Jastremski. “The turbines inside the powerhouse are tired. The structure itself is also beyond its useful life.” The turbine generators are also old and inefficient. We Energies says

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that a new powerhouse would solve a lot of their problems. The project also includes plans to protect fish. They'll use special turbine generators that make it easier for fish to pass through. “It'll provide better protection for fish that are in the water that pass though the turbine as it generates electricity,” says Rod Miller. “What we'll end up with is a powerhouse with less units that's more environmentally friendly to fish and other aquatic creatures and that will generate more renewable energy for the area,” Jastremski says. The project is expected to begin as soon as they get approval from various state agencies. Their goal is to complete the project by summer 2016. Cherokees approve hydroelectric plant by Dianna F. Dandridge, Staff Writer , 1/26/12, sequoyahcountytimes.com The construction of a long-awaited hydroelectric power plant at W.D. Mayo Lock and Dam, south of Muldrow, will create jobs for 150 to 200 people during its construction while pumping more than $450 million into the depressed economy of Sequoyah County, David Thornton, Tribal council member, said. The project recently entered its fifth phase after the Cherokee Nation Tribal Council unanimously authorized Cherokee Nation Businesses to apply for more than $1 million in grant funding from the U.S. Department of the Interior. “I am very excited about this project and the jobs it will bring to the area,” Thornton, of Vian, said. Thornton said the power plant will employ five to 10 highly-trained workers with continuous tax revenue and income to the local area. Gross annual income is expected to exceed $12 million and will increase over time, Thornton said. The Department of Interior grant, if awarded, will allow engineers to build a model, necessary for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to approve construction plans. Thornton did not know when the grant would be awarded, but was sure the Department of Interior would grant it. “We will get it. I have no doubt,” Thornton said. The Cherokee Nation, with their exclusive building rights on the Arkansas riverbed, will own and operate the hydroelectric plant, selling the generated power to other electric suppliers. The Corps of Engineers operates the lock and dam. Thornton said the jobs created by the project include construction of the power plant, road construction, power line construction, concrete work, security and fence and barrier construction. Thornton said indirect employment in Sequoyah County including food sales, transportation, housing and sales of other commodities will benefit from the project. “Local economic benefits from the project are going to be more than $532 million,” Thornton said. Congress authorized the construction of the project in 1986, but it was considered infeasible at the time, Thornton said. The project gained momentum again in 2009 when the Department of the Interior, Energy and Minerals Development Program (DOI-EMDP) funded Phase I, a $130,000 feasibility study with recommendations to continue through development. Phase II was a 2010 $150,000 continuation of the feasibility and pre-development study. DOI-EMDP funded Phase III at the cost of $1.67 million for mapping, geotechnical engineering, generator and powerhouse equipment specifications and procurement and other issues necessary to begin construction, including Corps of Engineers approval of project activities. In 2012, Phase IV provided $550,000 for a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers detailed powerhouse model study and a moveable bed model study. Phase V, according to information Thornton provided, continues with the pre-construction/development of the project including budgets for modeling completion, permits, environmental reviews, power purchase agreements, transmission/interconnect, and travel. As a typical hydroelectric project, the new powerhouse will have a service life of 100 years with no major renovation until after the 46th year of operation at which time the turbines will be scheduled for overhaul, Thornton said. Thornton said the project construction is estimated at $144 million.

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He said it will take about a year to design the project. Construction will take two to three years with a completion date of 2015. (This is probably the tip of the iceberg and the story that can be told about much of the Nation’s infrastructure. This is what happens when you’re broke!) Pittsburgh area's aging locks and dams approach 'scary' status By Chris Togneri, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, pittsburghlive.com, January 29, 2012 When three barges broke loose 10 days ago on the Monongahela River, bouncing off bridges, forcing road closures and slowing the morning commute, the accident resulted in yet-another unscheduled waterway closure in the Army Corps of Engineers' Pittsburgh District. While most closures are not nearly as spectacular, they are common, according to local and national waterway officials. They promise to get worse. Western Pennsylvania's 23 locks are old and, in some cases, crumbling, officials said. The Dashields lock and dam on the Ohio River has unstable chamber walls that move when vessels pass. At Lock and Dam No. 2 on the Allegheny, large chunks of concrete have fallen off chamber walls, risking vessels and crew. At the 76-year-old Montgomery Lock and Dam on the Ohio, the gates are so old and weak that two gave out in 2005 after loose barges crashed into them, although they are designed to sustain such a hit. Combine that with continued cuts to federal funding for maintenance and operations, and the region's waterways are not only unreliable for industry, but approaching a "scary" status, officials said. "We already have double the national average of unscheduled outages, and with cuts to federal funding, we're going to quadruple the national average this year," said Jim McCarville, executive director of the Port of Pittsburgh Commission. "When you think about it, it's really quite scary." In a nation full of aging waterway infrastructure, Pittsburgh's is the oldest. Designed to last 50 years, about half of locks in the United States are 50 years or older, according to statistics from the Army Corps. In Western Pennsylvania, 66 percent are 50 years or older. The Emsworth locks on the Ohio River are 91 years old, and of the eight locks and dams on the Allegheny, the youngest, in Rimer, is 74 years old. "They are aging and fatigued," said Jim Fisher, chief of operations for the corps' Pittsburgh District. "The only good news is that we know there are major problems." Rimer and another Allegheny lock, at Templeton, have been shut down because there is no money for upkeep. Commercial vessels must call 24 hours in advance to pass. Federal funding for maintenance and operations in the district is expected to drop for a second straight year, from $101 million in fiscal year 2010 and $83.3 million in 2011 to $71.4 million in 2012, according to the corps. The 2012 number is a projection; officials expect to get the final number in days, said Dan Jones, an Army Corps spokesman. "We're doing no more major preventative maintenance," Fisher said. The corps oversees nine locks on the Monongahela River, eight on the Allegheny River and six on the Ohio River. Its repair fleet -- which responds to vessel and lock emergencies and maintains the locks and dams -- has slashed hours of operation from 24 hours to 16 hours a day, Fisher said. In the Jan. 19 accident, two coal barges headed for U.S. Steel's Clairton Works got loose near the Liberty Bridge. One floated to the Ohio and sank; the other struck a moored barge filled with sand at Frank Bryan Inc., a South Side construction materials supply business. It ripped that barge loose, then pinned it against a Smithfield Street Bridge pier. The Coast Guard is investigating the cause. U.S. Steel depends on the Monongahela Ohio River system for transporting raw materials and finished steel to and from its Clairton, Irvin, and Edgar Thomson plants in the Mon Valley, said company spokeswoman Erin DiPietro. "Without an efficient water transportation system, these plants would be significantly less competitive in today's steel

market," she said. Coal shipped to Clairton is used to make coke, she said. The coke is shipped to U.S. Steel blast furnaces in Braddock; Gary, Ind.; Detroit; Fairfield, Ala.; and Granite City, Ill. Last year, there were 475 unscheduled closures of locks on Western Pennsylvania rivers, mostly from equipment failures, but also the result of rarer issues, such as loose barges and flooding, officials said. Unscheduled closings blocked river traffic for almost 9,500 hours combined, federal statistics show. "We no longer have a reliable system. It's as simple as that," Fisher said. The Coast Guard closed the Monongahela for two days while crews salvaged the loose barges. Traffic on the Ohio and Allegheny was not affected. Debra Colbert, spokeswoman for the Alexandria, Va.-based advocacy group Waterways Council Inc., said Pittsburgh must improve its waterway system or risk losing industry. "We're at a critical juncture. We cannot take a Band-Aid approach," Colbert said. Waterways Council is lobbying Congress to back a bill sponsored by U.S. Rep. Ed Whitfield, R-Ky., that would funnel more money into maintaining and rebuilding inland waterway infrastructure. "Without waterways, everybody is going to have to pay a lot more for consumer goods," she said.

Environment: (You have to watch the video for this article – see link below) Yuba River below the Sacramento District’s Englebright Dam is showing encouraging results Salmon habitat restoration at Englebright Dam shows encouraging signs Posted by: Maven on January 28, 2012, aquafornia.com/, From the US Army Corps of Engineers: “A habitat improvement program to help the recovery of threatened Chinook salmon and steelhead trout in the Yuba River below the Sacramento District’s Englebright Dam is showing encouraging results.” http://aquafornia.com/archives/60977 iThis compilation of articles and other information is provided at no cost for those interested in hydropower, dams, and water resources issues and development, and should not be used for any commercial or other purpose. Any copyrighted material herein is distributed without profit or payment from those who have an interest in receiving this information for non-profit and educational purposes only.

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http://aquafornia.com/archives/60977

1Copy obtained from the National Performance of Dams Program: http://npdp.stanford.edu

2/10/2012

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“Good wine is a necessity of life.” - -Thomas Jefferson Ron’s wine pick of the week: Noster 2005 Inicial Priorat “No nation was ever drunk when wine was cheap.” - - Thomas Jefferson Other Stuff: (Renewable energy nonsense) Unneeded wind turbines can't help environment tri-cityherald.com, Jan. 29, 2012 We knew this day was coming but still somehow hoped a voice of reason would provide a solution to a dilemma now faced by power companies. Washington voters approved an initiative in 2006 that required power companies to create green energy or buy credits from others who do. And the first mandate, requiring many utilities to purchase 3 percent of their power from renewable sources, kicks in this month. Unfortunately, hydropower isn't considered renewable under the initiative. If it were, every utility in the state already would meet the mandate. Instead, some power companies will now be forced to buy energy they don't need to meet the required renewable energy mandates voters demanded. The cheaper hydropower will be sold elsewhere, probably California. The result will be a hit to your pocketbook, as utilities have to buy the unnecessary but required more expensive green energy from wind turbines and other sources. For example, wind energy costs Benton PUD $57 per megawatt hour at current prices, while hydroelectric energy costs $27 per megawatt hour. Guess who pays the difference? Unlike many states, Washington relies on water for as much as 70 percent of its electrical power, reducing its dependence on fossil fuels. We're wondering if voters who supported Initiative 937 are starting to rethink their position. Maybe they missed some of the fine print or the editorials warning of high costs and short benefits. These mandates just don't make sense in our region where hydropower is abundant and the Columbia River hasn't dried up in the hundreds of years folks have known of its existence. That makes it a renewable resource. When companies build wind farms that we don't need -- wasting land and resources in the process -- just to meet the demands of this initiative, it's bad for the environment. We don't care how green the energy plant may be, it makes no sense from an environment perspective to build facilities we don't need.

Some Dam – Hydro News ™

And Other Stuff

Quote of Note: “A committee is a group of the unprepared, appointed by the unwilling to do the unnecessary." --Fred Allen, American comedian




Think about the carbon footprint of the big trucks needed to haul those wind turbine blades down the road. Don't forget the pilot cars that have to guide the monstrous pieces of equipment, orit takes multiple loads to get all the parts to the often pristine hillsides that are scarred by roads cut to get the turbines to the top. Environmentalists laud the initiative for our state's thriving green-power industry, touting a $7.5 billion investment in the state as a result. Figures that sound like a whole lot of construction projects to us, with a walloping impact on the environment

that

grand

as part of the development process. It would be one thing if green energy mandates were displacing coal-fired generators, but they're instead diverting one form of clean energy to other regions and replacing it with more costly, less reliable sources. And this is just the beginning. If

er 1999

iving

t

er than

to s for something we don't need simply because it's got a "green" label on it.

the initiative remains intact as voters approved, utilities will have to have 15 percent renewable energy by 2020. Some of our lawmakers are on the right path, attempting to include hydropower added aftto the list of qualifying renewable energy sources. But that excludes the bulk of hydropower in the region. Energy created from biomass would be included under the proposal too, helping companies with pulp and paper mills. The bill also would postpone the mandates by a year, gutilities some time to make a case for exemptions if they don't need additional power. But earlier proposed changes to the initiative were derailed in a bitter battle in 2009 by opposition from lawmakers on the west side of the state. Both sides have said they want to avoid a similar fighthis time around, but acknowledged the issues haven't changed. Environmentalists and cash-hungry wind-energy companies say the intent of the law was to be innovative and create new sources of energy, not craft a law that takes into account existing sources. And in some areas inthe nation that kind of thinking just might make sense. But here we already have more powwe need and a whole bunch of water to maintain that luxury indefinitely. We shouldn't have pay higher rateHydropower is about as green as it gets and the law should be amended to make sense to Washington.

