SSoommee DDaamm –– HHyyddrroo NNeewwss and Other Stuff

i 7/04/2008

Quote of Note:

OOtthheerr SSttuuffffff::: (Here’s a good interview of Eric Halpin, the Special Assistant for Dam and Levee Safety for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, re levees) Article Title: 13 Tough Questions for the Army Corps of Engineers' Flood Reconstruction Chief Popular Mechanics Magazine, June 25, 2008 http://www.popularmechanics.com/blogs/science_news/4270399.html?nav=RSS20

One quote of particular interest: “How many Corps-owned or Corps-operated levees breached during this past month? None. There are no Corps-owned-and-operated levees that were overtopped. There are some systems that are adjacent to Corps locks and dams, and ones that were designed by the Corps and turned over to others.”

DDaammss (Lengthy article that unfortunately once again relies too heavily on American Rivers as if they have the requisite dam safety experience) Damned if we don't Too costly to repair and hard to remove, America's 80,000 dams just keep getting older. 1 Copy obtained from the National Performance of Dams Program: http://npdp.stanford.edu

BY KEN OLSEN, American Legion Magazine, June 2008

Hours after an Atlantic storm system began pummeling New England in October 2005, the reservoir behind Lake Wyola Dam in northwestern Massachusetts started rising fast. A worried dam keeper, who had drained water from the lake in anticipation of the deluge, monitored the 122-year-old structure throughout the night, regularly updating local emergency-management officials. The earthen and stone dam holding back the swelling reservoir had no emergency spillway. If floodwaters breached the top, it could easily collapse, sending a 12-foot wall of water surging through the towns of Leverett and Shutesbury. The rain persisted. By 2 a.m., the water drew within an inch of the dam's top. A quarter-mile downstream, Kenyon Fairey and her family slept through what they assumed was just another fall rainstorm. Like more than 70 homeowners living in the dam's flood zone, she was completely unaware of the peril. One hundred miles to the southeast, officials in Taunton, Mass., scrambled to evacuate 2,000 people as a 173-year-old dam upstream from the town threatened to rupture from the same foul weather. Ultimately, both communities were spared. Although more than 100 dams across New England were overtopped, breached or otherwise damaged that stormy weekend, the dams threatening Leverett, Shutesbury and Taunton remained intact. No lives were lost. Six months later, another spring storm flooded New England and broke through another 300 or so dams. Again, miraculously, no one was killed.

These near-catastrophes illustrate a deadly threat tucked in the backwoods of America's aging infrastructure. More than 11,000 high-hazard dams in the United States, many of them rarely inspected and poorly maintained, have the potential to injure or kill thousands. As alarming as the Interstate 35 West bridge collapse was in Minneapolis last August, the American Society of Civil Engineers gives better ratings to bridges than dams on its Report Card for America's Infrastructure. Bridges earn a grade of "C." The nation's dams consistently rate a "D." The news gets worse. More than half of the high-hazard dams lack emergency evacuation plans, much less maps showing the areas that would be inundated if a dam were breached. Most people have no idea they live in the path of the torrent a failing dam would unleash. Moreover, the nation's dams need more than $40 billion in repairs, and there's not nearly enough money to start fixing them. "We started building dams as soon as we got off the Mayflower," says Laura Wildman, a civil engineer at American Rivers, a non-profit organization that focuses on healthy streams in the nation. "But we didn't come up with a system for dealing with dams in a country that is this big, this developed and this complex. As a result, no one thinks they are responsible for letting the people below a dam know they are at risk. So the job goes undone and countless millions live below dams - often crumbling - without a clue, until they see a large wall of water approaching their home." The United States has a considerable history of fatal dam and levee failures. The most tragic is the collapse of the South Fork Dam that killed 2,209 people in Johnstown, Pa., in 1889. Serious flooding again visited havoc on the community in the 1930s. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was summoned to perform flood-control work. "Afterward, the Corps of Engineers identified the community as flood-free," says Larry Larson, executive director of the Association of State Flood Plain Managers. Two more dam failures killed 45 people in the Johnstown area in July 1977, and changed the way the Corps works, Larson adds. It no longer tells communities that flood-control measures, such as dams and levees, eliminate flood risk.

Almost every region has suffered. Between 450 and 600 people died from the 1928 St. Francis Dam failure in California, leading the state to start a dam-safety program. The National Dam Inspection Act was passed in 1972 after debacles in West Virginia and South Dakota killed 363 people. But Congress didn't fund the program until a fatal dam disaster in Georgia in 1977 prompted President Jimmy Carter to intervene. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers finally inspected some 9,000 non-federal dams in the late 1970s and early 1980s and rated about 2,900 of them as unsafe. It turned that information over to the states, which were responsible for making sure dam owners (mostly private individuals or companies) made necessary repairs. The inspection program soon faded, likely because of political pressure, a former Corps of Engineers official says. "The governors were getting a list of dams every 30 days that they should take care of," says Charles Karpowicz, who performed dam safety work for the National Park Service and the Corps of Engineers. "In my experience, upper management - in this case, chief state executives - doesn't like getting lists of things that are unsafe and need to be dealt with immediately. It can take money away from (other) priorities." More federal legislation followed, including the 1996 National Dam Safety Act. Another 140 dams have collapsed in the 12 years since its passage, including the Ka Loko Dam failure in Hawaii in March 2006 that killed seven people and caused more than $50 million in damages. "The Dam Safety Act hasn't made the nation's dams safer," Larson says. "It's a pretty minor program that has provided state legislatures with an excuse not to fund state dam-safety programs, by creating this false notion that the federal government has that covered."

State and federal officials say they need at least $40 billion to repair the nation's dams. Some $10 billion alone is needed for the most critical dams, the failure of which threatens human life. At best, Congress may 2 Copy obtained from the National Performance of Dams Program: http://npdp.stanford.edu provide $200 million over the next five years to begin a fraction of that work. That's paltry compared to money the federal government spends to rehabilitate roads and bridges. Why the discrepancy? Lack of visibility. No one drives a dam to work. In addition, there are government agencies dedicated to highways and bridges. The majority of dams, by contrast, are privately owned. And some 3,700 dams have no known owner - no one to hold responsible for keeping them safe.

Every state except Alabama has a dam-safety program that is supposed to oversee private and municipal dams. The majority of the dams under the states' jurisdiction aren't even inspected, because state programs are under-funded and under-staffed. For example, Texas has seven engineers to keep watch over 7,400 dams. Oregon has two engineers to track 1,200 dams, according to the Association of State Dam Safety Officials. These estimates are conservative, considering there's no accurate tally of the nation's dams and, therefore, no way to know the total number of unsafe structures. "Even federal agencies haven't been maintaining their dams appropriately," says Stephanie Lindloff of American Rivers. "We're learning that some federally owned dams are in need of extensive repair." Federal dams are some of the nation's largest and have the potential to do the most damage.The Corps of Engineers, which operates 610 dams, screened 200 of its highest-risk structures over the past three years as part of its "risk-informed" safety program. The agency identified six flood-control dams that urgently need work because they are critically close to failing, even under normal operations, and pose a threat to human life. These include the Center Hill Dam in Tennessee and the Wolf Creek Dam in Kentucky, either of which could flood Nashville, and are leaking because they are anchored in eroding limestone. Four navigation dams also made the Corps' most hazardous list, including the massive John Day Dam on the Columbia River along the Washington-Oregon state line, which needs as much as $1 billion in repairs. Another group of Corps dams are classified as "unsafe or potentially unsafe." The list includes Dworshak Dam in northern Idaho, one of the tallest concrete dams in North America, which is leaking around the joints and foundation. "Many of the dams in the Corps portfolio are more than 50 years old," says Eric Halpin, special assistant for dam and levee safety at the Corps of Engineers. "Materials and structures degrade over time. The bill is coming due." The costs of not addressing such problems are massive. "The consequences of the New Orleans levee failures totals between $100 billion and $200 billion," Halpin says. "What Hurricane Katrina informed the nation is, we can't afford not to do it." Maintenance and safety are not the only issues. Housing developments constructed downstream from dams, or too close to inadequate levees, are known as "hazard creep," and it's usually caused by a lack of awareness of dams upstream, or the assumption that they are built to withstand anything forever. "Hazard creep is especially common in densely populated areas like the Northeast," Wildman says. California alone requires that real-estate buyers be informed when they are acquiring property down-river from a dam. That should become a national mandate, she says.

Likewise, dam owners should be informed when a development is proposed downstream, because it potentially changes the dam's hazard classification from low or moderate to high. That means the dam must meet more stringent safety requirements, including possession of a larger emergency spillway and the capability to handle a more significant flood - extremely costly improvements. "We need to incorporate the long-term costs of maintaining our infrastructure in our planning process, so we're prepared when the time comes to make repairs," Lindloff says. "If there's enough interest in building a piece of infrastructure, you would think there would be enough interest in maintaining its safety and structural integrity." One solution often suggested is the removal of old dams built a century or more ago to provide power for sawmills, grist mills, textile mills and defunct factories. Proponents of dam removal argue that the cost of repairs and safety upgrades far exceed the economic benefits an older dam provides, and that equally important economic benefits can be derived from unobstructed runs of herring, salmon, shad and other fish. Such was the argument when Edwards Dam in Maine was removed in 1999. Pennsylvania is a leader in this effort, funding the removal of more than 30 small dams a year.

But that takes money. In the meantime, public awareness of dam conditions, locations and their place on the "hazard" hierarchy is a tool with more impact. Congress is considering legislation that requires "any area that could be inundated as a result of the failure of a levee, dam or other manmade structure" be added to the flood-plain maps produced by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. "Let's be honest - there's never going to be enough money to fix all of the dams," says James Demby, a civil engineer in FEMA's dam-safety program. So what can we do to reduce the risk to people living in the dam-breach inundation zone? "We can have a really aggressive public outreach and public information strategy to educate people, and give them the knowledge and awareness, so they can take action to minimize their personal loss." That appeals to Kenyon Fairey, who had no idea as she slept, that storm waters came within an inch of spilling over the Lake Wyola Dam. It was an entire year before she and her family learned of their peril on that storm-tossed night in Massachusetts.

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

West Texas dams need inspections June 24, 2008, By ABC-7 I-Team Investigator Martin Bartlett

EL PASO, TX - With the rainy season just weeks away, an ABC-7 I-Team Investigation has revealed that nearly half of the dams in Far West Texas haven't been inspected in the last decade and many have never been inspected at all. What's more, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality says they just don't have the money to hire more inspectors. Jacob Stickle had a front-row seat for mother nature's powerful display during "storm 2006." "I actually just watched all the water flow right down the street," he said. "It just built up there -- washing right down off the mountain." And it all ended up here -- right behind his house in the Van Buren Dam.

It's one of about 70 dams in El Paso, Hudspeth and Culberson Counties that the TCEQ keeps tabs on. The I-team has learned it's also one of almost twenty that has not gone uninspected for the last decade "We do the best we can with what we have," said Engineer Warren Samuelson, he's in charge of the state's dam safety program. The TCEQ's eight inspectors can't get to the thousands of dams across the state as often as they'd like to, he said. "At this point we were not aware of any dam that's in imminent threat of failing," he said. But, the I-Team also learned that the Ft. Quitman Lake Dam near Sierra Blanca was last inspected in 1968; more than a dozen in our area have never been inspected. "We look at what's down stream, if there are houses downstream, then we have a risk," Samuelson said. Since there aren't, he says that it's a low- priority for the TCEQ and until there are more inspectors, many dams are likely to remain a low priority. A bill that might have given the TCEQ more inspectors died during the last legislative session.

(This is not stonewalling. It’s being responsible. Some of these organizations are so clueless and have no sense of the danger in releasing data that could aid a terrorist. Nut cases!) Dam Inspection Data Withheld From Press Under Patriot Act Jun. 25th, 2008, By Joe Strupp, LiveJournal.com

NEW YORK News outlets seeking inspection and safety data on local dams, in light off the recent string of floods in the Midwest, have been stonewalled by government officials who have withheld such data as part of the Patriot Act, according to Investigative Reporters and Editors. IRE Data Base Library Director Jeremy Milarsky, who oversees the group's handling of data requests from news organizations, said at least a dozen news outlets requested such background data on dam inspections from IRE in the last week. He said that is up from the usual three or four in any given year. Such information, however, has been unavailable since 2002, when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began rejecting such requests as part of a U.S. Patriot Act stipulation.

How our dams protect us from flooding June 26, 2008, WTHITV.com, Report by Liz Nichols, WTHI

POLAND, Ind. (WTHI) - Cagles Mill Dam was the first flood control dam built in the state of Indiana. Completed in 1953, it has three flood gates. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers maintains the dam, recording the water levels every day, so they know what's coming in, and what's going out. "The mission is flood damage reduction," says Clark Baker, Supervisor Park Ranger at Cagles Mill Lake. "So, we capture all those flood waters, and we hold them until it's safe to release them at a later day," Baker explains. It's not meant to stop a flood, but it's a tool to minimize the water that flows downstream from the lake, and on. When the flood came, the gates at Cagles Mill Dam closed. The dam held the water that would have otherwise flowed into the Wabash Valley. In the days following the heavy rain, the Army Corps of Engineers was on 24-hour flood watch, making sure the dam did its job. This is the highest level of water held by the Cagles Mill Dam. Even with all that water inside, the dam still had room to spare. "At crest, we were 72% full. I believe today we're in the 60% range," Baker explains. In addition to flood reduction, the lake serves as a popular recreation area. With all the water held back, many of those areas became submerged. The water coming through the dam will continue for months, until it reaches normal levels once again.

As for the Great Flood of 2008: News 10: "Did the dam do its job?" "Yes it did," says Baker. It cost around $4 1/2 million to build the dam back in the 1950s. The flood damage it prevented in June 2008 alone was worth more than $16 million. Without the dam in place, towns like Bowling Green, Clay City, and Jasonville would have dealt with even more water. Cagles Mill Dam is one of four reservoirs that make up the "Middle Wabash Valley Area." For more information about dams and flooding, check out the links attached to this story.