Dams: (The dam comes tumbling down) Explosion brings down more of Glines CanPeninsula Daily News, January 28. 2012, peninsuladailyne Olympic National Park, WA — An explosion took down about an additional 6 feet of GlineCanyon Dam last week, and at least one morexplosion is expected next month. Barnard Construction Company Inc. crews blew up a portion of the upper dam on the Elwha River oThursday. “We took out some of the concfrom the dam that we couldn't get to with thebarge on the far right-hand side [looking downstream],” said Brian Krohmer, project manager. “The shoreline is too shallow forbarge, so we had to drill and blast it,” he said.

yon Dam ws

s e

n rete

the

.com

Glines Canyon Dam is now about 42 feet shorter than its original 210-foot height. Barnard, a Bozeman, Mont.-based company contracted by Olympic National Park to remove both Glines Canyon Dam and the lower Elwha Dam, drilledholes for the explosives during snowstorms the week of Jan. 15. Crews used a “man basket” to lower themselves to that section of the dam, Krohmer said. At least one more explosion will be needed later on that side of the Glines Canyon Dam, Krohmer said. Before that happens,

crews


whold period designed to give the river time to erode the sediment in the Lake Mills delta. Underwater pillars During the hold period, Barnard crews will install two underwater pillars called “spud piles” on the front corners of the barge. The piles will brace the barge against the face of the dam. After thtwo-week hold period, “we'll have at least one more blast on that side” of Glines Canyon Da

ill chisel another 3 feet or so off the top of the dam by midweek and then wait through a 14-day

e m,

Krohmer said, which will remove another 6- to 8-foot section. “There's so much rebar in the concrete next to the embankment that it's difficult to drill,” he added. “There are still a lot of unknowns there,” Krohmer said. “There's a lot of work left to do.” The dam is expected to be completely demolished in early 2014. “Glines is obviously going to take longer to complete than the Elwha Dam,” Krohmer said. The Elwha Dam is expected to be completely removed by early 2013. Work is much farther along there. Some 44 feet remains to be removed from the lower dam, which was originally 108 feet tall, so it won't be long before the visible part of the dam is taken down to the riverbed. “What you can't see is the work on the powerhouse,” Krohmer said. “We're still removing the substructure of that,” and that work should be finished by midweek, Krohmer said. The river was diverted to the left channel late last week and will remain there fothree to five weeks while crews finish removing the gravity dam. Then, crews will begin moving some 67,000 cubic yards of dirt and rock that were fill material just upstream of the dam. Thematerial will be placed on the slope where the powerhouse and penstocks, the large metal pipes that led from the dam to the powerhouse, once stood. Barnard Construction crews began in September chipping away at the two dams, built without fish ladders nearly a century ago, a

r

s part of a $325 million federal project to restore the river's once-famous salmon runs. The Elwha Dam was built in 1913 five miles from the mouth of the river, forming the now-disappeared Lake Aldwell, and the Glines Canyon Dam, which formed Lake Mills 14 miles upriver, followed in 1927.

he d a lot

epairs) (Is this a good idea? It is a novel way to finance dam r

Range offers $2.2M bonus to drill at Dutch Fork 2/2/2012, observer-reporter.com, by Scott Beveridge, Staff writer The state Fish and Boat Commission will accept a bonus payment of $2.2 million from a Marcellus Shale natural gas driller under an oil and gas development lease at the damaged DutchFork Lake property in Donegal Township. The money from Southpointe-based Range Resources will fund the commission's efforts to repair dozens of other high-hazard dams it owns across tstate, said Eric Levis, the commission's press secretary. "It takes years to rebuild these anof money," said Levis, estimating the commission needs nearly $30 million to repair all of its dams. The commission also will receive 18 percent in royalties on gas produced from the property under the terms of the lease agreement the commission approved Tuesday, he said. The commission last year approved a Marcellus Shale program, which allows drillers to tap into the oil and gas under its properties only if they can set up drilling rigs on adjoining land, Levis said. "They are not allowed to bring equipment onto our property," he said. The commission already has secured the $4.5 million it needs to rebuild the Donegal dam and restore Dutch Fork

ake, which was drained in the aftermath of Hurricane Ivan in 2004. Work on that project began

mined decision. Whether they are right or not movement is in control of this decision.)

am removal draft ignores public say

Lin August. Range spokesman Matt Pitzarella was unavailable for comment Wednesday. (It’s a sad truth that these people face a pre-deter

ronmental doesn’t seem to matter because the enviDheraldandnews.com, February 2, 2012 We are four generations below Iron Gate Dam and above influencing tributaries. We have witnessed the dam's profound benefits to all aspects of our beloved Klamath River environment. The just released "Draft Klamath Dam Removal Overview" made me ill over biased blatant lies, exceptions and unfounded assumptions. Seemingly forged to further the Secretary's orchestrated KBRA/dams removal "determination," it sidesteps mountains of previous regional public input,


requesting yet another "public comment" by Feb. 5. It ignores increased power costs, unnecessary ancillary infrastructure required costs and typical-year/non-represented resultant agricultural costs. Ignored are lakefront and river property devaluations from vested asset losseincreased in-river algae, degraded riparian and water quality, their own expert panel warn

s, ings,

and possible flood damage. It minimizes losses to recreation, other species and habitats, and ridiculously estimates contradicted salmon "benefits" and commercial harvest increases. Documented history is ignored, as are the presented alternative solutions producing greater universal benefit for all at a fraction of the cost without need of KBRA self-benefiting, special interest oppression. Creating a guaranteed-funded future of unaccountable "adaptive management," the KHSA/Kassumes zero liability for mandating already failed theories and economic genocide. Only a fraction of known direct damages are "considered" for compensation, and those select few

BRA

suspiciously focus only on dictated terms with "cooperating" landowners. The report cites job gains by adding multiple years of "possible" part-time positions and includes outside contracted breaching jobs lasting one year, all ultimately at taxpayer, ratepayer and unrepresented landowner cost. They claim directly related losses cannot be estimated for "lack of information" or "outside the scope," but easily manufacture an imaginary $15-plus billion national "non-use" benefit. This "process," in securing an agenda through the KBRA, fabricates a paper trail

tionalizing the "adaptively managed" regulatory and economic selective extirpation of our

f

s;

h

raenvironment and her communities. Rex Cozzalio, Hornbrook, Calif. (Looks like this dam is going away) The dam project Park staff seeking input on Lily Lake dam project By Kyle Patterson, RMNP Special to the Trail-Gazette, eptrail.com, 02/03/2012 Rocky Mountain National Park staff is seeking input on Lily Lake Dam project. The U.S. Bureau oReclamation has rated the Lily Lake Dam, located in Rocky Mountain National Park, as a high-hazard dam. Failure of the dam is not imminent, and park staff is evaluating long-term solutionconsidering two options to reduce the risk, either repairing or removing the dam. Until a long-termsolution is implemented, the dam will be regularly inspected and monitored, and a pump has been purchased to lower the lake level in the event of a significant weather event. The Lily Lake Dam is situated at the headwaters of Fish Creek, which flows into Lake Estes in Estes Park. FisCreek is about 5 miles in length and the elevation difference between Lily Lake and Lake Estes is about 1,500 feet. If the dam were to fail, the ensuing floodwaters could result in the loss of life and property along Fish Creek. Repairs are needed to the dam to reduce the hazard, or the dam could be removed and the area restored to natural conditions.

Lily Lake, located along Highway 7, has become a popular recreational area in Rocky MountaNational Park. The lake sits in a beautiful mountain setting, surrounded by an accessible trail. Tlake is a popular fishing spot and is stocked with greenback cutthroat trout, a federally listed threatened species. Park staff is seeking the public's input on two long-term alternatives. Both

in he

repairing and removing the dam would involve several steps. The estimated cost of repairing the dam is approximately $1.4 million, with additional annual costs to maintain and monitor the dam. The estimated cost of removing the dam would be approximately $150,000. If the dam is removed, the resulting lake would be about 14 acres in surface area and would contain about 39 acre feet of water. If the dam remains in place, the lake would be about 17 acres in surface area and contain about 75 acre feet of water. To learn more about Lily Lake, the dam and possible consequences for both actions, please go to: nps.gov/romo/parkmgmt/lhave Internet access, the preferred method for submitting comments is to use the NationService Planning, Environment and P

ily_lake_dam.htm. If you al Park

ublic Comment (PEPC) website: http://parkplanning.nps.gov/romo. From this site, select the Lily Lake Dam Project. Your omments can be submitted online. c

http://www.nps.gov/romo/parkmgmt/lily_lake_dam.htm




(California used to be a leader, now they are a place that’s out of touch with reality.)

ur View: Color hydroelectric power green

Editorial Omercedsunstar.com, Feb. 04, 2012 For Merced, there already is a source of abundant renewable energy in the Merced River. Thereis a law of unintended consequences. When Gov. Brown signed a bill by state Sen. Joe Simitan (D-Palo Alto) into law, it meant private and public utilities must get 33 percent of their electricity from renewable energy sources by 2020. That's up from the present 20 percent. The senator said in a news release that the bill "confirmed California's long-term commitment to clean green energy." He meant power from the wind and sun. But it also put one of our main local energy suppliers, the Merced Irrigation District, in a bind. And the MID officials say it will also put Merced County energy users in the same bind. "The rules will make it more and more difficult for peoplto pay their utility bills," John Sweigard, MID's general manager, told the Sun-Star editorial board this week. He estimates a double-digit percentage increase in utility bills. PG&E told the Sa

e

n Francisco Chronicle the same thing. Sweigard said that at current rates, it will cost the MID $3.5 million a year to meet the renewable energy target by 2020. And who will pay for that cost increase? Mercedians. We're all for renewable energy. We've reported on what local companies and UC Merced are doing in the solar energy field -- and we're proud of their achievements. But green costs green. The MID has been lobbying state legislators, trying to get them to consider newly licensed projects for hydroelectric power, which the MID generates in abundance from its facilities on the Merced River, as renewable energy. "It's insane that we have a carbon-free energy here andhave to go out and buy more expensive energy," said one MID official. So far, the response to that requesindicate

we'll

t has been underwhelming, although MID said state Sen. Anthony Cannella has

this issu

in setting

s

d he'll introduce legislation to provide some relief to the district. We know two facts about e: 1) The MID isn't a widows and orphans fund; it is a business and will act in its own best interests; 2) Merced County is part of California, and if Californians want to be aggressive high environmental goals, all of us have to participate and bite the cost bullet.

But we also know a third fact: according to census data, among five other nearby cities -- Modesto, Turlock, Ceres, Stockton and Visalia -- Merced has the highest percentage of residentliving in poverty (26.6 percent); the lowest per capita income ($16,897); and by far the lowest median household income ($34,757). We railed against a $29 million fine for the Valley last fall imposed by the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District for violating the Clean Air Act."An imperfect storm of uncontrollable air currents did us in," we wrote. We asked for a break. (We didn't get one, of course.) Now we're asking that Sacramento elected officials decide that the MID's hydroelectric power projects be considered renewable energy. That would help keep folks' utility bills down. And the MID says the projects have met rules to mitigate their environ

pact. We're not holding our breath that will happen, so we hope engaged residents will mental

contact eir elected officials and make the case we present here. Merced still needs a break.

imth


Hydro: (Hope all this hope for kinetic energy gets it done. It’better for the environment, especially the scDam About to Bust on Clean HydrokineticBy

s enic view

a wind turbine under water and a whole lot we see) Energy

Tina Casey | January 30th, 2012 , triplepundit.com A company called Verdant Power has won the first ever commercial license for a hydrokinetic tidal power facility in the U.S., and that could be just the first drop in a torrent of more than 100 new hydrokinetic projects that are still in the initial stages of permitting around the country. Verdant’s project, called RITE for Roosevelt Island Tidal Energy, wiltap the powerful currents of New York City’s East River to generate clean electricity. Hydrokinetic energy shows great promise for growth in the U.S.since the turbines can potentially be installed in indus

l

,

trial waterways such as wastewater treatment lants and food processing plants as well as natural

like ms to generate water pressure artificially. That

eans you get all the benefits of clean hydropower without the enormous carbon footprint that

s

e two main challenges. First, their eeds to be assessed. Second, because the

ved-up water pressure, the mechanics of the

Support for New Hydrokinetic Projects

pwaterways, but until recently the technology has been treading water, so to speak, in the research and development phase. The success of the RITE project could mean that hydrokinetic turbines are ready to cross over into mainstream commercial use. What’s So Great About Hydrokinetic Turbines? Hydrokinetic turbines can be installed in waterways without interrupting their natural flow, unconventional hydropower facilities that require damcomes along with major infrastructure projects. You can also get scalability, since hydrokinetic turbines are generally designed as “drop-in” pieces of equipment that can be tethered to bargeor anchored in place individually. The company HydroVolts is one example of a focus on small-scale hydrokinetic projects that can take advantage of minor waterway assets in local communities. Hydrokinetic turbines can also be added on to existing hydropower dams, to squeeze some extra volts out of those facilities. Hurry Up and Wait for Clean Hydrokinetic Power Despite their obvious advantages, hydrokinetic turbines facpotential impact on marine life in natural waterways ntechnology relies on ambient current rather than revturbine have to be refined in order to make them worth the investment. When hydrokinetic turbines are installed in a natural waterway they also face a third challenge, which is their ability to function efficiently under varying conditions of flood, drought, ebb tide or flow tide. Given all thisit should come as no surprise that the RITE project has been in development since 2006, when placement of the first six of thirty planned turbines began. Federal

http://verdantpower.com/

http://www.ferc.gov/media/news-releases/2012/2012-1/01-23-12.asp

http://verdantpower.com/what-initiative/



http://www.triplepundit.com/2006/05/experimental-river-turbines-may-help-power-nyc/



http://www.ferc.gov/industries/hydropower/gen-info/licensing/hydrokinetics.asp


Recognizing the barriers confronting hydrokinetic projects, in 2008 the Federal Energy Regulatory es designed to make it easier for the

s

s, last year the U.S. Economic Development e University for its new RiverSphere center,

onnected hydrokinetic turbines in the orld, but the U.S. better get a move on if it wants to establish global leadership in the industry.

Commission (FERC) established new licensing procedurhydro power industry to test pilot hydrokinetic projects in real world conditions. The agency defines pilot projects as small-scale, removable facilities that use natural currents, tides or waveto generate electricity. That is the license that Verdant Power received for RITE (by the way, it should be noted that the East River is part of a tidal system and is not a river in the conventionalsense). The Obama Administration and Hydrokinetic PowerTo speed up the development of new technologieAdministration awarded a $3 million grant to Tulanwhich will provide a facility on the Mississippi River for private sector companies to test their prototype hydrokinetic turbines. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory has also taken up the hydrokinetic mantle with the development of JEDI (take that, Dark Side!), a free analytical tool that makes it easier for hydrokinetic energy developers, and other stakeholders, to anticipate local economic impacts associated with their projects. The Global Race for Hydrokinetic Leadership Verdant claims that its initial six turbines were the first grid-cwIronically, some of the competition may come from Canada, home base of the notorious KeystoneXL oil pipeline. Verdant Power is moving forward with a 15 MW hydrokinetic project on the St. Lawrence River in Ontario, based on lessons learned from the RITE pilot project turbines. Hydro developer seeks congressional help By Chris Garofolo, Reformer Staff, reformer.com, February 3, 2012 Brattleboro, VT - The company is looking to construct two hydroelectric dams on the West River is seeking help from Vermont's congressional delegation in moving forward with the final stage of its federal licensing process. Plainfield-based developer Blue Heron Hydro LLC met with U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., recently to discuss the company's four-year project to install hydroelectric facilities near the Townshend Dam and Jamaica's Ball Mountain Dam. The company hoped to hear from the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission earlier this month, but has not received the licensing approval after the 30-day comment period. FERC spokeswoman Celeste Miller said the commission is reviewing the included statements and will

make a determination on the licensing application, taking into account those public comments onthe environmental assessment. "There's no statutory timeframe, it really depends on how many comments we get and the scope of the comments. We need to review all of those and address them in the final decision," she said. David Carle, spokesman from Leahy's office said the senator's staff has been in touch with Blue Heron for more than two years, specifically about permits needed from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the federal energy commission. "[Leahy's] practice is not to intervene in federal regulatory cases, and accordingly he has not advocated for approval of the permits," Carle said. "He has asked the federal agencies to move their reviews forward as efficiently and expeditiously as possible so the project can be judged on its merits, instead of having its viability affected or decided by an unduly protracted permprocess." Blue Heron President Lori Barg contacted the congressional team for assistance in the process. "We've been in touch with the delegation the last four years we've been involved project," she said. "Since the final license has been submitted for 15 months now and we got two letters of support from the governor [Democrat Peter Shumlin] ... and these projects would w

itting

in the

ork for the state of Vermont." Both proposed hydro projects are currently West River dams owned and operated at the federal level with the Corps of Engineers. They were built in 1961 for floocontrol in the Connecticut River Valley along the West River, but also provide multiple

d

recreational activities at each location. The Corps has voiced full support for the development of these facilities. Blue Heron received federal clearance on Dec. 20, 2011, for hydroelectric

http://www.triplepundit.com/2012/01/reading-tea-leavs-keystone-xl-pipeline-decision/





generation facilities and were the first sites to receive water quality certificates from the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources since 1987. The projects also received certification from the Vermont Public Service Board as a qualifying Sustainably Priced Energy Enterprise Development (SPEED) resource. If the projects are approved, the hydro facilities could bring a renewable energy source to approximately 3,000 Vermont homes. Blue Heron proposes to install on-site turbines to produce slightly more than three megawatts, offsetting more than 10,000 tons of carbon annually. Barg remains optimistic the turbines will become operational by the end of 20 (Maybe they’ll correct a bad decision made many years ago.) Turbine at dam may spin again

13.

Nathan Baker / The Citizen, AuburnPub.com | February 4, 2012 Auburn, NY - Auburn hopes to soon get the turbine spinning again at the Mill Street Dam. On Thursday, the Auburn City Council unanimously approved an agreement with the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority to sell the renewable energy credits produced by the hydro-electric dam. "New York State is required to purchase renewable energy credits to fula requirement that 25 percent of its electricity be generated from renewable sources," said Christina Selvek, Auburn's head of grants and capital projects. "We were approved to take part in a program to sell our credits to NYSERDA." Selvek said initial estimates show that the city couldraise as much as $3 million over a 15-year period through the agreement, plus reap the benefits

fill

of net metering to offset other electricity costs. Only one problem is holding back the project - the Mill Street Dam isn't currently producing electricity. "I'm hoping this is the kick in the pants we

y

need to get this project going again," Selvek said. At a recent meeting of the Auburn Municipal Power Authority, the members discussed options for getting the dam's long-dormant turbine spinning again. The most favorable, according to Selvek, is to enter into an agreement with a private company that will replace the dam's turbine and is willing to be paid back when the citbegins to save money on energy costs. "The city won't have to take on any liability, but will still get the benefit of the project," she said. Selvek said she's excited to get the dam project back on track, because "hydro power is in the city's blood." The Mill Street Dam was built to span the Owasco River in 1973. It produced 410 kilowatt hours of electricity, selling the power at 6 cents per kilowatt to New York State Energy & Gas until 1997, when the contract was renegotiated to an avoided cost agreement at 2 cents per kilowatt. In 2004, the city decided to stop the turbine instead of borrowing the money to replace it. Selvek said if the project goes ahead, the 4 megawatts of power produced by the dam could nearly offsetthe 5.5 megawatts used by the city annually. "If we go through with the net metering, at a conservative estimate of 11 cents per kilowatt, $400,000 would be returned back to the city oannual basis," she said. Councilor Pete

n an r Ruzicka, who works for Syracuse's Saab-Sensis, said

e city should move ahead with the project. "As an engineer, nothing is more exciting to me than

oing our due diligence with this, and it looks like the payback will be worth it." "We are fortunate this community to have an asset like the Owasco River," Councilor John Camardo added. "It's reat that we can take advantage of these green energy revenues and help offset some of our xpenses." Staff writer Nathan Baker can be reached at 282-2238 [email protected]. ollow him on Twitter at CitizenBaker.

thhearing the whine of a turbine producing electricity," he said. "I wanted to make sure we were dingeF


http://auburnpub.com/search/?l=50&sd=desc&s=start_time&f=html&byline=Nathan%20Baker%20/%20The%20Citizen

9


iThis compilation of articles and other information is provided at no cost for those interested in hydropower, dams, and water resources issues and development, and should not be used for any commercial or other purpose. Any copyrighted material herein is distributed without profit or payment from those who have an interest in receiving this information for non-profit and educational purposes only.

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2/17/2012

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“Good wine is a necessity of life.” - -Thomas Jefferson Ron’s wine pick of the week: She Flirts Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 “No nation was ever drunk when wine was cheap.” - - Thomas Jefferson Other StuffOther Stuff: (The wind advocates are letting greed interfere with common sense. All this and the FERC’s miss-guided decision will do is increase rates for consumers. How’s that supposed to be in the public interest?) BPA Proposes Compromise In Wind Power Dispute From AP and staff reports, February 7, 2012, ktvz.com Portland, Ore. -- The federal agency that regulates much of the electrical transmission in the Northwest has proposed a compromise in a dispute with wind producers. The Bonneville Power Administration filed a proposal Tuesday that says when heavy spring runoff produces too much hydroelectric power for the grid to handle, as it did last spring, the agency will pay half the losses incurred by wind power producers that shut down. Wind power generators say the proposal is not good enough. Erin Greeson of Renewable Northwest Project, an advocacy group, says wind power producers are willing to bear some of the costs, but only if BPA comes up with a long-term solution to the problem of over-generation, increases flexibility for the grid and ensures a good business climate for renewable energy developers. (There’s the Sound of Music and then there’s the sound of wind energy – ker thump ker thump! We’ve been sold a bill of goods with this junk energy that survives on incentives and not on its own and we’re all paying for it.) Green Energy Has Residents Seeing Red Turbine noise worse than neighbors expected By Tisha Thompson | Feb 10, 2012, nbcwashington.com A thick fog has settled in on Green Mountain in Keyser, W.Va. "I can't live with this. You can't sleep." All day, people keep pointing into the trees, telling us there's something in the fog. "It's just rumbling the whole mountain." And then, just like that, the wind blows and you can see what Don Ashby is talking about. Ashby contacted the News 4 I-Team after the Pinnacle Wind Farm turned on its turbines for the first time in November. “We were basically told you would hear

Some Dam – Hydro News TM

And Other Stuff

Quote of Note: “He only profits from praise who values criticism." --Heinrich Heine



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a swishing sound like the waves of the ocean,” he said. “Like that which would calm you and put you to sleep." But Ashby and his neighbors say the low-frequency rumble is much worse than they expected. "I think I was misled," he says. According to documents obtained by News4, the wind farm presented a noise study to the West Virginia government saying the sound would be quieter than "average speech." When News4 visited Ashby and his neighbors, we heard what it sounds like instead. A mix between a train rumbling by and a plane flying high overhead. But unlike those sounds, the turbine noise never stops. "I can get out of it from a factory, once in a while, go home,” says Richard Braithwaite. “Get away from it. Here you can't get away from it." Braithwaite lives about a half-mile from the turbines. He bought an inexpensive sound meter to keep a log of readings outside his home: 60 decibels, 68 decibels, 70 decibels. "They can argue how accurate it is,” he says. “They can bring their thousand-dollar machine and take it." Prior to building, the wind farm’s noise study stated "the highest level of predicted operational noise was 56 dBA." Jim Cummings runs the Acoustic Ecology Institute, an independent non-profit that studies wind farm noise. He says, "55 decibels or so is very uncommon. So, these folks are dealing with the high end of what's allowed in other places." Cummings says there are no federal guidelines but state and local governments typically impose limits between 40 to 45 decibels. He says Oregon has the lowest limit at 36 decibels. West Virginia, however, doesn’t have a limit. "You can go to every neighbor I've got right now,” Ashby says. “They'll tell you they're unhappy." He and his neighbors are circulating a petition asking for the machines to be turned off at night. Pinnacle's parent company, Edison Mission Group, tells News4 it can't do that because it's contractually obligated to provide two-thirds of its power to the State of Maryland and the remaining third to the University of Maryland. In a statement, the company says it "takes issues raised by residents seriously" and is "currently testing technology that could reduce noise from the turbines." Back on Green Mountain, the sun is starting to set as Ashby points to two other wind farms. He then points across the valley. That, he says, is Western Maryland. He says there’re plans to build even more wind farms on both sides of the valley. But before they do, he wants people to know just because it's clean and green, doesn't mean it won't come at a cost.

DamsDams:: Aging NW Dams Pose Challenge for Fish, Feds Corps of Engineers Tests for Chemicals in Oil Used at Dams From KTVZ.COM News Sources, ktvz.com, February 5, 2012 Burbank, Wash. -- The Army Corps of Engineers is testing the oil used in dams on the Columbia and Snake rivers to see if it contains PCBs, chemicals which can contaminate the water around the dams. The Corps says the tests are a precaution after oil leaks were discovered in December at the Ice Harbor Lock and Dam on the Snake River. The tests bring up the bigger topic of the aging hydropower system, with the Bonneville Power Administration predicting what it calls significant new requirements for "non-routine extraordinary" dam maintenance. Bert Bowler, a retired fish biologist and founder of Snake River Salmon Solutions, says it isn't surprising, with dams at an average age nearing 50 years. "As these dam projects age over time, sure, there'll be all kinds of issues with old equipment that will end up leaking oil, and those kinds of issues associated with turbine units that go back to the early '60s," Bowler said. PCBs -- polychlorinated biphenyls -- are found in older transformers and other electrical equipment and were phased out starting in the 1970s because of harmful health effects.