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

Jimmy Carter rallies environmentalists against Flint dams By STACY SHELTON,The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 06/27/08

Friday night with a former president and a renewed cause. President Jimmy Carter, whose Plains home is about 30 miles down the road, rallied a new generation of environmentalists and river rats to fight any effort to build dams on the Flint River. His audience of 200 included more than 100 paddlers who had just completed a week-long, 95-mile trip down the Flint from Thomaston. The Flint has over 200 miles of free- flowing river with only two small dams on its length. The Flint starts as a spring under the runways at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport and winds through southwest Georgia where it meets up with the Chattahoochee River at the Georgia-Alabama-Florida border.

Started in 2005, Paddle Georgia has also taken canoeists and kayakers down the Chattahoochee, Etowah and Ocmulgee rivers. This week's finale, a fish fry at an old junior high school, was also the stage to announce the formation of the Flint Riverkeeper, the seventh river protection group in Georgia formed under the national umbrella of the Waterkeeper Alliance. The group, started by community leaders and landowners along the Flint, was galvanized by talk of resurrecting dam projects on the Flint to increase water supplies. Carter, wearing blue jeans and a button-down denim Habitat for Humanity shirt, talked about his own successful fight in the 1970s against plans by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Congress to build three dams on the Flint. One dam would have been built at Sprewell Bluff, now a state park and popular fishing spot. Carter's unlikely opposition propelled the little known Georgia governor onto the national scene as an environmental crusader willing to go against Washington's power brokers. "It was unprecedented back then for anybody to be against a dam," Carter said. "The opposition was just a bunch of weirdo environmentalists." Dams mean construction jobs, high-priced lakefront development and recreational dollars, he said. His presidency was full of controversy, from giving back the Panama Canal ("I still get ugly letters every month about the Panama Canal") to normalizing relations with China, but Carter said killing dams were his most controversial actions in the White House. He said fighting against the dams again, three decades later, could be equally tough. In recent months, U.S. Reps. Nathan Deal (R-Gainesville) and Lynn Westmoreland (R-Grantville), have expressed some interest in building dams along the Flint to create large water-supply reservoirs like Allatoona and West Point. "There will be tremendous pressure here to go along with these congressmen that somehow think it'll solve the water supply problems and allow people to sprinkle their lawns seven days a week," Carter said. Brian Robinson, Westmoreland's spokesman, said in a telephone interview Thursday that the congressman is seeking $10 million to study the possibilities of building a dam or dams. "The last two years people were saying 'Why didn't we plan for this [drought]?' and what we're hoping for is that we can do our best to prepare for the next crisis," Robinson said. On Friday night, Carter's parting words, partially drowned in adoring applause, were "If you need my help, I'll be here."

HHyyddrroo ******************************************************************************************************** Juneau family has personal hydropower, lives off the grid The Great Flood of 2008 will go down in history as one of the worst disasters to hit the Midwest, but, it's what we built years ago that helped protect us from an even bigger disaster. By Erik Stimpfle, For the Alaska Journal of Commerce, 6/15/08

Here’s the link to the full story – kinda interesting: http://www.alaskajournal.com/stories/061508/hom_20080615016.shtml

Juneau has established a sustainable development commission to assist local residents with home energy systems. Information about these efforts can be viewed at: www.sustainablejuneau.blogspot.com. ********************************************************************************************************** Companies interested in Boardman dams Two request permits to generate power June 24, 2008, BY BRIAN MCGILLIVARY, Traverse City Record-Eagle

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

TRAVERSE CITY, MI -- Two companies filed preliminary applications to generate hydroelectric power on the Boardman River. Those applications could force officials from Traverse City and Grand Traverse County to follow suit to preserve control over the dams. The county is in the midst of a $1.4 million study to determine whether the structures should be dismantled. But the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission controls the dam-permitting process, and if FERC grants either of the two interested companies a permit, the selected company would be able to control the dam-licensing process for the next three years. Traverse City and Grand Traverse County own the chain of Boardman River dams, but any objections they may raise have no standing in FERC's permitting process. "It's a weird, crazy process," said county Administrator Dennis Aloia. "I mean, can you imagine a process where someone is given a permit of any kind and the owner isn't even given notice." In February, Timothy Swanson of Indiana-based NM Hydroelectric Power LLC applied to FERC for a permit on the county-owned Sabin Dam. Aloia learned of that application last week. In response, the city and county discussed filing competing permit applications to retain control of the dams. Obtaining the permits would allow the municipalities to decide who, if anyone, should operate the dams if they are kept.

Traverse City Light & Power previously held the FERC license to generate power at city-owned Brown Bridge Dam, as well as county-owned Sabin and Boardman dams. L&P in 2005 decided dam maintenance was too expensive and decommissioned them. The county then initiated a $1.4 million-dollar study to determine if the dams should be removed. The study's recommendation is due in December. Aloia said he doesn't believe a permit or license to generate electricity would prevent the county from removing the dams, but he acknowledged it's new territory for the county. Charles Peterson of Peterson Machinery Sales also applied to FERC for permits for all three dams. Peterson said the county's study hasn't fairly probed the idea of keeping the dams to generate electricity, and he wants to maintain it as an option. Peterson contends L&P exaggerated dam maintenance costs, and believes all three dams can be operated profitably. Peterson Machinery purchased the generating equipment at the dams and wants county and city support to restart hydroelectric generation on all three dams. Peterson believes the dams could be generating electricity by next summer. The county board will make a decision on supporting Peterson or filing its own application when it meets at 7 p.m. Wednesday in the Governmental Center. The issue will be on the city's July 7 agenda.

(Let’s hope it happens this time. This project has been on the table by different proponents for 30 years or more.) Feds OK energy plant on Ohio River By Richard Wilson and Joshua Rinaldi, Staff Writers, Oxford Press, June 26, 2008

HAMILTON, OH — City officials can move forward with plans to build a hydroelectric plant on the Ohio River after getting license approval from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. The commissioners approved the license Wednesday, June 25, for the city to construct and operate a $350 million hydroelectric project at the Meldahl Locks and Dam, which is east of Cincinnati along the river. The move prevents the project from being moved out of Ohio and will create jobs in the region, according to U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown's office. "Hydroelectric power is an important component of Ohio's renewable energy industry," said Brown, D-Ohio, who in April urged the commission to make a final decision after the Kentucky Division of Water filed an application on the project. Getting the license now will likely save the city an estimated $40 million in construction costs, said City Manager Mark Brandenburger. "It certainly gives us an edge," he said, referring to an anticipated 3 percent hike in the project's cost if it were delayed a year.

Before construction begins, environmental studies must be conducted on the presence of protected mussels in the river and Indiana Bats which may inhabit trees along the banks. If mussels are found, they'll need to be relocated between June and August. If the bats are found, tree removal could be done only in the winter months. Construction could begin as early as next year and it is estimated the project will come online in 2013. At that point, it is estimated, 65 percent of the city's electricity will be generated by hydroelectric power. FERC requested some minor modifications to the project's plans, but they shouldn't delay construction, Brandenburger said.

(They will now find that the SOFAR project should have been built in the 1980’s) Potential hydroelectric sites studied in El Dorado County By Cathy Locke – Sacramento Bee, June 25, 2008

With high energy prices and the push for environmentally friendly power sources, the El Dorado Irrigation District and El Dorado County Water Agency have commissioned a study of potential hydroelectric projects on the county's western slope. Earlier this week, the district board unanimously approved a contract with the 6 Copy obtained from the National Performance of Dams Program: http://npdp.stanford.edu

Placerville consulting firm EN2 Resources Inc. Cindy Megerdigian, acting co-manager of the district's hydroelectric division, said the proposal for a hydroelectric development plan grew out of a January 2007 meeting that included district director John Fraser, representatives of the advocacy group Citizens for Water, the El Dorado County Water Agency, district staff members and representatives of various hydroelectric firms, The El Dorado Irrigation District and the El Dorado County Water Agency will split the $214,480 cost of the contract with EN2 Resources. The board also approved an additional $42,760 for related district staff costs. Director Harry Norris voted to approve the contract, but he questioned the prospects for new hydroelectric projects. "We can look at the engineering feasibility, but what is the political feasibility?" Norris asked.

In the mid-1980s, a series of water storage and hydroelectric dams was proposed as part of the south fork of the American River project (SOFAR), but Norris said, "that got shut down because people didn't think it was worth doing." Rick Lind of EN2 Resources said the study would update some of the SOFAR proposals, particularly an Alder Creek reservoir, as well as project costs. "Some would no longer be feasible for political reasons," he said. Lind said the study also would look at nontraditional options, including small projects within the water delivery system that might allow for peak power generation when the value of power is high. Among projects with the most promise, he said, are ones that would capture water during peak runoff, when there would be fewer environmental impacts. "We would be looking at off-stream, rather than on-stream storage," Lind said. A staff report says the energy markets and regulatory environment have changed since the 1980s. New hydroelectric projects that conform to the California Energy Commission's Renewable Portfolio Standard can qualify for renewable energy credits, which will command a price premium for new generating capacity, the reports says. California electric utilities must derive 20 percent of their power from renewable sources by 2010 and 33 percent by 2025. The study also is timely, given the financing options available for construction of new hydropower facilities under the Federal Energy Policy Act of 2005, the staff report says. Director Bill George argued that the study was important to ensuring future water and power supplies. "I look at this as long-term - 20, 30, 40 50 years from now," he said.

Consumers Energy to upgrade Hardy Dam hydro plant Associated Press, June 28, 2008, Chicago Tribune

MUSKEGON, Mich. - Consumers Energy says a new hydroelectric turbine planned for Hardy Dam on the Muskegon River will boost power production and be better for the environment. The utility plans to install the new turbine by year's end at a cost of several million dollars. It will replace one of the dam's original three turbines, which date back to 1930. Consumers officials tell The Muskegon Chronicle that the new turbine will increase power production at the dam in eastern Newaygo County by 2 percent annually, or enough electricity for an additional 200 households. Consumers, a subsidiary of Jackson-based CMS Energy Corp., also says the new turbine will benefit fish and other marine life by releasing more dissolved oxygen downstream. Hardy is one of 11 hydroelectric dams that account for about 1 percent of Consumers' electricity output -- about 400,000 megawatt hours, enough to serve about 80,000 customers.

(How about carrying your hydropower around in a bucket?) Hydroelectric Bucket Will Gladly Help You Miss the Point of Camping

Sam Redfield of the Appropriate Infrastructure Development Group has designed a bucket-based hydroelectric generator that can be made with easily obtainable, affordable parts. The "pico generator" is intended to provide a modest power supply suitable for home lighting and small appliances to remote destinations. They've already tested the bucket at La Florida in Guatemala, where it demonstrated the ability to power five retro Motorola handsets from flow of a small stream. A modified old car alternator carries out the power generation duties, and the rest of the assembly is made of readily available materials. A small pipe diverts water to a storage tank, from which it is gravity-fed into the bucket. The design also has a minimal environmental and human impact, as it doesn't require damming and feeds the water back into the same stream just a few feet away. [AIDG via Make] 7 Copy obtained from the National Performance of Dams Program: http://npdp.stanford.edu

WWaatteerr (Let’s hope they’re right) Conservancy District: Region's dams, levees can handle big storms By Ken McCall, Staff Writer, Dayton Daily News, June 25, 2008

DAYTON, OH — Want to hear some good news about a natural disaster? If the series of June storms that broke levees and inundated cities and crops in Iowa and Missouri had hit the Miami Valley with identical rainfall, the region's dams and levees would have handled the storm water easily. The Miami Conservancy District, the 93-year-old regional flood protection agency that manages the region's five dams and 60 miles of levees, estimates that the Iowa storms would have ranked only 27th among the hundreds of major storm events recorded since the system was built. The storm would have filled only an estimated 5 percent of the system's dams, and the water depth in the Great Miami River through Dayton would have reached only 14.4 feet, less than half the 29-foot height of the levees. "There's plenty of capacity, and thankfully we haven't tested it to the max," said Kurt Rinehart, chief engineer for the conservancy district. Since the system was completed in 1922, Rinehart said, it has never been close to capacity. The biggest storm on record was in January 1959, but even then the district's dams only reached 16 percent of their holding capacity and the river only got to 16 feet in Dayton. The citizens of Dayton and the district's founders learned their lessons well in 1913, Rinehart said, when somewhere between 9 and 11 inches of rain fell in three days. "Our system was designed for 40 percent more water than we had in 1913," Rinehart said. "They decided at the time to be conservative and they designed it for what they felt was a worst-case type of event."

EEnnvviirroonnmmeenntt Five-day trip down Lehigh River wraps up today By AL ZAGOFSKY, For the Pocono Record, June 25, 2008

More than 100 paddlers set out on the 2008 Lehigh River Sojourn on Saturday and will complete their trek in Easton today. The event began at the Lehigh River Access in Jim Thorpe where chief safety officer Jerry McAward, proprietor of Jim Thorpe Adventures and the NE PA Kayak School, gave a safety briefing. Then, into their canoes, with some participants in kayaks, they set off about 100 yards downstream to a quiet area to practice their paddling strokes. At the safety briefing, it was discovered that many of the paddlers had never canoed on a river previously, and the first major rapid was a quarter-mile downstream. After 15 minutes of practice, McAward headed downstream and eddied his kayak near a large rock on river right, upstream of the Crab Trap pour-over wave. As canoes drifted over to the rock, McAward stepped onto the canoe's gunnels to prevent the craft from climbing the rock, capsizing and ejecting the paddlers onto the pour-over. This maneuver was successful, although newbie paddlers tended to drift over to McAward because they assumed he was there to provide guidance. When they learned that they needed to paddle in the opposite direction, some canoes turned sideways as they approached the pour over. Two canoes flipped but the safety team pulled them out in moments. The trip passed through Lehighton, Weissport, Bowmanstown, Palmerton, the Lehigh Gap and ended the first day in Walnutport. The event included a program by members of the Lehigh River Stocking Association. The group monitors the quality of the Lehigh River and has installed a probe in a section of the river north of Jim Thorpe. They received a grant that will soon allow them to post data charts on the Internet. The probe measures temperature, depth, turbidity, pH, oxidation-reduction potential, conductivity and dissolved oxygen. The group is working to remove dams that restrict access of migrating fish to cold water breeding grounds. They are currently focusing on the Parryville Dam on the Pohopoco Creek and the LaFarge Dam near Route 329 on the Lehigh River. The group has been stocking the Lehigh with fish of legal size for several years, but they would like to see the river become

8 Copy obtained from the National Performance of Dams Program: http://npdp.stanford.edu part of the state's fish stocking program. To do so, they are working to change the river's classification from a warm water fishery to a trout stock fishery.