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A common way humans ingest these chemicals is by eating fish. Advocates for Northwest salmon say oil leaks have become a chronic problem, and are another reason to consider decommissioning outdated dams. The federal government operates 12 hydroelectric dams on the Columbia and Snake rivers. BPA lists 41 maintenance projects for this year and next on Corps of Engineers-operated dams, 20 of them considered "high risk" if not funded. Bowler says paying for those repairs is a major concern. "They're in need of a lot of money to keep the system viable," he said. "I'm sure, in times ahead, the federal government is not going to just be ponying up a whole bunch of money to keep this system viable without a substantial increase in contributions from the users." He says the Obama administration wants to raise the user fees and add a lock fee to boost funds for lock and dam maintenance. However, some in Congress see the fees as taxes and don't support them, while others say the growing costs are a signal to rethink using the Lower Snake River for shipping. Chris Thomas of Oregon News Service prepared this article Report backs $1 billion plan to raise dam; Some relocation is necessary, but agriculture, wildlife benefit By Damon Arthur, February 6, 2012, redding.com A draft report released Monday by federal officials says a $1.07 billion plan to raise Shasta Dam by 18½ feet is feasible and economically justifiable. Raising the dam would increase the lake's storage about 14 percent, benefitting agricultural and municipal water users in the state, according to the Shasta Lake Water Resources Investigation draft feasibility report. Raising the dam also would benefit salmon and steelhead trout that migrate up the Sacramento River by providing a more reliable supply of cold water for spawning, the feasibility report says. But some roads, buildings and businesses around the lake would be inundated by the higher lake level, said Pete Lucero, a spokesman for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, the agency that prepared the report. Lucero said some of the resorts on the lake would have to be relocated, but he did not know which ones. The higher lake level would not affect Interstate 5 nor any of the I-5 bridges across portions of the lake, he said, and some of the

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secondary roads around the lake could be inundated by higher water. Raising the dam height 18 ½ feet would actually increase the depth of the lake 20 feet, the report said. "Although higher dam raises are technically feasible, 18 ½ feet is the largest dam raise that would avoid extensive and costly relocations, including moving the Pit River Bridge and Interstate 5," the report said. With a higher dam and the lake full, water levels would be just 4 feet from the bottom of the Pit River Bridge, the report said. Matt Doyle, general manager of Lake Shasta Caverns, said that if the lake level were raised 18½ feet, a building used to sell tickets and snacks, as well as some of the roadway on the property, would be covered by water. Despite the potential effect on the business, Doyle said he was not against raising the dam. "We've supported the dam raising, just as long as recreation is recognized," Doyle said. But recreation is recognized as one of the secondary objectives of raising the dam, along with hydropower, Sacramento River Delta water quality, flood control and improving the ecosystem around the lake. Lucero said it is far from a done deal that the dam would be raised. He said the feasibility report issued Monday is just in draft form and another environmental analysis on increasing the dam height is only in "preliminary draft" form. "We have a long way to go, bottom line," Lucero said. Bureau officials have been studying raising the dam since 1999. Work on the current feasibility study started in 2005. The report says there are still unresolved issues, including whether or not raising the lake level would violate federal law that says the McCloud River "should be maintained in its free-flowing condition, and its wild trout fishery protected." The report also says that the Winnemem band of the Wintu Indians has raised concerns that raising the lake level would flood sites that are culturally and religiously important to the tribe. The study also looked at the feasibility of raising the dam 6½ feet and 12½ feet. But the report concludes the 18½-foot increase would be the most economically, technically and environmentally feasible. http://www.usbr.gov/mp/slwri/documents.html. ((IIff yyoouu hhaavvee tthhee ccaasshh,, yyoouu ccaann bbuuiilldd aannyytthhiinngg!!)) RRuulleess,, mmoonneeyy bblloocckkiinngg ddaamm pprroojjeeccttss,, ooffffiicciiaallss ssaayy BByy DDaannaa MM.. 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BBrroowwnn,, ggeenneerraall mmaannaaggeerr ooff CCoonnttrraa CCoossttaa WWaatteerr DDiissttrriicctt,, ssaaiidd hhiiss aaggeennccyy wwaass aabbllee ttoo ccoommppllyy wwiitthh eennvviirroonnmmeennttaall rreegguullaattiioonnss ttoo bbuuiilldd LLooss VVaaqquueerrooss RReesseerrvvooiirr iinn tthhee llaattee 11999900ss aanndd ddoo aann eexxppaannssiioonn ooff LLooss VVaaqquueerrooss,, wwhhiicchh iiss nnooww iinn ccoonnssttrruuccttiioonn.. AAnndd hhee nnootteedd tthhaatt CCoonnttrraa CCoossttaa WWaatteerr DDiissttrriicctt iiss ccooooppeerraattiinngg wwiitthh EEaasstt BBaayy MMuunniicciippaall UUttiilliittyy DDiissttrriicctt ttoo uussee LLooss VVaaqquueerrooss aass aann aalltteerrnnaattiivvee ttoo aa ccoonnttrroovveerrssiiaall eexxppaannssiioonn ooff PPaarrddeeee RReesseerrvvooiirr oonn tthhee MMookkeelluummnnee RRiivveerr.. FFeellllooww WWaatteerr aanndd PPoowweerr SSuubbccoommmmiitttteeee mmeemmbbeerrss JJoohhnn GGaarraammeennddii,, DD--EEllkk GGrroovvee,, aanndd GGrraaccee NNaappoolliittaannoo,, DD--NNoorrwwaallkk,, bbootthh ssaaiidd iitt iiss hhiigghh ccoosstt tthhaatt iiss tthhee bbaarrrriieerr ttoo bbuuiillddiinngg ddaammss iinn CCaalliiffoorrnniiaa.. ""FFoouurr bbiilllliioonn ddoollllaarrss aanndd yyoouu ccaann bbuuiilldd ssoommee nniiccee ddaammss iinn CCaalliiffoorrnniiaa,,"" GGaarraammeennddii ssaaiidd.. ""DDoo yyoouu hhaavvee ffoouurr bbiilllliioonn ddoollllaarrss llyyiinngg aarroouunndd??"" TThhaatt pprroommpptteedd MMccCClliinnttoocckk ttoo rreessppoonndd jjuusstt bbeeffoorree hhee cclloosseedd tthhee hheeaarriinngg.. ""RReegguullaattoorryy eexxcceesssseess aarree aaccttiivveellyy bblloocckkiinngg pprroojjeeccttss eevveenn wwhheenn tthheeyy aarree ffuunnddeedd.."" EEnnvviirroonnmmeennttaall rreegguullaattiioonnss llaasstt yyeeaarr hheellppeedd ppuusshh EEaasstt BBaayy MMuunniicciippaall UUttiilliittyy DDiissttrriicctt ttoo rreeccoonnssiiddeerr iittss pprrooppoossaall ttoo rraaiissee PPaarrddeeee DDaamm aass aa wwaayy ttoo iinnccrreeaassee wwaatteerr ssuuppppllyy.. EEnnvviirroonnmmeennttaall ggrroouuppss wwoonn aa lleeggaall rruulliinngg ffoorrcciinngg tthhee ddiissttrriicctt ttoo ssttuuddyy ssoommee ooff tthhee iimmppaaccttss ooff tthhee pprrooppoossaall.. AAfftteerr tthhaatt,, EEaasstt BBaayy MMUUDD ooffffiicciiaallss ddeecciiddeedd iinnsstteeaadd ttoo ccooooppeerraattee oonn tthhee LLooss VVaaqquueerrooss pprroojjeecctt.. KKaatthheerriinnee EEvvaatttt,,

http://www.usbr.gov/mp/slwri/documents.html

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ays In

Engineers report on dam safety Overtopping in flood remains only concern Feb. 8, 2012, Written by, Cara Pallone, Appeal Tribune, statesmanjournal.com The engineering and construction firm that built Silver Creek Dam says that three of four previously identified wthe dam could fail are not a threat.the spring of 2011, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers completed a "potential failure modes analysis" — an investigation into all the ways the dam could fail. The study was done in preparation for an early-warning and monitoring system that was originally slated for installation this summer. The corps identified four potential credible failure modes. They included spillway jacking; downstream sill and stilling basin scour; upstream scour of spillway sill and overtopping. Of the four, overtopping is considered to be the only remaining way for the dam to fail. The other three modes are directly related to the spillway. The city recently hired CH2M Hill, the engineering company that designed and built the dam, to complete a capital-improvement and maintenance plan. In September, CH2M Hill, along with employees, city staff, a state dam inspector, Army Corps engineers and one member of the public — longtime dam safety advocate Gene Pfeifer — conducted a site visit at Silver Creek Dam and Reservoir. "The outcome of that was very positive," said Todd Cotten, CH2M Hill geotechnical engineer. "CH2M Hill, as the original designer, felt confidant some of the potential failure modes that were initially determined by the Army Corps of Engineers were not realistic failure modes." Cotten said that at the time the Corps conducted its inspection in the spring of 2011, water was flowing over the spillway. "It was difficult for them to get down and really ascertain what kind of condition the spillway and stilling basin were in," he said. During the September 2011 site visit, the water level at the reservoir had been drawn down, and city staff pumped water out of the stilling basin so all of the parties could get a clear look at the spillway, he said. Cotten presented the findings to the Silverton City Council in January.

• Spillway jacking: "All the joints of spillway were in really very good condition," Cotten said. Downstream sill and stilling basin scour: "For a facility that's been operating as long as this one has, and gone through some very large flood events, everyone agreed the scour was minor and there is no potential for this type of failure mode to occur and cause damage to spillway," he said.

• Upstream scour of spillway sill: The team found minor erosion, Cotten said, but nothing that would allow water to seep through the spillway slabs and cause damage.

Cotten said the three previously identified ways for the dam to fail were considered by all involved — including Army Corps engineers — not to be possible in the dam's current condition. Michelle Helms, spokeswoman for the Army Corps Portland District, said Corps engineers did make the

mailto:[email protected]

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site visit as informal observers. "During the visit, the contractor mentioned some possible recommendations they could make to the city, but nothing conclusive," she said. "Our engineers aren't involved with this project and haven't seen the final report." The fourth potential failure mode — overtopping — is still considered a possibility in a maximum flood event, Cotten said. "It's the one failure mode that we believe still needs to be addressed," he added. Silverton public works director Gerald Fisher said the city inspects the dam every six months and is now collecting drain samples quarterly to check for turbidity. The dam was built in 1974 and is located on Silver Creek about 2 miles southeast of Silverton. It is considered a high-hazard dam because of its proximity to Silverton; if it failed, the consequences would be severe. Funding for the early warning and monitoring system that prompted last spring's inspection is now on hold. The city of Silverton and the Army Corps are partnering on the system as part of the Continuing Authorities Program, which allows the Corps to construct small projects within specific federal funding limits. In the case of the Silver Creek Dam early-warning system, the total project cost is not to exceed $650,000, with the city's contribution being $227,500. The contract is currently awaiting approval in Washington, D.C., Fisher said. "We're waiting to see if (and when) funding is going to come through," he said. "Once we get approval, the project could move fast." (Hindsight is always 20-20! If they had only properly maintained the dam, this entire debate would never have begun!) Lake Delhi debate comes down to environmental vs. residents’ interests Legislature will decide if state funding is coming through 11 February 2012 | thegazette.com Delhi, Iowa — The health of the environment will be subordinate to the interests of several hundred Delaware County disaster victims if the state helps fund the rebuilding of the Lake Delhi dam. That is the contention of environmental groups opposing a $5 million appropriation over two years to help pay the estimated $11.9 million cost of rebuilding the dam, which failed during Maquoketa River flooding in July 2010. Rebuilding the dam “would in effect be putting the needs of the few ahead of the needs of the many,” said Iowa Whitewater Coalition spokesman Peter Komendowski of Waterloo. Calling the Delhi impoundment a sediment trap, members of Iowa Rivers Revival predict a chronic demand for state funding to pay for dredging. The Department of Natural Resources, from whose budget the proposed allocation would come, agrees that the environment would be better served by a free-flowing river than by an impoundment. Dams slow the impounded river’s natural flow, causing sediment that would normally be transported downstream to settle out in the impoundment, said Nate Hoogeveen, the DNR’s river programs manager. The increased silt deposits degrade the lakebed’s value as habitat for fish and other aquatic animals, decreasing habitat complexity and species diversity, he said. A connected river that is not disrupted by dams will support more species of fish that will grow bigger and faster and be less susceptible to toxic spills and low dissolved oxygen, he said. “But what is better for the river does not always rise to the top in public policy matters,” Hoogeveen said. DNR will have some input While the Legislature and the governor will decide the matter, “we have an obligation to provide input on how money from our budget is spent,” said Chuck Gipp, DNR deputy director. Iowa’s lake restoration guidelines would have to be set aside to support the rebuilding of the Lake Delhi dam with funds from the DNR’s lake restoration budget, said Mike McGhee, the DNR’s lakes and rivers project coordinator. The DNR, he said, has four major concerns with the rebuilding plan: the sustainability of the lake, given its 500-to-1 watershed-to-surface-area ratio; shortcomings in the treatment of wastewater in what the DNR describes as “Iowa’s largest unsewered community”; the plan’s absence of a provision for fish passage; and inadequate public access. Lake Delhi, which had 448 surface acres, drained a watershed of 223,630 acres. That 500-to-1 ratio is comparable to the 528-to-1 average ratio of the Corps of Engineers flood-control reservoirs in Iowa: Coralville, Rathbun, Red Rock and Saylorville. It is about 13 times higher than the 38-to-1 statewide average ratio for state- and county-constructed lakes. For the two

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constructed lakes in the Cedar Rapids-Iowa City area — Pleasant Creek and Macbride — the ratios, respectively, are 5-to-1 and 20-to-1. Frequent dredging may not be needed Leaders of the rebuild effort maintain that the lake is sustainable without frequent dredging. The 2006 dredging, for which lake residents incurred $2.2 million in debt, was the first since the lake was impounded in 1928, said Steve Leonard, president of the Lake Delhi Combined Recreational Facility and Water Quality District, the lake area’s official governing body. “One time in 80 years seems like a good investment,” he said. While the lake district had planned to re-dredge portions of the lake after 2008 flooding nullified much of the 2006 project, that second dredging, which was never accomplished, would not have been necessary to maintain navigation, said Pat Colgan, a retired civil engineer and volunteer coordinator of the rebuild effort. Bacterial contamination is an issue The stretch of the Maquoketa River that includes the former lake, like many other Iowa water bodies, is designated by the Environmental Protection Agency as impaired by bacteria. While it is difficult to pinpoint sources of bacterial contamination, the DNR believes the elevated level is at least partly attributable to the more than 800 septic systems serving residences along the former lake. Environmental specialist Mike Wade, who works out of the DNR’s Manchester office, said the agency has long been concerned about effluent, or outflow, from Lake Delhi septic systems contaminating groundwater. “Many septic systems are just too close to wells,” he said. Although Wade has seen little evidence of septic systems discharging into the river, “contaminated groundwater contributes to the river,” he said. DNR water-quality specialist Mary Skopec said tests conducted in 2006 on Lake Delhi yielded many readings above the safe swimming standard for bacteria. Those readings, she said, “were not that much out of line with readings for the rest of the river.” Since 2000, several Lake Delhi residents have regularly collected water samples from 10 sites in and around the lake for tests under the IOWATER water-quality program. During that time, between 300 and 400 samples have been tested for temperature, pH, nitrite-N, nitrate-N, phosphate, dissolved oxygen and transparency, with median results almost always falling within the normal range for Iowa rivers and lakes. Tests for chloride, which can indicate human and animal waste, also have been conducted on 129 samples, again with median results falling within the normal range for Iowa rivers. Bob Galiher, 72, a Lake Delhi resident for 40 years and an IOWATER volunteer since Lake Delhi testing began, said his impression of the test results is that they are “pretty acceptable and surprisingly good.” Lake Delhi residents, he said, “are concerned about water quality and committed to do the right thing.” Delaware County water and sanitation administrator Dennis Lyons, while acknowledging that many wells do have high bacteria counts, said he has “never heard of anyone getting sick from swimming in the lake or drinking from the wells.” Expensive to aid fish passage As for the DNR’s insistence on provisions for fish passage, the lake district’s Leonard said, “The Legislature needs to weigh the costs and benefits of this luxury.” Because of the rebuilt dam’s 40-foot height, an inclined fish ladder with enough resting pools to get fish over the top would cost between $700,000 and $800,000, Colgan said. Because good populations of game fish already inhabit upstream and downstream sections of the river, the fish ladder would do little good, he said. Leonard said the lake district is more than willing to work with the DNR on improving public access, which is already available at two county parks and a marina. In addition to the hoped-for $5 million in state support, lake residents have committed to $6.1 million in general obligation bonds and have secured about $1.7 million in private pledges and donations. The Delaware County supervisors, which have yet to commit to the rebuilding, are considering a $3 million bond issue. Public input The Delaware County supervisors will hold a public meeting on a proposed $3 million bond issue to help rebuild the Lake Delhi dam. The meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. Feb. 29 at the Delaware County fairgrounds.

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HydroHydro: ((OOnnee lloonneellyy vvooiiccee ooff rreeaassoonn)) I Believe: Healthy rivers and hydropower can coexist burlingtonfreepress.com, Feb. 5, 2012 I believe that if we could have the economic vitality of the 19th century, with the smarts of the 21st century, then we could have vibrant, economically productive towns. Every Vermont town had a vibrant local economy, whether it was potash, bobbins or fishing poles, starch or wool; sash and doors, Vermont towns produced it all. Every town had factories, every town had a vibrant economy. Eating local, and having in-state renewable energy are not new ideas. One of the favorite books on my shelf is Zadock Thompson’s civil, statistical and agricultural history of Vermont, written in the 19th century. This book tells us town by town, about the industries, farming and production in each and every town. It really is a page-turner. For example, in 1840, 880 people in my town of Plainfield grew more than 36,000 bushels of wheat, barley, oats, rye, buckwheat, Indian corn and potatoes, and they harvested almost 3,000 tons of hay, 14,000 pounds of maple sugar and 11,000 pounds of wool. They raised more than 10,000 sheep, cattle, horses and pigs (Zadock did not count chickens). In addition to farming and lumbering, there were three saw mills, two grist mills, one fulling mill and one clover mill. And people from the nearby towns did not have to travel to Plainfield, because East Montpelier, North Montpelier, Calais and Marshfield all have similar histories — as does the rest of Vermont. Local food. Local energy. Energy was from the two H's: horse power and hydro power. The power for the mills was from gravity and falling water — hydropower. And there is no shortage of hills and falling water in Vermont. So, is there still more hydro potential in Vermont? The cherries have been picked, but there is still fruit left. We are rejuvenating the “local” movement, we are starting to grow more food again — and we can produce environmentally sound hydro again. I can point to studies from circa 1900, and again 100 years later, both of which identify more than 500 megawatts (500,000 kilowatts) of undeveloped hydro potential in Vermont. So how do we learn from the lessons of the 19th century? We learn to live within our energy means — we learn what energy is. We don’t need more dams, that is for sure. Vermont has more than 1,200 dams (no one knows how many exactly), and most of them are not going anywhere. Dams were built for reasons, and the reasons have not gone away. Vermonters like our lakes, our water supplies, our flood control, our recreation and our fish and wildlife. You don’t need a dam to make hydro. To make power, the most important thing other than water is a vertical difference in height (called head). In 2006, the Idaho National Laboratory rolled out a Web-based interactive map — the Virtual Hydropower Prospector, which identified more than 400 MW of environmentally sound, economically feasible hydro that could be developed in Vermont without building a single new dam, just using the natural topography (Vermont ain’t flat!) and half the water in that section of the river. This is not new. There are dam-less hydro sites in Vermont that have operated for decades. Vermont’s economic vitality was due to its hydropower. Hydro is well-proved technology. There is a site near me where there is a rebuilt 5,000 KW turbine — after 104 years. One of the benefits of that site is that the land around the reservoir has been protected for a century, and Vermonters have boated, gone swimming and fished on that site for a century. In 2007, I did a retrospective study on undeveloped hydro in the state (available at the Vermont Renewable Energy Atlas), and identified more than 90 MW of hydro that can be developed at only 300 of the existing dams. Hydro also is the cheapest power being produced in the state today. Central Vermont Public Service and Green Mountain Power both make their in-state hydro for less than 4 cents a kilowatt-hour — little comes close to that low price. And it keeps the dollars in-state, so that we can have healthy local economies growing our own food and energy.

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Back at the turn of the 20th century, seemingly every Vermonter and their brother was making turbines. And if electric prices go sky high, that is going to happen again. We know the power of falling water, and we see it in our backyards. Self-cleaning intakes and power electronics reduce the labor associated with small sites, making them affordable to operate. There have been legislative attempts to move hydro forward, but the pace remains glacial. In this time of belt-tightening, it will be easier for the regulators and the regulated to have clear guidance. Vermont should promote a simplified state and federal permitting process for local, small-scale hydroelectric projects. One good option is for our governor to take the same initiative as the governor of Colorado, and sign a memorandum of understanding with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. We can have healthy rivers, no more dams, use the dams we do have, and make local power. Lori Barg is a geologist, builder, hydroelectric developer and berry grower in Plainfield. ((BBuutt,, ooff ccoouurrssee,, tthheerree iiss tthhee ootthheerr ffrriinnggee vviieeww ooff lliiffee ffrroomm gguueessss wwhheerree??)) Caleen Sisk: Hydroelectric power isn't clean or renewable Caleen Sisk, redding.com, February 6, 2012 In our creation story, the Winnemem Wintu bubbled out of our sacred spring on Mt. Shasta, and we're a water people who tend to view water differently. The water in our rivers is the blood running through the world's veins, and water can hold goodness just like the human heart can. We believe if we sing to water and pray to water that will make it healthier and cleaner. When water is churned through a hydro-project's turbines or grows stale in a reservoir, it hurts the water's spirit and makes it "mad water." How is that water going to be good to drink? But you don't have to be Winnemem to understand that hydropower and dams are anything but clean and renewable and that dams actually contribute to climate change. Have you ever seen a show about "hoarders"? People on that show have to keep every little item they buy or find until their house is filled with stinky piles and big masses of riffraff. You see what hoarders do to their house? That's what dams and hydropower do to water. Big reservoirs like Lake Shasta spew large amounts of methane gas from the rotting debris, so much that scientists estimate they cause 4 percent to 5 percent of global warming. On top of that, the Bureau of Reclamation, who manages Shasta Dam, has told us there is 60 feet of toxic sediment at the bottom of Lake Shasta. The miners ripped up those mountains all around the lake, and now when it rains, the mountains bleed copper and mercury into the water. Before you raise it or build more dams, shouldn't you figure out how you're going to deal with those six stories of poison? The dam also lies on a fault line and was built on shale, which makes it more prone to an earthquake than Reclamation would have you believe. What if that poisoned water came slushing into your neighborhood after a big rumbler? On the Klamath River, the dams stop the water flowing and the gravel from moving. They change the temperature and the oxygen levels of the water, which brings new creatures like the algae to start eating away at it. When I've visited the Klamath, I've seen signs that said you shouldn't even swim in the water, much less drink it. How can we consider this clean energy? How can it be renewable when we're poisoning the water? I think we are so used to our faucets dispensing water like magic that we forget that it has to come from some place. Water isn't like coal or oil. We don't need fossil fuels to survive, but we need water to drink. Water isn't infinite like air. It can be destroyed and used up, and it if is, how are we going to live? We need to focus on conservation and whether we really need to grow watermelons in the desert when we're going to run out of water in 8 years. We also need to look at how PG&E and other companies are hoarding water from hydro projects for quick bucks that don't benefit the local people. The McCloud Dam on the Upper McCloud is a good example. PG&E diverts so much water from the McCloud River to funnel down the Pit that the McCloud only runs at one-fifth the flow it would naturally. They are strangling our river, reducing groundwater supply and for what? They send that energy they generate to San Francisco to sell to the highest bidder. They've told us they make about $90 million.