Yakamas reintroduce salmon in Yakima River Basin headwaters June 25, 2008, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, Seattle Post-Intelligencer

TUCQUALA LAKE, Wash. -- As staff members of the Yakama Nation Fisheries Program emptied nets full of young coho salmon into Tucquala Lake, they undid effects of over a century of dams barring migratory fish from the Yakima River Basin's headwaters. The tribal-sponsored experiment is returning around 300,000 coho salmon this week in an effort to re-establish self-sustaining fish runs in the basin's upper reaches, starting in the waters above Lake Cle Elum in the central Cascades. Dams have kept fish from the headwaters for over 100 years, beginning with crude crib dams built for irrigation and later with five dams on lakes feeding the Yakima River. None of the five dams have fish passages. Fish returning to spawn will be captured below Cle Elum Dam and trucked around it. "This is both culturally and spiritually important to the nation," said Dave Fast, senior research scientist for the Yakama Fisheries Program. Restoring historical fish runs would also bring back tribal fishing opportunities.

Re-establishing sockeye salmon is the ultimate goal, said Mark Johnston, a tribal fisheries biologist. Next year, 250,000 young sockeye will be scattered across Lake Cle Elum. With the tribe's support, the Bureau of Reclamation introduced a test batch of 10,000 coho into Lake Cle Elum in 2005. A small group returned from the ocean to spawn. The headwaters provide excellent habitat for migratory fish, but the ecosystem is essentially sterile, according to Johnston. Without fish returning to spawn and then die, the headwaters lack key marine biological material to feed the small organisms that young salmon eat. To jump-start the process, coho carcasses will be scattered across tributaries above Lake Cle Elum this year. Successfully re- establishing fish runs could help native species, such as raccoons, cougars and bald eagles, recover, Johnston said. "All of those animals will benefit from the salmon coming back, because it's a high-protein paste which helps them stock up for the winter," he said. Fish are an important indicator of an ecosystem's health. "When they're not around, something's wrong," Johnston said. The experiment is the first time full- scale fish reintroduction has been attempted while maintaining dams, which hold irrigation water for the region's agriculture. "It has always been either dams or fish. Maybe it doesn't have to be all or none," Johnston said.

(If anyone can figure out what the “FERC grid” is, please let us know. And, if it’s not licensed by the FERC, it’s not their problem.) Fish kill must prompt FERC to act against private dams June 26, 2008, Freep.com

VANDERBILT -- Silt from a dam on the Song of the Morning Yoga Center has caused a significant fish kill on the Pigeon River, one of Michigan's premier trout streams. Larry Walters, a Vanderbilt resident and president of the Headwaters Chapter of Trout Unlimited, said the incident was reminiscent of another major fish kill caused by sediment from the retreat 25 years ago. "I was out there Monday with my wife and she said, 'What's happened to the river?' " Walters said. "When I went to look, the flow that had been 185 feet per second on Sunday was down to six feet per second on the gauge at the Sturgeon Valley Road Bridge. "The water that was coming through was unusually low and as black as oil. You couldn't see six inches into it, and there was a dead fish floating down belly up on the surface every minute." Fisheries biologists from the Department of Natural Resources were at the stream Tuesday and Wednesday trying to assess the extent of the fish kill, which began Sunday. Ian Wylie, manager at the Song of the Morning, said: "The stream is running normally now. We had more water go out than we planned. At this point, we just want to deal with the DNR. "Unfortunately, too much water came out, and then too little. I don't want to say any more right now." Song of the Morning has a low-head hydroelectric dam on the Pigeon River on its property, which borders Sturgeon Valley Road a short distance upstream from the DNR campground on Sturgeon Valley Road, which is a few miles east of Vanderbilt. "I have to believe that this kill goes all he way down to Mullet Lake," Walters said, "although I suppose the silt gets more diluted as you go farther downstream." He said that the dam was not licensed or regulated by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, "even though it was connected to FERC's energy grid until last year." Walters said the silt probably had ruined trout fishing on much of the stream for the rest of this season. "This is a great trout stream," he said. "My nephew was here a little while ago and caught a 13-inch brook trout, an 11-inch brook trout and a 20-inch brown trout. Now fish like that are gone. And we don't know what it has done to the (insects) and other invertebrates. It could take years to recover." Walters said that the latest spill showed that the FERC should ban unregulated dams on public waters. "I expect the DNR to take this seriously and hold their feet to the fire," he said. "They

9 Copy obtained from the National Performance of Dams Program: http://npdp.stanford.edu need to be held responsible for any damage they cause. We don't need to have this happening every 25 years."

(Oops! Almost made the wrong decision) Lake Red Bluff nearly drained by judge By RICH GREENE-Daily News Staff Writer, Tehama County, CA, June 28, 2008

Lake Red Bluff is on life support, but even that outlook is slightly better than it was a day ago. On Thursday, U.S. District Judge Oliver W. Wanger appeared to rule in favor of environmental groups, finding the Red Bluff Diversion Dam does pose a risk of irreparable harm to spring run salmon, according to Tehama Colusa Canal Authority General Manager Jeff Sutton. The jeopardy finding would have triggered the second phase of the Endangered Species lawsuit and possibly led to the immediate raising of the dam's gates. However, on Friday, Wanger said he had misapplied data that led to his conclusion and ordered the jeopardy phase of the lawsuit to continue, saying there was little to no benefit in granting any interim measures. "We're certainly breathing a sigh of relief," Sutton said. The hearing is scheduled to continue Tuesday, in Fresno. Wanger's initial jeopardy ruling Thursday came as a stinger to Red Bluff city officials. "The city is disappointed," City Manager Martin Nichols said. "Saving the lake is not looking good." Environmental groups want the dam's gates raised permanently, which would mean water flowing out of Shasta Dam would travel freely through Red Bluff. Lake Red Bluff, which exists for four months each summer while the gates are down, would be eliminated. Officials estimate the lake is responsible for bringing $4 million into the city annually due to lake use and events like the Nitro Nationals Drag Boat Festival. Replacing that revenue would drive the city's actions in how to continue with possible further litigation. Nichols said the city may attempt to work out mitigation with TCAA, which would be likely to go to Congress and ask for money to pay for a proposed pumping system installed near the Reeds Creek inlet. The pumps would allow canals to be filled without the dam, assisting agricultural land users in the area. Nichols said a mitigation settlement could be used to build a new park or amphitheater, or assist in another capacity for replacing the city's loss revenue.

(OK, now what’s the reason for the increase in the sockeye salmon run? Could it be that the dams they want to remove don’t have as much negative impact as they want us to believe? I’m puzzled!) Surprising sockeye salmon run hits river Jun. 30, 2008, McClatchy Newspapers, azcentral.com

BOISE, Idaho - Ten times as many sockeye salmon are returning to the Columbia River as last year, which could mean the highest return for Idaho's most endangered fish in more than 30 years. The Columbia River sockeye run has already doubled initial predictions and is on track to be the highest return since the 1950s. Officials expected a larger-than-average sockeye run due in part to improved river migration and ocean conditions and more young fish migrating from Idaho, but they could not explain the surprise abundance. The sockeye count at Bonneville Dam east of Portland, Ore., was 157,486 fish through Thursday compared with 15,427 at the same time last year. Last year's entire run was 26,700 sockeye at Bonneville Dam. Officials originally predicted 75,600, but upgraded it last week to at least 210,000.

********************************************************************** “Good wine is a necessity of life.” - -Thomas Jefferson Ron’s wine pick of the week: Parducci True Grit Petite Sirah 2004 i This 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 to those who have an interest in receiving this information for non-profit and educational purposes only.

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

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

SSoommee DDaamm –– HHyyddrroo NNeewwss and Other Stuff

i 7/11/2008

Quote of Note: “There can be no real individual freedom in the presence of economic insecurity.” - -Chester Bowles

OOtthheerr SSttuuffffff::: Factoid: The price of gasoline is almost 40 % higher than just one year ago. ************************************************************************************************************* (Beyond the political stuff, this letter does make a point. It sort of asks the question – where’s the beef (i.e. alternative energy?) Letter to the Editor Environmentalism can't trump other energy concerns June 30, 2008, IndyStar.com, Indianapolis, IN

I was amazed and amused to read a recent letter to the editor blaming Ronald Reagan for the gas crisis. The idea apparently is that we'd all be happily living with vast alternative energy resources if it weren't for Reagan. It's astounding how far reality can be twisted to promote an agenda. Realistically, we have had well over 30 years of alternative energy development, and we are nowhere near an alternative source that produces more than a tiny amount of energy in comparison to the sources we've been developing for centuries -- oil, coal, nuclear, and hydroelectric. But we have done almost nothing with these resources, because environmental concerns have constantly prevented their development. Also, alternative energy development apparently depends on government money to fund it. So in addition to paying at the gas pump, Americans will be paying through taxes, while they wait for the alternative to arrive. The development of our present energy resources has taken a back seat to environmentalism over the last 30 years. We can produce more oil and other energy resources, but environmentalism will have to take its appropriate place -- as one public interest among many. Dennis Donnelly, Westfield **************************************************************************************************************

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

(And, how are we going to deal with EIA’s energy outlook?)

The EIA released its "Annual Energy Outlook 2008". EIA predicts that U.S. energy use will grow by 19% between 2005 and 2030, while petroleum use will increase by only 9% and ethanol use increases by a factor of 6. Hydropower increases by only 11%, but biomass energy, excluding biofuels, more than doubles, while other renewable energy sources more than triple. In its high price case, petroleum use drops by 2.1%, the growth in ethanol use and hydropower production stay essentially the same, biomass energy nearly triples, and the growth in other renewable energy sources stays the same. See the "Annual Energy Outlook 2008."

(Now, is this a dumb event or not? Dumping hydropower because of irresponsible wind power owners. Wind is not dependable power – the wind either blows when you don’t need it or doesn’t when you do need it.) NW wind power was almost too much of a good thing Associated Press - July 6, 2008, KTRV

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - A surge of wind last week jumped far beyond levels forecast by operators of Oregon's burgeoning wind-farm industry, sending more power into the regional grid than it could accommodate. For the first time, Bonneville Power Administration power managers began calling operators with orders to curtail power generation. The BPA realized by Monday evening that it could no longer handle the surge without increasing spills of water through hydroelectric dams to levels dangerous to fish. An official said the incident demonstrated a need to make sure that the growth of wind power in the Columbia Basin is managed properly. Brian Silverstein, a BPA transmission vice president, called the wind event "a wake-up call." The agency can sanction wind companies that disobey pullback orders. In this case, penalties were unnecessary, Silverstein said.

DDaammss Some work on Wolf Creek Dam halted Corps investigates rapidly settling area By James Bruggers, courier-journal.com, June 27, 2008

The Army Corps of Engineers has temporarily stopped key emergency repairs at the leaky Wolf Creek Dam while authorities investigate an area that has been rapidly settling. The corps stopped grouting at a critical earthen portion of the Russell County dam about two weeks ago while agency officials investigate unexpected settling, said Barney Davis Jr., chief of the corps' engineering-construction Nashville division. The area of concern is near where the 4,000-foot-long earthen portion meets a concrete dam and hydropower plant, he said. The dam has been settling at a faster rate than previously recorded — nearly an inch in the last year. Since surface monitoring began in 1981, the dam has settled steadily at a rate of about an eighth of an inch per year, Davis said. While Davis acknowledged officials' concerns, he said there was no reason for the public to be alarmed. "It does not impose additional risk to the project," he said. Mike Wilson, the corps' Nashville deputy for project management, said grouting in other areas continues.

The dam was built decades ago atop cavern- and fissure-riddled limestone. The corps considers it among its five most risky. It's spending more than $300million over seven years to repair leaks. Work has included injecting massive amounts of grout into underground gaps. Corps officials are also evaluating a major contract for installing a 275-foot-deep concrete wall along the entire earthen portion of the dam. The fix is similar to one that was carried out in the 1970s, but with a smaller wall. Davis said the corps will take several months to determine the cause of the settling and how to proceed. It's possible that injecting the grout caused some shifting underground, triggering faster settling, he said. The delay should not make the corps fall behind schedule, but a decision on whether it could raise the water level of Lake Cumberland may be further delayed. That decision had been expected earlier this year and the lake has been held about 40 feet below normal summer levels since January 2007 to relieve pressure on the dam and reduce the downriver risks in the event of a breach. 2 Copy obtained from the National Performance of Dams Program: http://npdp.stanford.edu

Bob Luessenhop, who lives about six miles below the dam near the Cumberland River in Cumberland County, and commutes daily on a road that runs across the dam, was not aware of the setback but said he's not terribly concerned about the dam failing. He said he's confident the Corps of Engineers would issue a timely evacuation warning if one were ever needed. However, he said his confidence in the agency has weakened as he's learned about failures of corps-designed levees in other states. Local and state officials also were not aware of the latest problem at Wolf Creek Dam but they expressed confidence in the corps' management of the project. "The position we have taken ... is that the corps is doing everything they can to make sure they don't have a (dam) failure," said Tim Hicks, judge executive for Cumberland County. "We have tried to prepare our county through notification systems. We are in much better shape than we were a couple of years ago." Mark York, spokesman for the Kentucky Public Protection Cabinet, said news of a setback is not surprising. "With any construction project, there are almost always some things that occur that you have to stop and address as it goes along," he said.