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It's important to remember nature didn't just put those rivers and trees down haphazardly. Nature has the best engineers (though Reclamation will try to convince you theirs are better). Rivers have a special way of flowing. When you divert water from the channels that they're supposed to go, it takes water away from the aquifers and the groundwater sources. In addition to restoring natural flows, we need to restore the mountain meadows and allow the giant trees to grow in the forests again, so they're like the sponges for groundwater that they used to be. We need to stop cloud seeding and creating artificial snow. That fake stuff doesn't harden like regular snow, and it melts faster. This turns the mountain water system into a big gutter; the water runs away from the mountain like it's gushing down a pipe. Creating a more water-efficient and sustainable California will be a big job, which will create more jobs for people who need work. Maybe you disagree with me. Just don't call hydropower clean or renewable. And, by the way, they are running out of Indian villages to flood with their dams. So if you're a dam lover, don't say I didn't warn you when they decide your home is the next to go under water. (Sometimes you find hydro articles in unexpected places. So, why aren’t created those jobs with more hydro development. Answer: The environmental movement is in the way. The regulatory process is in the way. And, the incentives provided to wind and solar, and not hydro, are in the way. Somebody – get outta the way!) Thinking Outside the Pipeline 02/10/2012, huffingtonpost.ca, by Rachel Ryan on Twitter This January, United States lawmakers introduced legislation that would offset President Obama's recent efforts to postpone development of the contentious Keystone XL Pipeline. According to Louisiana Senator David Vitter, the proposed initiative has 44 co-sponsors, all of whom are hoping to initiate timely construction of the 1,661-mile pipeline. While opponents insist that devastating environmental impacts are all but certain, proponents of the $7 billion Keystone Pipeline rally around the project's undeniable job-generating potential. Ironically, neither opponents nor advocates have entertained auxiliary projects that would reconcile both concerns. In today's energy debate, "renewables" such as wind and solar power are often pitted against "conventional" sources, like coal and natural gas. Yet energy security and environmental impact are not mutually exclusive policy avenues. There is no compelling reason not to promote a diverse strategy to develop any and all sources of potential energy, using every viable tool available. Keystone may appear to be one sound solution, as it aims to bridge the apparently irreconcilable gap between energy needs and environmental concerns. When it comes to both alternative energy sources and job creation, however, Keystone is neither the paramount nor singular solution. The increasingly partisan climate renders lawmakers blind to alternatives that stand to reconcile all concerns ranging from environmental sustainability to job creation to national security. Enter: Hydroelectric power, from both stage left and right. Hydropower has been a reliable economic stimulator and generator of jobs since the Great Depression era days of the Tennessee Valley Authority. While the Keystone XL pipeline would provide an estimated 138,000 jobs relegated almost entirely to the Midwest corridor, hydropower promises to produce diverse employment anywhere water flows, even in the Southeast, which is notoriously lacking in power generation. With only 3 per cent of all existing dams in the U.S. electrified, hydropower has enormous development potential. More impressively, the National Hydropower Association claims it could double current hydropower output without implementing a single new dam. This plan to develop pre-existing dams is projected to add 1.4 million domestic jobs by 2025. Couple that with the utilization of well-established, affordable technology and low carbon emissions, hydropower inevitably emerges as one of the top competitors in the energy industry. "Hydroelectric power is the backbone of America's renewable energy resources. It produces far more electric generation than any other renewable resource and has all the attributes our country is seeking for its clean energy future: Hydropower is available, reliable, affordable and sustainable," says David Moller, president of the National Hydropower Association. Hydropower is nothing new; worldwide capacity and use have been mounting rapidly for the past decade, with an annual increase of 9.3 per cent domestically and 5.3 per cent

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worldwide between 2009 and 2010. Because hydro is so established, the industry has ample expertise in developing mitigation strategies to avoid environmental damage, particularly when developing new electricity projects on pre-existing dams. John Seebach, Director of the Hydropower Reform Coalition at American Rivers affirms: "[You are] not ever going to have zero emissions or zero impact, but what you're looking for is responsible development... [hydropower] is environmentally viable and it can be responsibly developed." Moller adds: "All that is needed to accomplish this growth is to pursue hydropower development with the same policies, incentives and commitment America is using to expand our wind and solar energy resources. The National Hydropower Association is working on both sides of the political isle and with the environmental community to make this happen. To invest in hydropower now does not necessarily mean that our nation will be able to stop using oil or fossil-fuel based energies immediately. Nor does it mean that there may not be need for collaborative projects like Keystone in the future. But large-scale development of new and existing hydropower projects is currently available, and has the potential to generate needed energy while addressing environmentalist concerns about emissions related to fossil-fuel energy. A majority of Americans agree that "the U.S. needs to be a clean energy technology leader and it should invest in the research and domestic manufacturing of wind, solar and energy efficiency technologies." Given the undeniable environmental and economic benefits, compounded with overwhelming public support, it's difficult to understand why or how policy makers have failed to tap hydropower as an economical and sustainable path to energy security.

EEnnvviirroonnmmeenntt:: ation missing – how many salmon were killed? No one is safe from lawsuits.)

yesterday that a lawsuit brought by conservation groups against

(One piece of informSuit against Kennebec River dam owners to proceed February 10, 2012, mainebiz.biz

U.S. District Court judge ruled ABrookfield Power U.S. Asset Management LLC and its affiliate, Hydro Kennebec LLC, can proceed. The groups claim the dam owners violated the federal Endangered Species Act by killing Atlantic salmon. Judge George Singal denied the companies' motion to dismiss the case or put it on hold to allow federal agencies to deal with the issue, according to a press release from the environmental groups. Friends of Merrymeeting Bay and Environment Maine sued both companies in 2011, claiming the dam on the Kennebec River kills salmon and harms habitant for salmon spawning and migration. The groups also claim the companies are violating the federal Clean Water Act. The companies refuted the claims and argued the case should be put on hold because federal agencies are expected to address the problem. The groups have filed similar lawsuits against NextEra Energy Resources, Miller Hydro Group and Topsham Hydro Partners related to six additional dams on the Kennebec and Androscoggin rivers. A judge last July allowed several of those suits to proceed. However, in September, a judge denied the groups' efforts to halt reconstruction work at the Worumbo Dam in Lisbon Falls because the work is deemed necessary for public safety. Trials in all cases are expected to begin July 2.

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2/24/2012

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“Good wine is a necessity of life.” - -Thomas Jefferson Ron’s wine pick of the week: Primal Roots 2010, Red Blend, California “No nation was ever drunk when wine was cheap.” - - Thomas Jefferson

DamsDams:: (This is inserted as the lead article simply because it’s shows irresponsible reporting! Has anyone ever heard of this report? The Corps, the FERC, and dam owners who are in this situation need to set this writer straight. Who are these miss-informed Engineers at NRC? The Jocassee Dam has enormous dam safety oversight through Duke, the FERC, and a host of independent consultants stretching over all the years since it was constructed. And, why hasn't Duke taken these so-called dam safety experts to task for making alarming insinuations that so far have no facts to back them up?) REDACTED: The safety report that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission doesn’t want you to see February 17, 2012 – By Paul Koberstein, times.org, Cascadia Times

Some Dam – Hydro News TM

And Other Stuff

Quote of Note: “Instead of giving a politician the keys to the city, it might be better to change the locks.” - Doug Larson

http://times.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/oconee-jocassee.jpg�



http://times.org/article/author/paul-koberstein

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A quarter of the 104 nuclear power reactors in the United States may be at risk to a newly identified safety hazard. It’s a concern has generated eerie comparisons with the tsunami that crippled reactors at Fukushima, Japan. The issue is whether the crumbling conditions at many of the nation’s dams pose unacceptably high risks to nuclear reactors located downstream. A nuclear engineer at the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission says the agency has completed a study which says they might. If so, the study undermines the NRC’s longstanding claim that nuclear plants across the United States are being operated in a safe manner. Concerned that the report contains information that might trigger alarms under the Patriot Act, the NRC is refusing to make the report public, repeatedly rejecting efforts by Cascadia Times to obtain it via the federal Freedom of Information Act. As we approach the one-year anniversary of the nuclear accident at Fukushima, the NRC’s refusal to release the report is sending engineers at the agency into a tizzy. “About a quarter of the industry is potentially affected by upstream dam failures,” an NRC safety engineer, who has a copy of the report, said in an email to Cascadia Times. The engineer, who asked not to be identified, works in the NRC’s nuclear safety division at its headquarters in Rockville, Md. In January, Cascadia Times filed a request under the Freedom of Information Act for a copy of the report, and since has been told not to expect to receive a clean copy. An NRC spokesman said the agency would release only a “heavily redacted” version. “Evaluations to this point have not identified any immediate safety concerns,” was all NRC press spokesman Scott Burnell would say about the report. He declined to comment on whether the agency has any long term concerns about the nation’s nuclear plants, and made clear the agency was not prepared to release the report to the public. The report is entitled, “Screening Review for Generic Issue 204.” “When the NRC issues the report we expect to put out a press release which will explain the situation in more detail,” he said. If the potential hazards faced by US nuclear plants at this point are speculative, the dangers of collapse at many of the nation’s 85,000 dams are not. Since 2000, 80 dams and levees in the US have collapsed, including structures in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina. A recent report by the Association of State Dam Safety Officials says the number of “deficient” dams – those at high risk of collapse – has tripled in recent years, increasing from 1,348 in 2001 to 4,095 in 2007. That group believes that maintenance at many crumbling dams has been delayed as a result of too little funding for repairs from Congress. The view that dams are in worse shape today than 10 years ago may be, in part, an illusion. Officials have better information today about dam conditions than ever before. But the crumbling conditions may also be a result of inevitable aging of the concrete structures. The average age of a dam in the US is 51 years. The US Army Corps of Engineers keeps an online database of all dams in the United States, but access to that database is limited to only government employees. The possibility that a dam failure may impact nuclear safety has existed as long as both nuclear plants and dams coexisted near each other in the same watershed – possibly as long as 50 years when the first nuclear plants were built. But there’s no evidence that the NRC acknowledged the threat during the planning, construction and licensing of nuclear plants. How could a dam collapse threaten a nuclear power plant? All nuclear plants are located on rivers, lakes or bays – putting them close to the water they need to cool their reactors, but potentially in harm’s way if a surge of water comes through or over an upstream dam. The meltdowns at Fukushima a year ago in March demonstrated that too much water all at once can be a very bad thing. The onset of global warming appears to increase the likelihood of a dam failure. Storms of today are more intense than ever before, climatologists say, and the occurrence of extreme weather and flooding events are becoming more common. Floods in the Missouri River basin in June 2011 partially inundated the Fort Calhoun and Cooper nuclear plants in eastern Nebraska. However, the rising waters did not trigger a catastrophic event, as they did earlier in the year at Fukushima. Nor did they cause a dam to collapse. But there’s no assurance we won’t be so lucky the next time major flooding occurs upstream from a nuclear plant. Though the NRC’s dam safety report was finished in June 2011, an engineer at the NRC said it was being withheld for “homeland security” reasons. The NRC engineer, who works at the

http://www.infrastructurereportcard.org/fact-sheet/dams

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agency headquarters in Rockville, Md., said in an email to Cascadia Times that he was “not directly” involved with the writing of the Generic Issue 204 report. “However I work with people who are. Some of the team members are thoroughly disgusted by the fact that, after over two years, (the report) has not been released yet.” The engineer asked not to be identified. It is possible, however, to pry some information out of the NRC about dam safety hazards facing nuclear power plants. A query using the NRC’s online search engine, ADAM, reveals the name of one dam that has recently been on the NRC’s watch list: Jocassee Dam, a hydroelectric facility owned by Duke Energy on the Keowee River in the northwest corner of South Carolina. Jocassee Dam sits about 10 miles upstream from Duke Energy’s 2500 megawatt Oconee Nuclear Station and its three reactors. “The concern is that a dam breach at Jocassee Dam would send a tsunami-like wall of water towards the three reactors at the Oconee site,” the NRC safety engineer said. The NRC’s concerns about Jocassee Dam go back at least as far as 1992, when an NRC study predicted that a dam failure at Jocassee “could result in flood waters of approximately 12.5 to 16.8 feet deep at the Oconee Nuclear Site.” At the time, the flood protection barrier at the nuclear plant, which the NRC described as “deficient,” was unable to protect against floodwaters above 4.6 feet. Tina Worley, a Duke Energy spokeswoman, said the company would not be able to respond to a reporter’s inquiry about Jocassee Dam and Oconee Nuclear Power Station until next week. A May 2009 document revealed that Duke Power and the NRC were still discussing an “a postulated failure of Jocassee Dam and potential flooding at Oconee Nuclear Station.” NRC and Duke Energy officials had a “closed door” meeting to discuss the issue on May 11, 2009 at NRC headquarters. Cascadia Times has submitted a FOIA request for documents describing that and other meetings but has yet to receive a response from the NRC. “Just like at Fukushima, this wall of water could disable the safety systems of three reactor plants, the NRC engineer told me in email. “This could easily lead to a three-reactor accident if the plant is not prepared to handle it.” Cascadia Times will post a copy of the redacted report online if and when it is released. (Good news re Wolf Creek Dam) Wolf Creek Dam Repair Ahead of Schedule Feb 11, 2012, newschannel5.com Jamestown, Ky. - The Army Corps of Engineers says that work on the massive dam in Kentucky is actually a little ahead of schedule. The nearly mile-long structure holds Lake Cumberland, the largest man-made reservoir east of the Mississippi River. This work is very important because if the Wolf Creek Dam were ever to fail, waters released would flood much of middle Tennessee including downtown Nashville. The devastation would be worse than the flood in May of 2010. "It would be about 3 or 4 feet higher water in downtown Nashville than what they experienced in 2010," said Lieutenant Colonel James DeLapp, who assumed command of the Corps' Nashville Branch last summer. Everything they're doing is reinforcing patch work done after sink holes started popping up in the 1960s. Repairs should be finished by the end of next year. (Something to store in your history catalog, except they left out the fact that they already know the outcome – they just have to figure out a how to justify a forgone conclusion! There’s a lot of dam history here.) History of a river heraldandnews.com, February 11, 2012