Utah dams fall short of safety standards Associated Press - June 29, 2008, LocalNews8

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - Eighteen years after the last dam failure in Utah many of the state's dams still fall short of minimum safety standards. State Dam Safety Engineer David Marble says 191 dams across the state have received full compliance review ordered by reforms passed in 1990. Of those, 51 meet the minimum safety standards. Another 31 have lowered safety risks by altering storage levels or spill flows rather than under going expensive reconstruction. Marble says the remaining 109 high-hazard dams are either prioritized for review or under investigation. But Marble insists that no dam is at imminent risk of failing. The last full-blown dam failure in Utah was on New Year's Day 1989 when the Quail Creek Dam collapsed.

Dam in suburban New York to undergo renovation July 1, 2008, Newsday.com

CORTLANDT, N.Y. - A dam in suburban New York that helps form a reservoir that provides drinking water to the metro area will undergo a massive renovation. New York City Department of Environmental Protection engineer Paul Costa says the Croton Dam in Cortlandt will get various enhancements, including restoration and cleaning of the front wall of the structure. There will also be upgrades intended to enhance security. The reservoir that forms behind the dam feeds the Croton River and provides drinking water for the city and some Westchester County communities. The renovation is expected to begin in 2011 and last four years.

(Good question) Why do we let fishermen decide to take out dams? 07/01/2008, Kennebec Journal Morning Sentinel

Hardly a day goes by without an article in the news about one of our 50 state's court systems rendering a decision on some matter. The ruling by one of the courts no sooner hits the street and someone in the country finds a way around that ruling. Now comes the Winslow Fort Halifax Dam 1998 KHDG agreement conceived in a less-than public meeting but very demanding of the public. For years, some have tried to find a way around this agreement. I think that it is the only agreement in the whole U.S.A. that appears unchangeable. Will someone explain to me what the KHDG signatures have that the courts in the country do not have? Why do a handful of fishermen control thousands of us who know a fish is a fish without taking it out of water and holding it up and announcing to the world that it is a fish? This handful of fishermen are demanding that thousands of other people pay for their game with fish. If the fish are not in the Sebasticook, then let the fishermen go to wherever the fish are and leave the rest of us to live peacefully and enjoy our dams that are producing green energy and affording us beautiful recreation areas. Some cry we need lobster bait. In my 70-plus years I have never heard of a diminished lobster harvest because fish have been denied access to our Sebasticook River. Kenneth Dudley, Benton

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

Experts size up probability of a Salt River catastrophe by Gary Nelson - Jul. 2, 2008, The Arizona Republic

With Tempe in the grip of a suffocating heat wave, flooding might be the last thing on your mind. But as recent flooding in the Midwest proves, not only can the worst case happen, sometimes the unthinkable happens. Consider Cedar Rapids, Iowa. In more than 150 years of record-keeping, the Cedar River had never gone more than 8 feet above flood stage. Last month, it exceeded that record by 10 feet, an event that left weather experts and public safety officials all but speechless. No one came close to predicting the ultimate scope of the calamity because a unique chain of events rendered previous forecasting methods useless. Before this summer, Cedar Rapids could always guess how high its flood crests would be by looking at what the river did upstream in Waterloo. But this year, torrents of rain fell between the cities, and no one had ever planned for that.

In Tempe's case, and for the Valley as a whole, the nightmare scenario - albeit a highly improbable one - begins about 40 miles up the Salt River Valley as the buzzard flies. There lies the massive Roosevelt Dam, nearly 100 years old. At peak capacity, it can hold back almost 1.7 million acre-feet of water. Below Roosevelt are three smaller dams, whose lakes push the total capacity of the Salt River system to more than 2 million acre-feet - enough water to flood 3,125 square miles a foot deep. Tempe is about 40 square miles, Mesa 130 square miles. Water has never breached or topped Roosevelt Dam, but it came frightfully close in February 1980. After a storm poured 10 inches of rain on mountains upstream of the reservoir, engineers opened the floodgates to make room for the torrent. The dam came within inches of overflowing, which engineers believe would have triggered a catastrophic collapse. The Salt River Project expanded and strengthened the dam in 1996, and experts say that greatly reduced the dangers of failure. Charlie Ester, manager of water resource operations for the Salt River Project, said federal and local agencies have invested heavily in dam safety since the 1970s. "We don't have the same system we had here 30 years ago," Ester said. "It's been greatly improved." Ester said after its renovation, Roosevelt Dam now can handle water from a storm of the sort that might occur, statistically, once in millions of years.

Even so, the scenario is on the minds of disaster planners. Joe Muñoz, spokesman for the Flood Control District of Maricopa County, said planners recently went through an exercise with a Roosevelt collapse as its centerpiece. Should that happen, Muñoz said, "It would break every dam below it," unleashing more than 630 billion gallons of water onto the Valley. People would have perhaps four to five hours to get out of the way, Muñoz said, before Tempe and then downtown Phoenix would be swept with churning walls of water, mud and debris. Ester said the Valley's biggest flood danger comes not from the well-tamed Salt River, but from the Verde, which feeds into the Salt River Valley northeast of Mesa. The Verde's dam system is less extensive than the Salt's, Ester said, and spillway failures could dump 500,000 to 600,000 cubic feet of water per second into the Salt channel. That would dwarf the biggest flood in recent years, when 124,500cubic feet per second roiled through the Valley in January 1993. But again, Ester said, "The likelihood of that happening is very tiny; much, much smaller than the flood that's going on now on the Mississippi." "We're not geographically located to get floods of that magnitude like they're getting in the Midwest. That's not our hydrology."

(Wish the headline was more explanatory. I think they mean economic catastrophe!) Crumbling locks, dams could cause catastrophe By F.A. Krift. Pittsburgh TRIBUNE-REVIEW, July 4, 2008

Safe navigation of the region's rivers provides about 200,000 jobs and $10 billion in wages, according to the Port of Pittsburgh Commission. Yet the average Western Pennsylvanian probably isn't too concerned with the potentially catastrophic state of the rivers' crumbling locks and dams, says James McCarville, executive director of the commission. "This is very serious, and it makes you feel like you're Chicken Little out there and saying the sky is falling, but in this case the sky is falling," McCarville said Thursday. The Army Corps of Engineers did its part in bringing attention to the worn state of the Pittsburgh District locks and dams during a tour of a "dewatered" facility on the Monongahela River near Braddock. The district stretches from western New York into West Virginia and west to Ohio, and is the inland United States' largest, oldest and most fatigued, said Col. Michael P. Crall, engineer for the Pittsburgh District. And it needs federal money. Of Western Pennsylvania's 17 locks and dams, 13 were built between 1909 and 1938, McCarville said. Two navigation dams at Emsworth on the Ohio River and Elizabeth on the Monongahela are "critically near failure," Crall said. Three locks and dams received a failing grade in a Pennsylvania Section of American Society of Civil Engineers report and seven others earned a D.

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

A project to remove the Elizabeth locks and dam and repair other facilities is at risk since the Inland Waterways Trust Fund -- financed by a federal diesel fuel tax -- is nearly out of money, Crall said. The Army Corps doesn't expect the project, already 12 years behind schedule, to be completed until 2020. It was originally projected for completion in 2004. "We are in a fix-as-it-fails mode," Crall said. More than 52 million tons of cargo is shipped through the Port of Pittsburgh. While the majority is coal, the daily cargo includes petroleum products, metal ores, sand, gravel and building materials. Consol Energy Inc. moves 90,000 barges of coal along the Pittsburgh river system, said James Grech, a senior vice president with the Upper St. Clair-based company. Everyone in the region would feel a major breach of the waterway system, he said. "In my mind, it's not a question of if we have a catastrophic failure," he said. "It's when we have one." Reps. John Murtha, D-Johnstown, Tim Murphy, R-Upper St. Clair, and Jason Altmire, D-McCandless, toured the locks and dam and said they are committed to funding repairs. Last week, the House Appropriations Committee approved $40.8 million to the Lower Monongahela River navigation project, which includes the Elizabeth project. "I am absolutely convinced that the economic impact would be catastrophic if one these places went down," Murtha said. About 45,000 jobs come directly from river system activity, a Port of Pittsburgh impact study found. Another 150,000 jobs are indirectly created through businesses dependent upon the rivers and would be lost in a major failure. McCarville compared the potential economic hit to the fall of the steel industry in Pittsburgh. "Like all infrastructure projects, if I'm watching a Steelers game, it really doesn't do anything for me," he said. "It's invisible. It's not on the radar screen of anybody. Part of why we got in the situation is because it's the type of thing that, 'Oh, we can put it off for a year.' "We've put it off for 50 years, and we're running out of time."

HHyyddrroo (This is similar to what happened many years ago in the State of Washington when Public Utility Districts were formed. It’s interesting – no one likes hydro until they realize it’s renewable, it’s cheap, and it’s not foreign born.) Control of plants at stake State officials considering taking over from Alcoa Inc. June 30, 2008, By James Romoser, Winston-Salem Journal Reporter

North Carolina legislators are contemplating a state takeover of hydroelectric-power plants along the Yadkin River. The company that runs the plants, Alcoa Inc., is firmly opposed to the idea. But that may not be enough to stop the state from taking control of the dams, reservoirs and power-generating facilities. A provision that would have the state study the issue was inserted into the 2008-09 budget bill that was passed earlier this month by the N.C. Senate. The provision calls for a study of whether North Carolina should create a "Yadkin Power Authority" to "produce, distribute and sell hydroelectric power for the benefit of the people of North Carolina." Senate and House leaders are negotiating a final state budget plan, and it is unclear whether the hydroelectric proposal will be included in the final budget. Alcoa hopes not.

"The state could have the opportunity to simply condemn the land, seize it from the present property owner - - Alcoa Power Generating -- and take over the project that way," said Gene Ellis, the licensing and property manager with the company. "That just does not seem to be good policy at all." Alcoa, which is one of the world's leading producers of aluminum, has had a license for the past 50 years to run four reservoirs along a 38-mile stretch of the Yadkin River. One of the sites is High Rock Lake in Davidson County. The company once used the hydroelectric power to help run its smelting plant in Badin. But that plant is now closed, and Alcoa now sells the electricity it generates on the open market, bringing in about $44 million a year in revenue. Hydroelectricity is the world's most common form of renewable energy. "It doesn't seem like the state entering the public-power business is necessary, since the private sector is covering those needs as it stands," Ellis said. But critics have several complaints against Alcoa. Residents in Davidson County have complained about water quality and water levels in High Rock Lake, and Stanly County officials have called for further investigation of contamination left by the Badin smelting plant. Some people also say that the power-generating capacity of the Yadkin River -- a critical public resource for central North Carolina -- should not be controlled by a single private company, especially one that no longer provides many jobs in the region. "The Alcoa of the 1950s is not the Alcoa of today," said J. Keith Crisco, the president of the N.C. Water Rights Committee. Crisco suggested that some sort of public ownership of the Yadkin reservoirs would better serve the people of central North Carolina. "They would have control over the use; they would 5 Copy obtained from the National Performance of Dams Program: http://npdp.stanford.edu

have control over attracting industry," said Crisco, who is also the president of Asheboro Elastics Corp. "It would be a great engine for the economic vitality of that area."

The issue has taken on some urgency because Alcoa is currently trying to renew its 50-year license, which expired in April. The license was postponed last month for up to a year, after Gov. Mike Easley and other state officials requested a delay. State Sen. Tony Rand, D-Cumberland, defended the inclusion of the study in the Senate's budget. Rand, who is the Senate majority leader, said that there are a number of issues related to water rights that need to be sorted out. "This is North Carolina's water," Rand said. "It is a truly significant natural resource, so we need to make sure that the state's rights are protected." He also suggested that Alcoa was granted control over the reservoirs 50 years ago because the company was a major employer in the area. "In the coming days and years, all this will become far more valuable, in my opinion. Is this a resource that the corporation acquired under circumstances that no longer exist?" he said.

(Here’s an interesting debate. The State of North Carolina is suggesting that a company that is not a utility should not own a hydro project because the water “belongs” to the State. Does this mean that wind farms owned by non-utility companies shouldn’t reap the profits of their investments either because the air that blows across a State they are using the State’s air? I ain’t getting in the middle of this dog fight!) Yadkin Study Commission is a good idea By Lindsey Dunevant, The Stanly News & Press

Tuesday, July 1, 2008 — A privately held company that stands to receive more than $3.25 billion over the next 50 years, if issued a proposed license for the Yadkin River, says that they should receive that license without further review by the state of North Carolina. The privately held company offers the idea that since the citizens of the state supposedly do not want control of the Yadkin Hydroelectric Project, it should retain control of the Project. Based upon a poll that asked leading questions and omitted pertinent information, the company claims that the citizens of North Carolina oppose a takeover of the Yadkin Hydroelectric Project. State lawmakers are currently contemplating whether to form a Yadkin Study Commission that would examine water issues along the Yadkin River, including whether or not the state of North Carolina should pursue a takeover of the Yadkin Hydroelectric Project. The sitting governor, the lieutenant governor, the Senate Republican majority leader, the county commissioners of seven counties in the Yadkin River basin and the Executive Board of the Centralina Council of Governments asked for more time to fully study the issue. The current licensee will continue to operate the project as leaders of the region review information about the effects of a new license on the citizens of the Yadkin River basin and the state.

The Study Commission is proposed to have 16 members including the governor or designee, a member of the Senate, a member of the House of Representatives, the chairman of the NC Utilities Commission, a representative of the Centralina COG, representatives of Anson, Cabarrus, Davidson, Iredell, Montgomery, Randolph, Rowan, Stanly and Union counties and a representative from the city of Albemarle and the city of Salisbury. This group is more representative of the Yadkin River basin than the stakeholders Alcoa has presented as approving the project. The issuance of a license to operate the hydroelectric project is supposed to be based on what is in the public interest. What is best: To thoroughly investigate water issues along the Yadkin River or to issue a new license without a complete record? A Study Commission will take only a few months to determine what should be the next step for North Carolina. I hope they can answer a few questions:

1. Should a private corporation that is not a public utility be given a license that yields control of our water? 2. What is the value of this water resource to the state of North Carolina? 3. Should the citizens of North Carolina share in the benefit of one of its greatest natural resources, or should that benefit go outside of our state and nation? 4. Have environmental issues of the past been resolved?

The state of North Carolina must create a Yadkin Study Commission. The study maintains the status quo for less than one year so the local governments and the state of North Carolina can have a sufficient opportunity to weigh in, on an informed basis, before the federal government issues a license. This is our only chance to have the issue studied for another two generations if a 50 year license is granted.

(Yep, politics will play a big role, but with water shortages and energy costs skyrocketing, the politics will change in favor of more sanity – namely the environmental movement will have to

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

make room for the needs of people. It’s unfortunate that the opposition to the SOFAR project many years ago had no foresight.) Agencies Undertake Hydropower Study By Cathy Locke, The Sacramento Bee, Calif., 3 July 2008

With high energy prices and the push for environmentally friendly power sources, the El Dorado Irrigation District and El Dorado County Water Agency have commissioned a study of potential hydroelectric projects on the county's western slope. The district board late last month unanimously approved a contract with the Placerville consulting firm EN2 Resources Inc. Cindy Megerdigian, acting co-manager of the district's hydroelectric division, said the proposal for a hydroelectric development plan grew out of a January 2007 meeting that included district Director John Fraser, representatives of the advocacy group Citizens for Water, the El Dorado County Water Agency, district staff members and representatives of various hydroelectric firms. The El Dorado Irrigation District and the El Dorado County Water Agency will split the $214,480 cost of the contract with EN2 Resources. The board also approved an additional $42,760 for related district staff costs. Director Harry Norris voted to authorize the contract, but he questioned the prospects for new hydroelectric projects. "We can look at the engineering feasibility, but what is the political feasibility?" Norris asked.

In the mid-1980s, a series of water storage and hydroelectric dams were proposed as part of the south fork of the American River project, but Norris said "that got shut down because people didn't think it was worth doing." Rick Lind of EN2 Resources said the study would update some of the south fork proposals, particularly an Alder Creek reservoir, as well as project costs. "Some would no longer be feasible for political reasons," he said. Lind said the study also would look at nontraditional options, including small projects within the water delivery system that might allow for peak power generation when the value of electricity is high. Among those with the most promise, he said, are projects that would capture water during peak runoff, when there would be fewer environmental effects. "We would be looking at off-stream rather than on-stream storage," Lind said. A staff report says energy markets and regulatory environment have changed since the 1980s. New hydroelectric projects that conform to the California Energy Commission's Renewable Portfolio Standard can qualify for renewable energy credits, which will command a price premium for new generating capacity, the reports says. California electric utilities must derive 20 percent of their power from renewable sources by 2010 and 33 percent by 2025.

NHA Wins Ocean News and Technology Magazine Award July 3, 2008, Press Release Award Recognizes NHA's efforts at educating the public about ocean energy  Education Pioneer Award recognizes contributions to informing the public about ocean energy uses, feasibility, benefits, and locations  Industry sees more than 10,000 megawatts of ocean and tidal technologies available in the next two decades  NHA members also pursuing new hydrokinetic technologies, options for putting power on non- power dams, improving efficiency at existing dams, and instream hydrokinetic opportunities  New development could double the industry in less than 20 years

Washington, DC (July 3, 2008) – The National Hydropower Association is pleased to announce that it has received the 2008 Education Pioneer Award for its work on behalf of ocean and tidal hydropower technologies. Ocean News and Technology magazine presented NHA with the award on June 25 at the EnergyOcean 2008 Conference in Galveston, Texas. “We’re delighted to receive this award, which recognizes our work on behalf of ocean and tidal energy, as well as other hydropower technologies,” said NHA executive director Linda Church Ciocci. “Our members are committed to developing all these promising technologies as we create new energy resources.” Recent estimates from the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) and other groups suggest that ocean and tidal technologies could provide 10,000 megawatts of capacity by 2025. Adding conventional hydropower and instream hydrokinetic applications increases that number to 23,000 megawatts. Overall, about 95,000 megawatts of capacity from these resources could be brought online, which would double hydropower’s current contribution to America’s energy mix. “As these technologies mature, we believe that we’ll see the numbers go up for both the overall potential capacity and for the contribution ocean and tidal technologies will make,” Church Ciocci said. “With the energy, environmental, and economic imperatives our country faces, developing these resources is a critical need.” In presenting the award, ON&T publisher Dan White singled out NHA’s leadership in recognizing the potential of ocean and tidal resources. The association’s Ocean, Tidal, and New 7 Copy obtained from the National Performance of Dams Program: http://npdp.stanford.edu

Technologies Council leads industry efforts to develop these new resources. Church Ciocci noted NHA’s efforts to advocate for the development of hydropower resources of all kinds are resonating in Congress, too. Just last week, the House Appropriations Committee designated $40 million for the Department of Energy’s Waterpower R&D program, which included $30 million in funds to support ocean and tidal technology development. “This legislation shows that Congress understands the important role hydropower and new ocean and tidal applications can and should play in our energy mix,” she said. “Hydropower has been America’s leading renewable resource for more than a century, and through new technologies like these, our industry will continue to provide clean, affordable, reliable energy for centuries to come.”

Small town hopes hydro-power can lower energy costs BY MARTIN BEGNAL REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN, July 5, 2008

CANTON, CT -- As Canton First Selectman Dick Barlow watched the water cascade over the old dam on the Farmington River, he saw the town's past connecting seamlessly with its future. "So much of what Collinsville was is tied to this impoundment," he said of the dam, located in the center of this scenic section of Canton. At the same time, Barlow is looking ahead. He wants to use the dam to generate hydroelectric power, making use of an available resource to provide energy and profit. The dam is a fixture in the town of just under 9,000 nestled in the Farmington River Valley, the water creating a quiet playground for kayaks and canoes before crashing over the granite ledge. The dam, along with another a mile downriver, was built by the old Collins Co., a manufacturer of axes, machetes and other tools. The company used the dams to power its factory — first with a water wheel and later with electricity — installing a powerhouse, generators and turbines in 1935. When the factory closed in the 1960s, however, the generators were scrapped.

Interest in using the dam as an energy resource was renewed a few years ago when Summit Hydro received a federal license to install new generators and use the dam. When the company failed to deliver last year, Barlow got involved. His plan calls for the town of Canton to take over the license. Once received, the town could go ahead and re-establish hydroelectric power at the dams and sell the energy into the power grid. Barlow said each dam would cost about $3 million to refurbish, including installing fish ladders to allow fish to move upstream. Capacity, however, could reach as much as 1,000 kilowatts for each dam, allowing the project to turn a profit in just five years. There is some question about who owns the dam. The town says the dam is owned by the state Department of Environmental Protection, but Dennis Schain, a spokesman for DEP, said it's privately owned. Schain added, however, that the state supports hydroelectric power. "The state has made a major commitment to renewable energy sources," he said. "Hydroelectric power definitely fits into that." The DEP itself owns more than 200 dams, according to its Web site. Mark Quinlan, a supervisor for the state Department of Public Utility Control, said there are lots of dams like Collinsville's around the state. With rising electricity costs, he said there is "definitely potential now" to utilize existing dams in electricity production, and towns should examine those possibilities. As Barlow sees it, Canton should take advantage of its local resources. "It's a shame to have this sitting here with nothing but a pigeon roost right now," he said. "Even if it makes a modest profit, it's clean energy. Why wouldn't you try?" Last week, Canton approved $20,000 for a feasibility study of the dams. Barlow plans on hiring a consultant from the Washington, D.C. area to work on the project. If all goes well, he hopes to produce energy within the next few years. The lower of the two dams is shared by Avon and Burlington as well as Canton. Avon Town Manager Philip Schenck said his town would support the project. Burlington First Selectman Kathleen Zabel saw the plan as a potential "win-win," though she said the Board of Selectmen would have to research it further.

Reservoir dams seen as potential power sources Group: Sites that provide NYC with drinking water also could supply enough energy for 20,000 rural homes By BRIAN NEARING, Staff writer, July 6, 2008, Times Union

BLENHEIM, NY -- Four massive upstate reservoirs that supply New York City with drinking water also may one day provide clean electric power to thousands of small-town customers. The Delaware County Electric 8 Copy obtained from the National Performance of Dams Program: http://npdp.stanford.edu

Cooperative, one of four customer-owned cooperatives created by the state in 1941 to bring low-cost power to farmers, sees a new source from four dams that hold back the city's Schoharie, Cannonsville, Neversink and Pepacton reservoirs. "We are excited about this," said cooperative CEO Greg Starheim. "It would mean substantially more power for us." Plans filed in May with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission propose installation of turbine units that would capture enough energy from water spilling over the dams to power 20,000 homes. At a total capacity of about 65 megawatts, that is about a tenth of that from a traditional fossil fuel-fired power plant. "It is water that the city is spilling anyway," Starheim said. "We are not proposing that the city increase the amount of water beyond what it would normally release. We would be a passive operator." However, Starheim said the system also could offer a small measure of flood control, a concern of people who live downstream on the Schoharie, by providing a way to release more water than is currently possible in advance of a storm.

He declined to discuss the budget for the project. Waterford-based Albany Engineering Corp. is consulting for the work. New York City officials seemed open to the idea. "The cooperative reached out with an interesting proposal," said Michael Saucier, public affairs director of the city Department of Environmental Protection, which operates the reservoir system. "We look forward to reviewing it and further discussing it." The Delhi-based cooperative has about 5,100 customer/owners spread across 21 towns in Delaware, Schoharie, Otsego and Chenango counties. It currently obtains power from the New York Power Authority, which has 18 electric-generation stations statewide. One of the power authority's sources also relies on the Schoharie Reservoir's Gilboa Dam in Schoharie County. The Blenheim-Gilboa Pumped Storage Power Project generates about 1,040 megawatts by drawing water from Schoharie Creek and recycling it between the city's two huge reservoirs on the Schoharie. Compared with that, the Delaware cooperative's idea is small fry. Starheim said if federal officials approve the project, studies will be done during the summers of 2009 and 2010. The new facilities could be in place by 2013. A rural electrical cooperative works a bit like an old-fashioned savings and loan, in which customers own shares in the enterprise and elect the board of directors. There are three others in the state, including the Oneida-Madison Electric Cooperative, Otsego Electric Cooperative, and Steuben Rural Electric Cooperative. Combined, the four cooperatives have about 16,000 customers stretching from the Catskills, north to outside of Syracuse, through parts of the Finger Lakes and west nearly to Buffalo.

WWaatteerr Deal Still Pushing Flint Dams July1, 2008 , Georgia Public Broadcasting News, Posted by John Sepulvado

A plan to build a series of dams on the Flint River will move forward despite vocal opposition from environmentalists and a former president. Damming the Flint River is an idea dating back to the 1946. And with record drought throughout the state, Gainesville Congressman Nathan Deal says dams should go up. Deal says his proposal will increase Atlanta’s water supply during times of drought Environmentalists, along with former President Jimmy Carter, say the plan will create an ecological mess. Still, Deal says the plan will move forward, and offered this challenge to President Carter. "Jimmy Carter---if he has a better way of supplying water to the Carter Center in Atlanta, I’d like to hear what it is. I haven’t heard anything from him in that regard." President Carter vetoed a funding bill for a Flint dam project during his time in the Whitehouse. In the 1980’s, Congress abandoned plans to build a series of three dams on the river. Essentially, Deal wants to reauthorize that project.

EEnnvviirroonnmmeenntt 9 Copy obtained from the National Performance of Dams Program: http://npdp.stanford.edu

(If there’s any dreaming going on, it’s by this guy. The only way to deal with the ever-growing water demand otherwise is less people.) Dreaming of barbecued salmon? Save water for its return By Tony Bogar, 07/01/2008, San Jose Mercury News

Will you eat salmon at your Fourth of July barbecue? How much will you pay for it? Will you even be able to find it? There is no salmon fishing season this year, so there may be no wild salmon for your party. If you think that's bad, imagine how it feels to the commercial fishermen, fishing guides, seafood shops and all the local businesses that rely on salmon for their livelihood. As you slap farm-raised tilapia on your grill Friday, give a thought to our rivers. The disappearance of wild salmon has many causes, and most of them relate to rivers. This year the salmon population in the Sacramento River collapsed. In previous seasons, fishing was restricted because there were so few salmon in the Klamath River. And don't even think about the choked- off San Joaquin River. Rivers have been dammed, diverted and drained for so long and so often, there is barely a free-flowing river left in California. The 1,400 large dams blocking our rivers did amazing things for the state, but 100 years of dam-building has taken its toll. We have lost 95 percent of our salmon and steelhead habitat. We have destroyed 90 percent of our river environment. Toxic algae blooms in stagnant reservoirs. Once-mighty rivers sputter to a dry end.

We have learned a few lessons. We have preserved a small portion - 1 percent - of our rivers for future generations, and two bills working through Congress would set aside more. We operate our dams to better simulate natural river flows that salmon and other species rely on. Unfortunately, we threaten to repeat our mistakes. In the midst of this drought, developers and corporate agribusiness want us to build even more dams. They couldn't generate support among everyday Californians, so they are looking for help from powerful folks. They have asked Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., to support a proposal for the November ballot to build more dams. They have the ear of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who continues to push for dams that cost billions of dollars each, even though no one has figured out who would get the water or how they'd pay for it. Dams were modern marvels 100 years ago. Today they are low-tech answers to problems that require innovation and common sense. Groups like the California Clean Tech Open, based in Palo Alto, are encouraging new ideas on smart water use for the future. With the technology we already have, we can reduce our water use and take less out of our rivers. California has cut its per capita water use by 50 percent over the past 40 years, even as the state has boomed. There's room to save even more. We can use rainwater and recycle our wastewater. South Bay Water Recycling already distributes about 15 million gallons of recycled water each summer month. If we use less water at home, at work and in our fields, we can take less out of our rivers and the delta. If we do that, maybe the salmon can make a comeback. So as you clean those remnants of tilapia off your grill, turn your tap off between scrubbings. Then maybe you'll be cleaning wild salmon off your grill next year. TONY BOGAR works with Friends of the River, California's statewide river conservation group (www.friendsoftheriver.org). He wrote this article for the Mercury News.