http://www.times.org/images/ml12370098.pdf

http://www.times.org/images/ml12370098.pdf

http://www.times.org/images/ovo_2006002.pdf

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Pre-1849: American Indians live along and depend on the Klamath River and its tributaries. Some studies indicate they have lived there for more than 7,000 years. 1849-1850: Gold is discovered in the Lower Klamath Basin. Farms and ranches are established in the Scott and Shasta valleys. 1918: The first dam in the Klamath Hydroelectric Project, Copco 1, begins operations, ending salmon runs in the Upper Klamath Basin. 1921: Link River Dam is completed, allowing control of water releases from Upper Klamath Lake. 1925: Copco 2 dam becomes operational. 1927: Dwinell Dam is built on Shasta River, cutting off most spawning habitat to the largest Klamath River salmon run. 1928: Tule Lake Bird Refuge, now Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuge, is created. 1933: Commercial salmon fishing on the Klamath River is banned; tribal gillnet fishing is prohibited. 1956: Klamath Project irrigators' electricity rate contract is renewed for 50 years at the 1918 rate of .6 of a cent per kilowatt-hour; Oregon off-project irrigators sign a contract for power at .72 cents. 1958: Big Bend Dam, later renamed J.C. Boyle, is completed. 1962: Iron Gate Dam is completed. 1966: Keno Dam construction begins to replace Needle Dam, which had been built in 1931 by Pacific Power & Light and was made of timber. 1970: The National Environmental Policy Act is passed, requiring federal agencies to analyze the impacts of their actions on the land. 1971: The Lost River and shortnose suckers are identified as species of concern under California law. 1972: California designates the Klamath River from Iron Gate to the ocean a Wild and Scenic River. Federal designation follows in 1981. 1973: The U.S. Supreme Court rules that stretches of the Klamath River flowing through the Hoopa and Yurok reservations are "Indian country," effectively restoring tribal salmon fishing rights. The Endangered Species Act is passed. 1976: Oregon Water Resources Department begins the Klamath Basin water rights adjudication process. 1977-78: Tribal salmon fishing resumes on Lower Klamath River but is stopped by the federal government on conservation grounds. 1983: U.S. versus Adair upholds Klamath Tribes' right to enough upstream water to support fishing and hunting on former reservation lands, but does not establish an amount. 1986: Congress passes Klamath River Basin Fishery Resources Restoration Act with funding of $1 million a year. Klamath Tribes are restored to federal recognition but former reservation lands are not returned. Karuk Tribe receives federal recognition. Klamath Tribes close their sucker fishery on Upper Klamath Lake and its tributaries. 1987: Indian salmon harvest on Klamath River reopened for five years. 1988: Lost River and shortnose sucker listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act. Oregon Scenic Waterways Act designates the Klamath Scenic Waterway from J.C. Boyle Dam to the state line. Federal designation follows in 1994. 1990-92: Severe declines in Klamath River salmon runs nearly close commercial ocean salmon fishery. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recommends water levels of Upper Klamath Lake be kept above a minimum elevation of 4,139.0 feet during summer. For the first time in the Klamath Reclamation Project's history, irrigation deliveries are curtailed. 1996-98: The Lost, Klamath, Salmon, Scott and Shasta rivers are listed as impaired under the federal Clean Water Act, launching regulatory steps to improve water quality. 1997: Coho salmon in Southern Oregon and the Northern California coastal region are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. 2000: PacifiCorp begins federal relicensing process for the Klamath Hydroelectric Project dams. 2001: Klamath Basin water crisis. Irrigation supplies are cut off to irrigators on the Klamath Reclamation Project to protect endangered sucker. 2002: At least 34,000 salmon die near the mouth of the Klamath River in September.

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2005: Multi-party negotiations eventually leading to the Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement and Klamath Hydroelectric Settlement Agreement begin. 2006: PacifiCorp's license for Klamath Hydroelectric Project expires. Projected weak runs of Klamath River Chinook salmon force closure of ocean salmon harvest from Monterey, Calif., to Southern Oregon. 2008: Draft Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement released in January. It provides for settlement of key water conflicts, major salmon restoration efforts and calls for a separate agreement to remove four Klamath River dams. 2009: Draft Klamath Hydroelectric Settlement Agreement released. 2010: Final KBRA and KHSA signed by the governors of California and Oregon, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Ted Kulongoski, respectively, and Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar. Implementation of the agreements is contingent on authorizing legislation, funding and environmental review. November 2011: Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., and Rep. Mike Thompson, D-Calif., jointly introduce legislation to provide federal funding for the Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement and associated Klamath Hydroelectric Settlement Agreement, a necessary step for implementation. The Senate and House bills stalled after introduction. January 2012: A judge issues a proposed order in the Klamath Basin adjudication proceedings, granting the Klamath Tribes the flows they requested in the rivers and tributaries that feed Upper Klamath Lake. March 2012: Secretary of the Interior scheduled to decide whether removal of the Klamath Hydroelectric Project dams is in the public interest. April 2012: The final decision in the Klamath Basin Adjudication proceedings will be issued. (Typical news article. What’s the point about recreation? The water supply is the important issue. You gotta fix the dam first!) Lake Wohlford to get a new dam Written by, J. Harry Jones, Feb. 16, 2012, utsandiego.com Escondido, CA - A new, needed dam to replace one that just might collapse if everything went wrong, is being planned for Escondido’s Lake WThe lake sits about 900 feet above and a couple miles east of Escondido. filled, it could hold more than 2 billion gallons of water held back by a dam that was built 112 years ago. If the dam somehow burst, a good part of the city would find itself under water rather

ohlford.

If

quickly. Built in 1895, the dam was reinforced and enlarged in 1924. Twenty-four feet was added to its height using silt and sand. But the materials weren’t evenly mixed and have become a problem all these years later. For decades the dam passed state testing requirements, but about five years ago tests determined that in a major earthquake the part of the dam added in 1924, might fail. Results showed that the addition could crumble in a 7.5-magnitude quake. Authorities almost immediately lowered the water level so that the lake came up only to the stable part of the dam. Even if a major earthquake hit tomorrow, the dam would be safe, city authorities want to emphasize. Lake Wohlford is a reservoir that supplies roughly 30 percent of Escondido’s water and 120,000 people within the Vista Irrigation District, in that city and parts of San Marcos, Oceanside, Carlsbad and unincorporated county areas. The district has an arrangement with Escondido to channel water from Lake Henshaw through Lake Wohlford to a water treatment plant that the district shares with the city. The lake was created as a rock dam to store water from the San Luis Rey River via the Escondido Canal, which in the early days was a leaky wooden flume. The lake ended an era of dependence on wells and the intermittent flow of Escondido

http://www.utsandiego.com/photos/2012/feb/18/541934/�

http://www.utsandiego.com/staff/j-harry-jones/

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Creek and heralded the growth of agriculture and the city’s population. In 1916, at the end of a prolonged drought, the dam proved inadequate. Purported rainmaker Charles M. Hatfield was blamed for a storm so wet and violent that it killed dozens of people in the county and flooded Otay and Mission valleys. Lake Wohlford was no exception; it overflowed leading to the dams enlargement eight years later. Reducing the volume of water by more than half a few years back hurt recreational opportunities at the lake. The boat ramp that used to extend only a few dozen feet from the parking lot to the water now stretches at least 75 feet to the water’s edge. And it diminished amount of water that can be stored in the reservoir. “We want to get our storage back up to where we thought it was,” said Escondido Utilities Director Chris McKinney. Now the city plans on replacing the old dam with a new one to be built a bit downstream. Or, depending on what studies find is most feasible and cost effective; perhaps the old dam will simply be rebuilt replacing the top part with more sturdy material. The project could cost upward of $26 million, and if things go according to the very preliminary plans, should be finished by 2016 or 2017. Earlier this year the city received word from the state’s Department of Water Resources that the state will pay for half the project as long as the cost doesn’t exceed $29.8 million and as long as the dam is built within five years. McKinney said the funding mechanisms are in place, although additional grants will be sought to lower the city’s cost. No matter what, he said, the project can be paid for using capital improvement money. Once built, said Ranger Specialist George Scalo, who works at Lake Wohlford, fishermen will reap the benefits. The water level will rise by about 15 feet to old levels giving fish new places to gather and breed. “It’s a big deal for the fishermen and an even bigger deal for the city’s water supply,” Scalo said.

HHyyddrroo: (Interesting Power Point presentation on Hydropower for what it’s worth) Click on the link below:

laramontales/hydropower-11531617http://www.slideshare.net/ Well, it looks like the enviros got to the administration again. Fo( olish decisions like this on

nt to

ergy

renewable energy will just make us less efficient and cost us more. If this is the way they wago, it’s time to cease all subsidies for all energy development, especially wind and solar!) For Immediate Release

wer R&D budget request undercuts renewable enPresident’s hydropogrowth DOE Wate

r Power Program faces 66 percent cut

Washington, D.C. (February 13, 2012) – The following is a statement from Linda Church Ciocci, Executive Director of the National Hydropower Association, on the release of President Barack Obama’s budget proposal: “President Obama’s budget proposal today fails to unlock the tremendous potential of hydropower and MHK technologies by slashing funding for the Department of Energy’sPower Program. R&D support for conventional hydropower was particularly hard hit.

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“The hydropower industry has the potential to create hundreds of thousands of jobs and the low-cost clean energy that Americans need. With the right policies in place, hydropower stands to create 1.4 million cumulative jobs and add 60,000 MW of new capacity by 2025.

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“The Water Power Program’s work is critical to realizing that potential. To date, it has yielded a roadmap that will facilitate rapid and sustainable hydropower development. “The program’s work is far from complete. The past few years of investment developing more efficient and environmentally-friendly turbines, reducing the costs of small hydropower technology, and promoting the integration of variable energy resources, will be wasted if Congress enacts this budget proposal. “NHA supports the President’s goal to achieve 80 percent of the country’s electricity from clean energy sources by 2035, but today he severely undercut his own objectives by reducing water power research and development. “Now is not the time to cut investment in technologies that can help create America’s 21st -century economy. We call on President Obama to recognize the central role that hydropower can play in our nation’s future.” (When you consider the life of a hydro project – 4 days isn’t much! A brisk walk will cover 3 miles in an hour.) Holtwood Dam Equipment To Take Slow Route Truck To Travel 35 Miles In 4 Days wgal.com, February 13, 2012 York County, Pa. -- A large piece of equipment is going to be the center of attraction for many people in York County this week. The Voith Hydro Impeller Assembly is part of a turbine that's being built for the Holtwood Dam on the Susquehanna River. Voith Hydro in West Manchester Township built the turbine runner. Over the next four days the assembly will be making a trip on a 24-foot-wide tractor trailer across York County to Lancaster and the Susquehanna River while traveling at 4 mph. The route will take the truck south along Route 182 to Route 74, also known as Queen Street. The truck will then head south to Route 372 and cross the Norman Wood Bridge and then along Pinnacle Road to the Holtwood Dam. The turbine runner is a key part of the Holtwood expansion, which includes construction of a When completed, the project will more than double the generating capacity of the dam. (Nothing worse than a City that is totally uninformed about the water rights issue, FERC licensing, and Corps projects. They need someone who knows the ropes because they are meandering in no man’s land at this point.) Falls Lake Dam Project Aims to Protect Raleigh’s Water and Generate Power By Ariella Monti, February 14, 2012, raleighpublicrecord.org If anyone is going to get hydro power out of Falls Lake Dam, it’s going to be the City of Raleigh. And if Raleigh can’t do it, they don’t want anyone else to, either. City officials are researching the feasibility of installing a hydroelectric facility in the Falls Lake Dam. Similar to a project at Jordan Lake, turbines installed at the intake tower would be powered by the flow of water through the dam, generating electricity. The city would either sell the power to a utility company, such as Progress Energy, or use it to offset the power needs of one of its own facilities, like the sewage treatment plant. If built, the facility would generate enough electricity to power about 350 homes. The dam is owned and operated by the Army Corps of Engineers. Ken Waldroup, the city’s assistant director of public utilities, said the city would not interfere with the normal operations of the dam and that generating power would not be a top priority.