(It’s interesting that the photo shows a dam in the background. These folks hate hydro until they need enough flow to paddle. Contrary to what they state, hydro doesn’t have the luxury of overstating the economics. Hydro gets far less in handouts from the Government and has a tougher economic standard to meet. And, they don’t recognize the fact that Federal projects have too many multi-purposes to make everyone happy.) American Whitewater Submits Testimony on the Future of Hydropower posted July 4, 2008 by Thomas O'Keefe, American Whitewater

American Whitewater recently submitted testimony to the Water and Power Subcommittee, Committee on Natural Resources, U.S. House of Representatives for their Oversight Hearing on “Hydropower: Providing 75% of America's Current Renewable Energy. Exploring its Role as a Continued Source of Clean, Renewable Energy for the Future”. We presented perspectives on behalf of the paddling community on the need for a more honest review of undeveloped hydropower potential. Past reviews have presented inflated values for future hydropower development in the U.S. and have even included sites that are highly valued for the recreation that are unlikely to be economically or legally feasible for hydropower development. We also requested that Congress 10 Copy obtained from the National Performance of Dams Program: http://npdp.stanford.edu

consider development of a periodic review process for federal hydropower facilities that builds and improves upon the comprehensive process for licensing non-federal dams. As our members know we have enjoyed tremendous success through our participation in the FERC licensing process that results in a comprehensive development plan for hydropower facilities that includes not only hydropower but other beneficial uses of rivers like recreation and protection of riverine species. Unfortunately however facilities that are actually owned by the federal government do not have to follow the federal governments own guidelines for non-federal facilities like those operated by the Army Corps of Engineers, Bureau of Reclamation, and TVA. An evaluation of operating plans for these federally-owned facilities could result in more efficient generation of hydropower along with improved accommodations for recreation as well as fish and wildlife.

********************************************************************** “Good wine is a necessity of life.” - -Thomas Jefferson Ron’s wine pick of the week: Castle Rock Winery Pinot Noir 2006 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 to those who have an interest in receiving this information for non-profit and educational purposes only.

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

SSoommee DDaamm –– HHyyddrroo NNeewwss and Other Stuff

i 7/18/2008

Quote of Note: “We cannot fail to win unless we fail to try.” - - Tom Clancy

OOtthheerr SSttuuffffff::: (This site has done a lot of work finding alternative energy links on the web. Take a look - it’s a cash of info.) http://energycat.blogspot.com/2008/07/alternative-energy-links.html

DDaammss ***************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************** (A bit of history on dam safety and arrogance – the St. Francis Dam Failure) http://billstankus.blogspot.com/2008/07/st-francis-dam-san-francisquto-canyon.html

************************************************************************************************** Paper company pulls out of dam agreement in Maine 08 Jul 2008, Maine Wire, wbztv.com

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) Sappi Fine Paper North America has pulled out of a historic deal to remove a dam on the Presumpscot River to allow sea-run fish to swim upstream. When the agreement between Sappi and conservation groups was announced a year ago, it was hailed as a turning point in the long-running battle over fish access on the Presumpscot River, which runs from Sebago Lake to Casco Bay. But Sappi, which owns the former S.D. Warren paper mill in Westbrook, pulled out in the last several weeks without public notice or explanation. State officials said they think the cost estimates for the work came back higher than anticipated, prompting Sappi to rethink the deal. ''I think they just made a determination that the cost was going to be too great for them. We're all kind of regrouping here a little bit,'' said Pat Keliher, director of the Bureau of Sea Run Fisheries and Habitat in the Maine Department of Marine Resources.

Under last summer's preliminary agreement between Sappi and Friends of the Presumpscot River and other conservation groups, the Cumberland Mills dam in Westbrook would be removed by 2011. Sappi also agreed to install fish passageways, such as ladders or lifts, at upriver dams over time. At the time, the mill's manager said the project would cost the company in excess of $10 million: about $6 million to remove the Cumberland Mills Dam and restore the riverbed and another $4 million for upstream fish passage. The removal of the dam, which has blocked the Presumpscot since the late 18th century, would open another section of one of the country's first industrial waterways to migratory fish. The dam is the first obstacle for 1 Copy obtained from the National Performance of Dams Program: http://npdp.stanford.edu blueback herring, alewives and other fish that swim upriver from Casco Bay. The Friends of the Presumpscot River and the Department of Marine Resources have now filed a request with the commissioner of the Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Department to require a fish passageway at Cumberland Mills. A state law allows the department to take such action in the interest of fisheries. Meanwhile, the leader of the Friends of Sebago Lake, a group that opposed the agreement with Sappi, said the deal's collapse is good news for the river and its fish. Roger Wheeler said the deal included too many compromises with Sappi, but that forcing the company to install a fish passage at Cumberland Mills would compel the company to create fish ladders upstream at a faster pace than the agreement would have. The agreement also wouldn't have allowed salmon and other fish to swim all the way up the river. ''We want to restore the fish all the way up to Sebago Lake. That's the way it should be,'' he said.

Gold Hill Dam removal underway By Tove Tupper & Associated Press, July 7, 2008, KDRV12.com

GOLD HILL, Ore. -- The removal of Gold Hill Dam, also known as the Ideal Cement Diversion Dam, upstream of Gold Hill on the Rogue River is underway. The dam was built just before World War II to send water to a power house. The National Marine Fisheries Service identified it as one of the worst threats to salmon and steelhead passage on the Rogue and told the city to remove it. Its removal is expected to affect the river's behavior, and rafting companies are waiting to feel out the river's new course before making changes to their trip routes. The dam is located in the middle of the nugget rafting run. Monday was last day rafters could use the standard route on the west bank of the dam, and warnings for boaters and rafters will go out Tuesday, when the water flow will shift from the west to east side of the river. Scouting will be necessary for anyone on this section of the river. Noah's Rafting Company says it plans to send all their guides out on the river without any guests to feel out the new rapids. "Since the dams not gonna be there, it's gonna let more water into the next rapid, Powerhouse, one of our biggest rapids, one of our favorite ones, and it’s gonna change stuff. They're gonna cut gravel bags, and all that gravel is going to fill up and mess the rapid up a little bit for a couple of days," says Rafting Guide Bronz Kaae. Before removal, water ran through various channels over the dam. Once it is removed, the natural course of the river will be restored, which will send more water than usual down the most difficult rapid. The removal of the dam will take about three weeks. The Rogue Valley Council of Governments is urging boaters to avoid the stretch on certain days. Gold Hill Dam is the second highest ranked barrier to fish passage in the Rogue Basin after Savage Rapids Dam.

(What the heck is going on here? Is it levees or dams? Does Congress ever really know what they’re doing? Is this really necessary?) Measure would include 12 Utah dams Senate snag for bill mandating annual dam-safety inspections By Thomas Burr, The Salt Lake Tribune, 07/09/2008

WASHINGTON -- A measure that would require annual inspections of some of the nation's aging dams, including more than a dozen in Utah, hit a snag Tuesday during a Senate hearing. Critics question whether the push is too broad and shortchanged on funding. Under Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's bill, the Bureau of Reclamation would have to annually inspect all of its inventory of dams, levees and canals and prioritize projects to repair or rehabilitate those in need. That would cover 13 federally owned dams in Utah. Some 37 federally owned dams in the state are large enough to be covered by a previous law that mandates routine inspections. Most of the more than 900 dams in Utah are privately owned and subject to safety inspections by the state Division of Water Rights. Reid, a Nevada Democrat, says the federal bill is necessary to assure Americans they don't have to fear flooding because of crumbling facilities. But the Bureau of Reclamation opposes the legislation, saying that while the agency shares the goal, the bill covers too much territory and may undermine its current effort to inspect dams and levees and prioritize the need for rehabilitation.

"I think we're doing a very good job, an adequate job of maintaining our dams and their safety, so I'm not sure we need more legislation dealing with dams," Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Robert Johnson testified before a Senate subcommittee. Dan Keppen, executive director of the Family Farm Alliance, which represents small farmers, ranchers and irrigation districts, also praised the bill's goal, but said it creates new or redundant programs when a detailed inspection program already exists. "One-size does not fit all and blanket inspections for all Reclamation facilities are not appropriate or cost-effective," Keppen testified. Several Western Democratic senators disagree. Many Western dams are simply worn out, argued Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont. "It is long past time, in my opinion, that we take a proactive stand on improving our infrastructure," he said. Reid cited a failed levee in Nevada that flooded some 590 homes as just one 2 Copy obtained from the National Performance of Dams Program: http://npdp.stanford.edu example of why more inspections are needed. In testimony at a previous hearing, Reid said many of the Bureau of Reclamation's 673 facilities are over 50 years old and some are 90 to 100. "Sadly, even the Bureau of Reclamation isn't well-informed about the condition of many of these," Reid said in April. Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, says he supports the aim of the legislation but is concerned that it may cost so much money it could divert from other programs. The senator said in a statement that "clearly our first priority must be to ensure the safety of facilities which pose the greatest threats to population areas." The Congressional Research Service reported recently that the Bureau of Reclamation is preparing a summary of the condition of its aging dams and other structures, but that the document has not been circulated outside the Bush administration. Johnson declined at the hearing to say when the report would be issued.

El Dorado Irrigation District hastens repairs at two dams By Cathy Locke – Sacramento Bee, July 9, 2008

The potential for gate failures at two aging dams has led El Dorado Irrigation District officials to declare emergencies at Caples and Silver lakes. If the gates fail, people on the waterways below the dam could be endangered. Loss of the water – more than a third of the water agency's storage – could affect power-generating capability and recreation on the lakes. The water agency serves about 100,000 customers in El Dorado County. The move, approved at a special meeting last week, is intended to hasten repairs to gates that control water releases from the two dams, built in the 1920s. Uncontrolled releases could cause unseasonably high flows into Caples Creek and the Silver Fork of the American River. "We do not have(the threat of) dam failure," said Jake Eymann, an engineer and acting co-manager of the district's hydroelectric division. But he said underwater inspections June 10 and 11 disclosed serious deterioration of gates and other devices that control water storage and releases.

Caples Lake in Alpine County and Silver Lake in Amador County are a few miles from each other, off Highway 88. They are part of a system of lakes, canals and a powerhouse the district purchased from Pacific Gas and Electric Co. in 1999. Although the approximately 22,300- acre-foot Caples Lake and 8,700-acre-foot Silver Lake represent about 38 percent of the district's water storage capacity, the supplies are used primarily for power generation rather than drinking water, said district spokeswoman Deanne Kloepfer. An acre-foot is the amount of water needed to cover an acre to the depth of 1 foot. At Caples Lake, last month's inspections by camera-equipped divers revealed that brass seats for a lower slide gate were missing, causing excessive leakage and vibration, a staff report said. A video of the inspections presented during the board meeting showed corroded metal and a dislodged and bent trash rack, designed to catch debris. At Silver Lake, an inspection found that steel bracing for the outlet tower had failed due to corrosion and gate stems were severely corroded, Eymann said. At Caples Lake, he said, staff members will avoid operating the lower of two gates because they are on the verge of failure. The emergency declaration, under state law, allows the district to contract for services and equipment without competitive bids. It also exempts the project from California Environmental Quality Act review. Staff members said they will have to obtain approvals for the work from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and the state Division of Safety of Dams. Because many of the replacement parts may have to be custom-made, Eymann said, the repairs likely won't happen for at least a year. "Even expedited," he said, "this will not meet normal expectations for a quick project."

Denver Water Closes Dillon Dam Road over Security Concerns Closure is indefinite 09 Jul 2008

SUMMIT COUNTY, Colo. (MyFOXColorado.com) - Authorities with Denver Water took surprise action when they closed the road that crosses the top of Dillon Dam because of security concerns. The closure happened Tuesday night and it angered some officials in Summit County because they were not notified in advance about the decision to close the road. The closure impacts emergency response in their county. "We have decided to close the road as a proactive measure to maintain public safety,” Penfield Tate, Denver Board of Water Commissioner said in a press release. “We are not aware of an imminent threat, but in the last several months we’ve grown far more concerned about the vulnerability of the dam and the potential for 3 Copy obtained from the National Performance of Dams Program: http://npdp.stanford.edu

catastrophic consequences downstream if the dam were targeted.” The road over the dam is one of only three east-west roadways in Summit County and is frequently used by emergency vehicles. Denver Water says it will work with local officials to allow access for emergency vehicles. Lake Dillon Fire Chief Dave Parmley said he learned about the closure from a Denver television station. He said shutting the road was the equivalent of shutting down a portion of Denver's Speer Boulevard without consulting with the city's fire department first. "It's disrespectful and it's unacceptable," Parmley said.

Dillon Reservoir is owned and operated by Denver Water and serves as a primary source for Denver's drinking water supply. It is the largest water storage facility in the Denver Water system. The one-mile long road crosses the top of the dam from Dillon to Frisco. It will be closed indefinitely. "Good sense dictates closure of the road," Tate said. The decision to close the road to public access was made after Denver Water conducted several vulnerability assessments and consulting with federal and state agencies. The press release says the findings indicate a need to close the road in order to protect thousands of people who live and work below the dam. The public recreation trail remains open to bicycles and pedestrians. Denver Water has added fencing, barriers of various types, surveillance cameras and 24-hour guards to enhance the security of Dillon Dam Since September 11, 2001. The utility is looking into the possibility of building a road that connects one side of Dillon Reservoir with the other, without going over the top of the dam. It has hired an engineering firm to consider alternatives.

(Oh oh! This is not good – a law suit to follow) Emergency crews forced to wait for guard to arrive at Dam Road gate Call to Denver Water answered by machine By ASHLEY DICKSON, Summit Daily News, Summit County, CO Colorado

Ambulance crews trying to get past the new roadblocks on Dillon Dam Road for an emergency on Friday morning got an answering machine when they called Denver Water’s security office to unlock the Dillon gate. “We stopped at the gate and called the guard to unlock it, like we have been instructed to do, and the call went to voice mail,” said Lake Dillon Fire-Rescue spokesman Brandon Williams. Just a day after staging a demonstration of how the new roadblocks would hinder access, the crews were called to help a woman injured in a bike wreck on the recreation path near the dam’s Glory Hole. The woman, whose identity was not disclosed, had suffered a head injury. Her condition was not disclosed. Normal procedures require that both fire and ambulance crews respond to emergencies, but since fire trucks are too large to fit through the barriers, firefighters were forced to ride in the back of an ambulance to get to the woman. “Clearly this doesn’t work if a firefighter has to ride in the back of an ambulance to get to an emergency scene,” Williams said.

Ambulances from both Frisco and Dillon were dispatched to the scene, and both crews were forced to wait at either Dam Road entrance for a guard to arrive and unlock the gates. Crews from Lake Dillon Fire-Rescue practiced negotiating the roadblocks on Thursday, discovering that the new barriers put added an extra five minutes to a route frequently traveled by emergency vehicles. “It is our understanding that Thursday’s tests were satisfactory,” Denver Water spokesperson Stacy Chesney said. “We want this to work well, so whatever we should be doing that we’re not we need to know about it.” County emergency responders continue to express concerns regarding access to the Dam Road as Denver Water develops a new access plan. “When I talked to Denver Water, they assured me that they are continuing to work on a plan for better access,” Summit County ambulance director Sean Caffrey. “But it all seems up in the air at this point.”

(OK, I give up! It’s a good thing to get the Corps of Engineers’ blessing, but it would be nice if we knew a little more as to why!) Engineers back dam removal July 10, 2008, By DAVID A. VALLETTE, The Republican GREENFIELD - A plan to remove two dams in the Green River and alter two others has the blessing of the Army Corps of Engineers, said a spokeswoman for the Connecticut River Watershed Council yesterday. Megan E. Hearne, director of the council's Migratory Fisheries Program, said she will submit paperwork for 4 Copy obtained from the National Performance of Dams Program: http://npdp.stanford.edu

grants from the state and federal governments to pay for the project, and that the dams' removal could take place in 2010. "We're putting it at the top of our priority list," she said. The primary beneficiary of the removals would be migratory fish that come up the Green from the Connecticut River to spawn, only to be stopped at the first dam, the Wiley and Russell Dam at Meridian Street. Hearne said that Atlantic salmon fitted with radio-signal tags have been found to be blocked in significant numbers at the dam. "They are butting their heads on the Wiley and Russell Dam," she said. Not far upstream from the Wiley and Russell Dam is the Mill Street Dam, which is also to be removed. The next dam upstream is at the Green River swimming and recreation area. That dam is needed to create the swimming area, and will stay, but a fish ladder will be installed to allow fish to pass over it. Finally, another fish ladder will be installed at the Pumping Station Dam, which is about nine miles upstream from the Wiley and Russell Dam. This would give fish access to spawning grounds upstream from the Pumping Station, creating 30 more miles of navigable river for salmon, shad, blueback herring, and lamprey. Non-migrating species are also expected to benefit from removing the river controls.

HHyyddrroo ************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************** (Here’s an interesting web site advocating hydro) Hydropower as an Energy Platform http://ezineseeker.com/Hydropower-As-An-Energy-Platform/70298624/ *********************************************************************************************************

(The State is turning up the heat on the Yadkin Projects and the issue of who controls the water and hydro profits.) (Excerpts – politics left out for the most part) New Poll Indicates North Carolina Voters Strongly Favor Public Control Of Water In The Yadkin River Basin 07-07-2008, CarolinaNewswire.com

STANLY COUNTY, N.C. – In a poll commissioned by the North Carolina Water Rights Committee to gauge public opinion regarding Alcoa’s efforts for renewal of a 50-year federal license for a monopoly on hydroelectric power from the Yadkin River Basin in Stanly County (“the Yadkin Hydroelectric Project”), North Carolina voters overwhelmingly say that the people of North Carolina, rather than a multinational firm like Alcoa, should control water rights in the Yadkin River. Additionally, the survey found that by at least a 2-to-1 margin, voters in every region of North Carolina say the state should take time to study the renewal of Alcoa’s license because this issue will affect North Carolina’s economy, the environment, and access to water for the next 50 years. Results were the same across all political affiliations, ethnic groups and genders. The North Carolina Water Rights Committee authorized Hamilton Campaigns of Washington, D.C. to conduct a telephone poll of 500 likely N.C. voters between June 30 and July 1. The poll occurred after several legislators and citizens disputed results of a recent previous survey created on behalf of Alcoa as being slanted in the wording of its questions. The margin of error for a sample of this size is plus or minus 4.4 percentage points, at the 95 percent confidence level.

The Stanly County Commissioners are on record as opposing Alcoa’s operation of the Yadkin Hydroelectric Project and has asked the state intervene in the matter, saying that the state’s water rights for a public resource such as the Yadkin River should take precedence over a private firm such as Alcoa having an unlimited monopoly on it. Similar resolutions have been signed by Davidson, Randolph, Iredell, Anson, Cabarrus and Union County Boards of Commissioners, as well as the Centralina Council of Governments. Governor Mike Easley, Lieutenant Governor and Senate Minority Leader Phil Berger have all sent letters to FERC requesting that it delay its decision so the matter can further be studied by the state. Based on this poll, the voters of North Carolina overwhelmingly agree. Recently, in a bi-partisan effort, several members of the North Carolina General Assembly introduced language to create a commission that would study the impacts of FERC granting a 50-year license to Alcoa Power Generating Inc.’s operations on the river. The provision was under discussion as part of the state’s budget legislation, but may end up being debated 5 Copy obtained from the National Performance of Dams Program: http://npdp.stanford.edu separate and apart from the state budget bill. State Senate Majority Leader Tony Rand has noted that the only people to contact him to oppose the study provision have been lobbyists for Alcoa. Key findings of the survey include: • Six out of 10 voters say they agree with people who say the State of North Carolina should take a limited time period to study the license renewal because this issue will affect our economy, the environment, and our access to water for the next 50 years. • An overwhelming majority (86 percent) say rights to water in the Yadkin River should be managed and controlled by the people of North Carolina. • A similar majority (87 percent) say the most important use of water in the Yadkin River is to ensure that there is adequate drinking water during the current drought. The political affiliations of the survey respondents were ------. The gender of respondents was ------. Documents outlining survey questions and results, their exact wording and their percentage of responses are available online at www.mmimarketing.com. About N.C. Water Rights Committee: ------. About This Effort: ------.

(It may look a little grim right now, but in a few years they will love their hydro project. In the future power for 4.6 cents versus 8 cents is a bargain. Good foresight by the project developers! As I was taught many years ago, there’s no such thing as an uneconomical hydro project – if you think it’s uneconomical, you did the economics wrong.) (Excerpts) High water, low revenue by DJ Smith, 10 July 2008, Dogtown Wire

Mayor Pat Hays talked with KTHV and said the city is $2,250,000 in the red for revenues from the Murray hydroelectric plant. This confirmed the problem the plant has had with high river water levels since January as discussed with former Electric Department Director Ed Gertsch who resigned last Friday. As Gertsch said last week, the problem with the high waters has made things worse as silt and debris damaged an intake gate and will require an expensive cleanup project. The city’s last payment on the plant is scheduled to be completed by 2014 when the city will then realize an extra $12-$13 million a year to its general fund once the plant is paid off. Some electric rate relief is also scheduled to come to electric customers in 2010 when the city’s share of the Plum Point Unit One comes online. This is when the contract with Constellation Power to supply power to the city ends. The rate for the 60 megawatts this plant is projected to supply is estimated by Gertsch to be about $46 versus about $80 per megawatt hour the city now pays to Constellation Power.

(Sounds like a tunnel tap project similar to others built in Alaska, all of which work very well.) Chakachamna Lake hypdropower project offered again as energy alternative The Associated Press, July 13, 2008, Daily News-Miner

ANCHORAGE -- An ambitious hydropower project at Chakachamna Lake was among about three dozen proposals in a competition for $5 million in seed money to kick-start alternative energy projects across Alaska. Except for the hydropower project, nearly all the others were medium- to small-scale projects that include a wind farm on Kodiak Island, a series of "low-impact hydro" projects in Kenai Peninsula streams and a geothermal plant at Manley Hot Springs. Proponents say the increasingly high cost of energy derived from fossil fuels in Alaska and the improving affordability of green alternatives is driving the move toward alternative energy. The sudden availability of state oil-windfall cash also is helping. As a result, legislators recently appropriated $25 million for a Fire Island wind farm and authorized spending $250 million on future renewable energy projects. Some want to go even further, drafting a bill last week to spend $21 billion over the next five years for alternative energy.

As envisioned by Pribilof-based TDX Power, a Native-owned firm that's backed other renewable energy projects in Alaska, Chakachamna no longer includes the dam featured in a 1980s version of the same project. TDX says think of the revised project as nothing more than a drain pipe in the neighboring Tordrillo Mountains. Or a very deep hole that engineers would drill into the bottom of 14-mile-long Chakachamna Lake to funnel water from the mountains down a 24-foot-wide tunnel 12 miles long. After descending nearly 1,000 vertical feet, the water would enter a huge subterranean power plant built near sea level. There it would jet past four turbines, generating about 1.6 billion kilowatt-hours of power a year. That's enough to 6 Copy obtained from the National Performance of Dams Program: http://npdp.stanford.edu electrify nearly a third of all the homes from Fairbanks to Anchorage to Homer. The water would then re- enter the Chakachamna drainage system through an outlet at McArthur River, while the power would connect to the Railbelt energy grid through two parallel transmission lines stretching 42 miles to the big gas- fired power plant at Beluga. Over the long run, TDX officials say, the hydro project could provide less expensive electricity to all of the state's Railbelt communities.

(Wouldn’t it be a good idea for NHA to certify all hydro projects?) (Excerpts) LIHI Certifies one and recertifies another hydro project in the Northeast LIHI Certifies one and recertifies another hydro project in the Northeast By: Rupak Thapaliya, July 14, 2008, Hydro Reform Coalition

On July 3, the Low Impact Hydropower Institute's board certified the Oswego River Project, on the Oswego River, New York as a "low-impact" hydropower project. Similarly, the Worumbo project on the Androscoggin River, Maine was also recertified. The Oswego Project consists of five developments (Oswego Falls East, Oswego Falls West, Fulton, Minetto, and Varick developments) and comprises two FERC-licensed hydroelectric projects along the Oswego River in Oswego County, New York. ------. The 19.4 MW Worumbo hydro project, on the other hand, had already received LIHI's low-impact certification in 2004. ------. So far 35 hydroelectric projects around the country have been recognized as low-impact by the Low Impact Hydropower Institute, while seven more have submitted their applications. According to the LIHI website, "LIHI certification means that the hydropower facility has been found to meet or exceed the Institute's Certification Criteria which address eight key areas: river flows, water quality, fish passage and protection, watershed protection, threatened and endangered species protection, cultural resource protection, recreation, and facilities recommended for removal."

(A hydro site that is underutilized. Hydro is beneficial!) Thompson explores hydroelectric power production on French River By DUSTIN RACIOPP, Norwich Bulletin, Jul 15, 2008

Thompson, Conn. — A recent land trade means Thompson will explore producing hydroelectric power on the French River — a use not seen along the waterway since the town’s mill era. “The idea is definitely to make use of that resource, to make hydropower there,” said Kevin Kennedy, planning and development director. “We’re trying to build momentum to get the power going.” Thompson recently swapped a town- owned, 11-acre parcel on Owen Adam Road for a 2-acre piece of land on Wilsonville Road belonging to Norman Rudzinski that carries water rights on the French River. The swap was approved at a May 2006 town meeting but never consummated. The proposal found its way back into town discussions at the end of June. “I wanted to bring it back on the floor because you have a hydro site that is being underutilized,” said Larry Groh Jr., Thompson’s first selectman. “I thought it would be a wonderful resource that the town could use.” Rudzinksi was unavailable for comment on the switch Monday night.

Groh said if a feasibility study shows the area can produce sufficient power, an interested company would rent the land and generate power to be sold back to the power company. The power then would go back into the grid and indirectly save the town money. According to Thompson Renewable Energy Development Committee member Lynne Landry, the area was used a long time ago for hydropower when the town still was reliant on a bevy of mills lining the river. The town also will develop a recreation area, which Groh said likely will have a boating area for kayaks and other non-motorized watercraft. The project fits in with the town’s push to produce hydroelectric power using its assets.

Richard Rawson runs three hydro turbines at his home near the Five Mile River and Bob King has one operating in Mechanicsville. There also have been discussions to use the West Thompson Dam as a source of power. Rawson said even though it is not clear whether the site is feasible yet, it is reassuring that the town is thinking of alternative energy sources. “It’s beneficial,” he said. “It’s a waste if it’s not being used.” And all the projects make fiscal and environmental sense, Landry said. “The water’s going downriver anyway,” she said. “It’s just going to use green power.”

(Ms. Imhof totally missed the point and tells a misleading story laced with incorrect facts about dams. Large dams are NOT built to principally provide hydropower. Without large dams, millions of people would be without drinking water, irrigation for food, or protection from the ravages of floods. It is true that some people are displaced when a large reservoir is created and that a few dams built in the tropics caused problems where reservoir clearing did not occur. However, ask yourself two questions. Would you displace some people for the benefit of thousands more or would you do nothing and allow people to go without water for 7 Copy obtained from the National Performance of Dams Program: http://npdp.stanford.edu survival? The simple fact exists that it does not rain where or when you want it and dams are the only way to efficiently store and utilize water for the benefit of millions at the inconvenience of a few. It is our obligation on this planet to conserve, but our greater obligation is to make the lives of our fellow human beings better.) Aviva Imhof: Big dams are not the answer to world's energy needs By Aviva Imhof - Special to The Bee Published 12:00 am PDT Monday, July 14, 2008 Story appeared in METRO section, Page B5

How to generate electricity without selling out the climate is one of the pressing issues facing humanity today. But don't worry; the international hydropower industry says it has the situation covered. It's using the threat of global warming as a pretext for promoting a new generation of big dams in developing countries. But investment in hydropower dams will not only increase our vulnerability to climate change, it will also sell out some of the last remaining wild places on Earth, and the lives and livelihoods of tens of millions of people. This week, more than 2,000 people will come to Sacramento for the world's largest gathering of hydropower professionals: HydroVision 2008. They will meet at the Sacramento Convention Center, just a stone's throw away from the offices of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who is enthusiastically promoting two new dams for California, supposedly to help us adapt to a drier climate. While the conference features panels on emerging low-impact hydro technologies such as ocean and tidal power, the interest of most of the attendees is in expanding the global market for conventional big-dam hydropower. It's time for the industry and its lobbyists to admit that this is the wrong climate for big-dam hydropower. A changing climate means more frequent and more severe droughts and floods. River flows will see major changes as glaciers and snowpack melt, and rain and snowfall patterns are drastically altered.