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Setting Priorities Falls Lake provides the city residents with about 67 million gallons of water a day, so city officials have a vested interest in making sure the supply isn’t compromised. Waldroup explained that if there is a higher level of water than necessary to meet water supply and quality standards, the Corps can opt to release that water quickly over the course of a few days or more slowly. By releasing the water more slowly, there is more water available in case of drought. Because the top priority is water supply, the city would be perfectly fine with keeping an emergency reserve. But, city staff said they don’t believe that a private company would have water supply in mind. The city is concerned that a private company might try to pressure the Corps to release that extra

water more quickly, spinning the turbines faster and resulting in higher profits. “Personally, I don’t think it’s a concern,” said Thomas Freeman, the operations project manager at the dam. “We’re not Congressionally authorized to discharge water for hydro power. It’s whatever is available to turn those turbines—that’s what you get.” For the city, the best case scenario would be that it could build a hydroelectric facility and reap the financial and environmental benefits that would result from a renewable energy source. But Waldroup said if the project couldn’t be built and it kept a private entity from building its own facility, that would be a good result, too. The Dam Background The Falls Lake Dam has five Congressionally-regulated uses: fish and wildlife, recreation, water supply, water quality and flood damage reduction. The Corps regulates the flow of water though the dam according to these priorities, none of which include hydro power. About 42 percent of the water behind the dam is allocated for Raleigh’s drinking water, while about 58 percent keeps the Neuse River flowing properly. The city became interested in hydro power back in 2009 when Community Hydro LLC, a private power company, filed an application with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, or FERC, to research the possibility of a hydroelectric facility.

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While the Corps owns and operates the dam, FERC is the governing body that would give the OK to install the project. This threw up a red flag for the city. Waldroup said city officials were highly opposed to having a private company anywhere near the city’s water. In October 2009, the city filed a competing application, which was approved by FERC in November 2010. The city is now is working through the licensing process, which includes meeting with stakeholder groups and the community, and preparing draft engineering plans. The draft feasibility report is expected to be completed in July. The final license application would be submitted to FERC in November 2013. If given the green light, construction would begin in 2017 and could be completed about a year later. The city has already shelled out $140,000 for the first phase of the application process and is looking to spend about $235,000 for the second phase, which will include everything up to that final license application. If the project is deemed unfeasible at any point along the way, the research costs stop there. If approved, the total cost of the project, from start to finish, will be between $7 million and $10 million. The funding for the project would come from increased water and sewer rates, along with federal and state grants for renewable energy projects. Electric Eels? Since the flow of the water leaving the dam has a direct impact on the fish that call the Neuse River home, how that flow is changed for hydro power could be a concern for fish lovers. Joseph Hightower, a biologist for the U.S. Geological Survey and professor at North Carolina State University, said that from a fish’s perspective, changing the flow of the water could limit its ability to move upstream. But, Hightower said that if the dam is operated in the same way that it is today, which means taking fish migration into consideration, he doesn’t think there would be any adverse effects caused by the facility. While the fish downstream may not see an impact, Waldroup said that fish passage through the facility wouldn’t be an option because of the cost. Adding fish passage through the dam would cost between $3 million and $5 million. At a Jan. 23 public meeting, Fritz Rohde, a biologist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said there is evidence that eels are passing through the Milburnie Dam and making their way to Falls Lake. “Based on that presence of eels, we are strongly considering prescribing fish passage for eels for this project,” he said. “That’s OK,” Waldroup responded. “That would end the project.” Waldroup explained that the city would respect the organization’s decision if fish passage was mandatory, so long as the same request would be made for any other entity that was interested in building its own facility. He went on to say that he believed that the renewable energy garnered from the project would be a benefit to the environment and those net benefits should be taken into consideration when the organization is crafting its recommendation. Safety Rating Currently, the Falls Lake Dam’s Dam Safety Action Classification, or DSAC (pronounced Dee- Sac) stands at a 3. Thomas Freeman, the dam’s operations project manager, explained that the DSAC ranges from 1 to 5, with 1 being completely unsafe and 5 being so safe it can only be

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found in a fairy tale. Falls Lake’s DSAC rating is not because of its structural integrity, but because of the communities that line the river, like Smithfield and Goldsboro. If there was a complete failure of the dam, Freeman said, there could be a significant loss of life and property. Freeman said about five years ago the Corps studied various scenarios for dam failure, including operator error, terrorism and natural disaster, and “the widest array of things that could go bad and if it goes bad, what it would take to fix it.” Back when they did the evaluation, the hydro power conversation wasn’t happening, so it was not considered as part of that study. The Corps is now speaking with FERC about that process and its findings. “I’m not inferring that a hydro power [facility] would affect the safety one way or another, but it’s something to look at,” Freeman said. “We’re going to make sure that we don’t take anything for granted.” Once the city comes up with a conceptual design for the project, the Corps will study the potential failure modes of the project. Waldroup said the city will complete a thorough review to make sure that the project would not decrease the dam’s safety rating. “It is our hope that the design we’re proposing would not in any form add to or otherwise contribute to unsafe conditions that might currently exist as defined by this act,” he said.

WaterWater: (As a matter of interest, you may want to take a look at this editorial and those written almost 100 years ago. Click on the PDF files below. And, we have a Congressman who doesn’t seem to know the history of the numerous studies that have shown the cost to replace the water supply is in the billions. What is he thinking?) Editorial Hetch Hetchy’s Past and Future nytimes.com, February 16, 2012

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Nearly a century ago, Congress rashly approved a dam and an eight-mile-long reservoir called Hetch Hetchy in the northwest corner of Yosemite National Park. The purpose was to trap water from the Tuolumne River and supply it to San Francisco. The cost was the destruction of a pristine valley that the naturalist John Muir once called “one of nature’s rarest and most precious mountain temples.” The project, completed in 1923 despite a national outcry, included a sweetheart deal for San Francisco: the right to buy the water for $30,000 a year. There have been many attempts to re-examine this deal and study whether the dam could be breached, the reservoir emptied and the valley restored. In the latest, Representative Dan Lungren, a Republican from California, has asked Ken Salazar, secretary of the interior, to investigate whether San Francisco is fulfilling its end of the deal, which requires the city to use all its local water sources before turning to Hetch Hetchy. Related in Opinion

o Editorial: A National Park Threatened (pdf) (July 12, 1913) o Editorial: Hetch Hetchy (pdf) (Sept. 4, 1913) o Editorial: The Hetch Hetchy Steam Roller (pdf) (Oct. 2, 1913) o Editorial: The Steam Roller Halted (pdf) (Oct. 9, 1913) o Editorial: Hetch Hetchy (pdf) (Dec. 4, 1913) o Editorial: One National Park Lost (pdf) (Dec. 9, 1913)

Mr. Lungren, who comes from a district that borders Yosemite, argues that the city is ignoring three vital resources — water recycling, groundwater and harvesting rainwater. He points out that San Francisco recycles no water at all, and is still paying bargain-basement prices. These measures will not be enough to replace the water San Francisco draws from Hetch Hetchy. But they will help, and, as Mr. Lungren and others have long pointed out, the waters from the Tuolumne River that now feed Hetch Hetchy could be allowed to flow farther downstream to other reservoirs that now serve the San Francisco Bay area. Democrats, usually more sympathetic to the environment, might be expected to sympathize with Mr. Lungren’s call. But Nancy Pelosi, the House minority leader, and Senator Dianne Feinstein — both San Franciscans — like things the way they are. Mr. Salazar should look into the matter. The issue is not only how San Francisco uses its water but whether there’s any rationale, a century later, for the dam and the deal. Ninety-nine years ago, this newspaper argued against the construction of the dam. We lost, but the much bigger loss was natures.

EnvironmentEnvironment:: (Now what? Maybe, they should just let the river do what rivers do? There’s no mention that even Reisner admitted his book was full of errors about dams.) Enviros Raise Alarm on Dam Removals By June Williams, February 16, 2012, courthousenews.com Tacoma, Wash. (CN) - Environmental groups say a federal plan to stock a major river on the Olympic Peninsula with hatchery fish after dams are removed violates the Endangered Species Act and will hurt native fish and inhibit the recovery of wild salmon. The Elwha River, on the Olympic Peninsula, flows 45 miles from its headlands in the Olympic Range into the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Most of it is in Olympic National Park. It is one of few rivers in the Northwest that contains all five species of Pacific salmon, and also contains four anadromous trout species. Anadromous fish, such as salmon, spend most of their life in seawater, but migrate to fresh water to breed. The Wild Fish Conservancy and its co-plaintiffs say government and tribal agencies developed the plan as a short-term solution to repopulate the river with fish for tribal "commercial-level" harvesting after two big dams on the Elwha are removed. The coalition sued in Federal Court, claiming the National Park Service, NOAA Fisheries Service, the U.S. Department of the Interior, Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe representatives and other agencies failed to consider environmental impacts as required by the Endangered Species Act before signing off on the fish

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restoration plan. Congress authorized the removal of the Elwha and Glines Canyon dams in 1992, under the Elwha Act, which mandates the full restoration of the Elwha River ecosystem and native fisheries, such as steelhead and salmon. The dam removals began last year and are expected to be complete in 2014. The coalition says the Elwha was one of the "most productive salmon streams in the Pacific Northwest" before the first dam was built on it in 1911. Neither of the dams have fish passages, blocking anadromous fish migration to more than 70 miles of habitat. The fish recovery plan will use a $16 million government- funded hatchery, operated by the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe, to stock the river, according to the complaint. The tribe is not named as a defendant, though four of its fishery managers and biologists are. "The hatchery programs described in the Fish Restoration Plan include several supplementation programs, whereby significant numbers of hatchery produced fish will be released in the Elwha River in a purported effort to 'jump-start' the re-colonization of the river above the former dam sites," the complaint states. "The Fish Restoration Plan describes large-scale levels of artificial fish production, especially for Chinook and coho salmon and steelhead. Such production levels far exceed that necessary or appropriate for conservation and recovery purposes, and are intended to facilitate commercial-level harvests on an expedited schedule," according to the complaint. The coalition says the plan calls for "many" helicopter flights into the Olympic Wilderness to stock fish in the upper Elwha River basin. The coalition says introducing hatchery fish will threaten the stamina of wild fish, and that introduction of non-native Chambers Creek steelhead will be especially harmful. "Hatchery programs harm wild native fish through a variety of mechanisms. This occurs whether non-native stocks are used, such as the Chambers Creek steelhead, or local stocks are used in a supplementation program," according to the complaint. The coalition says that hatchery supplementation programs "threaten the reproductive fitness and genetic diversity" of wild fish and can reduce reproduction rates. "Studies have demonstrated that supplementation of Chinook salmon and steelhead results in such reduced reproductive fitness. Studies have also shown that both nonnative stocks and local stocks of steelhead produced in hatcheries lower their genetic adaptation through domestication selection, resulting in fish better suited for hatchery production than wild survival in rivers and oceans. Deleterious impacts to the fitness and genetics of wild stocks from supplementation programs using local wild stocks are particularly well-established for steelhead. "Releasing non-native Chambers Creek steelhead poses genetic risks threatening the recovery of wild native steelhead in the Elwha River. Releasing non-native Chambers Creek steelhead poses genetic risks threatening the recovery of wild native steelhead in the Elwha River. Fishing on returning Chambers Creek steelhead stocks, which have been adapted through hatchery selection to an early return fish, has resulted in over harvest and depletion of the early wild steelhead run (December, January). That run was historically equal to or larger than the late winter run (March, April and May). Continued fishing on early returning Chambers Creek steelhead with traditional commercial fishing gear will prevent the recovery of the early wild run steelhead," according to the complaint. The environmental groups claim the defendants violated the Endangered Species Act, the Elwha Act and the Wilderness Act by failing to prepare proper environmental impact statements and reports. They seek an injunction preventing implementation of the plan. The plaintiffs are the Wild Fish Conservancy, the Wild Steelhead Coalition, the Federation of Fly Fishers, the Steelhead Committee, and Wild Salmon Rivers dba Conservation Angler. They are represented by Brian Knutsen of Smith & Lowney in Seattle. Western dams, once viewed as nearly miraculous projects that made agriculture possible in the arid West and provided electric power for vast regions, have come under increasing scrutiny, particularly since the 1986 publication of the book "Cadillac Desert," by the late Marc Reisner. Reisner's book questions the long-term effects giant dams have on development, particularly development in places whose natural resources cannot sustain such vast numbers of people.

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