Unprecedented floods will hasten the rate at which reservoirs fill with sediment. Meanwhile, worsening droughts will mean dams will fail to meet their power-production targets. Scores of poor countries are already overly dependent on hydropower and have suffered serious power shortages in droughts. Water scarcity-induced power cuts in 1999-2000 in Kenya – which got four-fifths of its electricity from hydropower at the time – cost the country at least $1.4 billion a year, equal to one-sixth of its gross domestic product. Not only that, but an emerging body of science indicates that reservoirs, especially in the tropics, are a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions from rotting soil and vegetation. Such reservoirs can have a greater impact on global warming than fossil fuel plants generating equivalent amounts of electricity. Yet projects of this nature continue to be built, with no one keeping track of their emissions. As if all this were not bad enough, the locations where large dams are now being planned – along the Mekong in Southeast Asia, the Amazon basin, the rivers of Chilean Patagonia and the Congo River in central Africa – are some of the last wild rivers on Earth. They sustain habitats for countless freshwater species and support the lives of tens of millions of fishermen and farmers. By blocking migratory routes for fish and reducing the diversity of habitats, more dams will also make river ecosystems more vulnerable to damage from climate change.

The Brazilian government, together with the powerful Brazilian hydropower industry, plans to build 60 to 70 large dams, converting the world's largest and most biologically diverse river ecosystem into a series of slack-water reservoirs. These dams will flood vast areas of the rain forest, cause great ecological harm and destroy the lives of indigenous people and others who live off the rivers' rich bounty. Real solutions exist that can cut climate pollution: they are affordable, clean and sustainable, and don't destroy the livelihoods of the rural poor or sacrifice some of Earth's last wild places. These solutions don't involve grandiose infrastructure plans, the benefits of which will flow to those who can afford to pay, while the poor bear the effects. They do involve investment in "no regrets" measures that provide climate security as well as energy security. Developing countries have massive unexploited potential for new renewable technologies such as wind, solar, geothermal and modern biomass energy, as well as low-impact, non-dam hydropower. Such technologies are much more suited to meeting the energy needs of the rural poor, as they can be developed where people need the power and do not require the construction of massive transmission lines. Large-scale renewable sources of energy are also an attractive and affordable solution to many countries' needs. The cost of wind power in good locations is now comparable to or cheaper than that of conventional sources. Both solar photovoltaics and concentrating solar power are rapidly coming down in price and could soon be competitive with conventional sources. But these are not the discussions that will be taking place in Sacramento this week. Instead, the big-dam lobbyists will celebrate the massive opportunities for conventional hydropower abroad and trading tips on how to further their business interests. If we are to significantly reduce global greenhouse gas emissions and protect some of the last wild places on Earth, we need an industry that looks forward to a new paradigm of energy production, not one dependent on environmentally destructive, inefficient and inequitable models. It is a new world out there and the hydro industry needs to develop a brave new HydroVision to deal with it. 8 Copy obtained from the National Performance of Dams Program: http://npdp.stanford.edu

(From the ridiculous to some common sense) Another View: Juiced about future of hydroelectricity By Rick Miller - Published 12:00 am PDT Thursday, July 17, 2008 Story appeared in METRO section, Page B6

Rick Miller, president of the National Hydropower Association, is responding to the July 14 op-ed "Big dams are not the answer to the world's energy needs." As America's largest renewable energy resource – and one of the cleanest energy generation sources now in use – the U.S. hydropower industry is pleased to take part in any discussion about the role hydropower has in our country's energy future and environmental policies. We have a strong record of achievement in serving U.S. energy, economic and environmental goals, and through the use of new technologies and more-efficient applications, we will continue to serve the public for decades to come. That's why we were disappointed to see Aviva Imhof's op-ed, "Big dams are not the answer to the world's energy needs." The op-ed misses the exciting – and environmentally friendly – developments taking place in North America and the important role hydropower plays in managing water resources. The article fails to point out the many benefits of hydropower, including water supply, flood control and recreation, and to support the growth of other renewable technologies, such as wind and solar, on to the grid. Last year, the Electric Power Research Institute released a study showing that the U.S. hydropower industry could more than double its clean energy output in the next 25 years. That means adding about 96,000 megawatts to the 90,000 megawatts of water power it currently offers.

In simple terms, that's the equivalent of adding more than 60 medium-sized coal-fired plants or more than 75 nuclear-power plants and avoiding another 225 million metric tons of carbon-dioxide emissions annually, just through new generation alone. Some of the most exciting aspects of this future development will come from new technologies that produce electricity through waves, tides, aqueducts and other water flows, and new applications and best practices. Improving efficiencies at existing dams and adding power to the many non- hydropower dams also will expand capacity. Now, only 3 percent of U.S. dams generate electricity, so turning these facilities that already exist into clean energy generators is an exciting prospect – and it's one that environmental groups also support. At the National Hydropower Association, we're focused on this country's future energy and environmental imperatives. We believe that our industry's future offers an energy and environmental vision all Americans can support.

WWaatteerr (It would be interesting to know how many communities in the Country get their drinking water from reservoirs.) Bedford agency wants more water from Smith Mountain Lake THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, July 7, 2008, WSLS 10 News

ROANOKE, Va. (AP) - The Bedford County Public Service Authority is seeking permission to draw up to 3 millions of gallon of drinking water from Smith Mountain Lake. The authority’s permit allows for an average daily withdrawal of 500,000 gallons. The authority wants to increase the average amount to 2 million gallons per day. The peak daily withdrawal would increase from 1 million to 3 million gallons. The authority made its request in petitions filed with Appalachian Power Co. and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Appalachian Power operates the hydroelectric dam on the Roanoke River and the federal agency licenses the dam. Authority Director Brian Key says the increase is needed to accommodate growth in the area.

(The drought persists) Alabama Power stems water flow By Kendra Carter, 07-12-2008, Daily Home

LOGAN MARTIN LAKE, AL — As drought conditions continue to plague the state and affect lake conditions, Alabama Power has taken steps to conserve water and keep local lakes close to full summer pool. Alabama Power announced Friday that the company “has cut releases from its hydroelectric dams to the minimums 9 Copy obtained from the National Performance of Dams Program: http://npdp.stanford.edu required to protect fisheries, endangered species, water quality and critical municipal and industrial industries.” Gina Warren, a spokeswoman for Alabama Power, said this means the company will not release water over the dams to produce hydroelectric power. Warren said that although Alabama Power relies on the hydroelectric power during the summer months because it’s a peak time, the needed generation will be pulled from other sources already being used, such as fossil fuels or nuclear power. “This is one of the tools we have at our disposal to try to keep those lake levels,” Warren said.

Drought conditions have hindered normal flow into the lakes. Evaporation from summer heat and rainfall are also affecting the lake levels. As of July 8, the U.S. Drought Monitor shows the majority of the state is in a drought. The severity of the conditions range from “abnormally dry” to “severe drought.” Both Talladega and St. Clair counties are classified in severe drought. According to the lake elevation summary chart posed on the Alabama Power Web site, Logan Martin Lake is currently sitting at 463.87 feet above sea level, while Lay Lake is at 396.04 feet. Full summer pool for the two lakes is 465 feet and 396 feet above sea level, respectively. Warren said the cuts should not affect residents living near the lakes, as far as power is concerned, because of the other sources, but said lake residents need to stay abreast of changes in lake conditions. “This is a big thing, because this is such a dynamic situation. They need to stay aware of what the conditions are, of whatever lake they are at,” Warren said. “Business owners and property owners should be aware of levels, to protect their property. Everyone needs to conserve water and be aware of (lake) conditions where they are.” The Alabama Power Company offers two ways for people to accurately check a lake’s water levels. Interested persons can call the company’s Reservoir Information System 1-800- LAKES11, or visit the Web site www.lakes.alabamapower.com.

(And, 6 days later - this) Drought conditions slowly improving across region By Marty Roney, • July 13, 2008, Montgomery Advertiser

Heavy afternoon thunderstorms over the weekend cut the River Region's rainfall deficit in half, and while conditions remain dry, things are nowhere near as bad as they were during last year's record drought. Still, it's so dry it could take the River Region another 18 months to get back to normal, said Scott Unger of the National Weather Service in Birmingham. Despite nearly five inches of rain in the Montgomery area since June 1, the water level at Lake Martin has dropped two feet to 487.5 feet. Full pool level is 490 feet. A year ago, the water level at Lake Martin dropped to 481.5 feet leaving boats sitting on banks and drying up weekend plans for water skiing, boating and fishing. Weather experts aren't expecting things to be that parched this summer. "We are happy with the rain we have received so far this year," said Unger. "We are slowly pulling ourselves out of the drought."

The area has benefited from almost two feet of rain since Jan. 1, but that precipitation hasn't erased a rain- fall deficit that has plagued the River Region for almost three years. The rain gauges are still nearly more than six inches below normal, according to the NWS. Last year was one of the worst droughts on record. Montgomery's rainfall was 20 inches below its 55-inch average, NWS records show. Statewide, conditions are improving, according to the federal government's weekly drought monitor. One year ago, about 25 per- cent of Alabama was experiencing exceptional drought conditions. It has been three months since the state has had a region listed in the worst category. Just 30 percent of the state is suffering severe drought conditions, compared to 71 percent a year ago. The fire danger remains "severe" in Montgomery and throughout central Alabama, but no counties in the state are under a fire alert.

Water flow into the reservoirs managed by Alabama Power Co. remains below normal, even with the in- creased rainfall in recent months. "Increasing summer heat and evaporation are causing lake levels to fall at a faster than normal rate," said Jan Ellis, spokeswoman for the power company. Alabama Power will limit water releases to the government-mandated minimums to meet downstream needs, said Ellis. But customers won't get a hike in electric rates, she said. Robbie Watson of Montgomery is just happy the water levels at Lake Martin are high enough that his family can enjoy their pontoon boat this summer. "It's a world of difference now compared to last year," said Watson. "This time last year, the lake was just about shut down, as far as boating goes. The water was just so low. I hope we don't see things nearly as bad this year."

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

EEnnvviirroonnmmeenntt Agency calls for fish passages on 3 Willamette dams By Tim Christie, The Register-Guard, July 12, 2008

The National Marine Fisheries Service on Friday called on the federal operators of 13 dams in the Willamette River basin to build fish passages on three of the structures and take other measures to keep Chinook salmon and steelhead in the stream from going extinct. Dam operators should build “downstream passage facilities” on Cougar Dam on the South Fork of the McKenzie River by 2014; at Lookout Point Dam on the North Fork of the Willamette River by 2021; and at Detroit Dam on the North Santiam River by 2023, the agency said in its “biological opinion” of the basin. The passages would help juvenile fish pass the dams safely, the agency said.

********************************************************************** “Good wine is a necessity of life.” - -Thomas Jefferson Ron’s wine pick of the week: Primus Veramonte Cabernet Sauvignon 2005

i This 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 to those who have an interest in receiving this information for non-profit and educational purposes only.

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

SSoommee DDaamm –– HHyyddrroo NNeewwss and Other Stuff

i 7/25/2008

Quote of Note: “Never argue with an idiot—he’ll drag you down to his level and beat you with experience.” - - Unknown

OOtthheerr SSttuuffffff::: (T. Boone Pickens and Al Gore don’t know much about the power business or they’re smoking something. And, I learned something, Al Gore says Nuclear is a renewable –huh! And, it’s very benevolent of him to say hydro is renewable. They both stand to make millions from wind investments, the 2nd most highly subsidized renewable. Congress subsidizes solar & wind to the tune of $24.34/MWH and $23.37/MWH, respectively, while hydro gets a paltry $0.67/MWH, the lowest renewable subsidy. In other words, it takes tax money to make wind feasible economically. The reality check below is interesting.) Al Gore’s 100% Renewable Goal Distant, Even In Northwest Oregon Public Broadcasting, By Tom Banse, Olympia, WA July 17, 2008

Former vice president Al Gore Thursday challenged the nation to generate every kilowatt of electricity from renewable sources within ten years. Correspondent Tom Banse reports the Northwest has a big head start toward that goal if you count hydropower generation.

Speaking in the other Washington, the Nobel Prize winner said the 100-percent renewable electricity goal would be “another giant leap for mankind” akin to President Kennedy’s challenge to put a man on the moon inside of ten years. Al Gore touted the potential of wind power, solar, and geothermal to cut global warming pollution. A Q&A passed out with the speech said he counts existing nuclear and hydropower as renewable. By that measure, the Northwest is over two thirds of the way toward Gore’s goal. Wind power is the fastest growing renewable energy source in the Northwest. But here’s your reality check. Wind farms serve less than five percent of the region’s electricity demand even after adding in projects under construction. The vast majority (83%) of new electricity generation in the region is slated to come from natural gas according to charts from the NW Power and Conservation Council.

Note: If anyone doesn’t think that Pickens and Gore have anything in mind other than getting richer, here’s a quote from a Washington Post article of 7/22/08: “Pickens wouldn't be Pickens if he didn't have some money at stake. He has plans for a $10 billion, 4,000- megawatt wind farm that would be the worlds biggest. He has contracted to buy $2 billion in wind turbines from General Electric. Acquaintances disagree about whether it's a case of Pickens putting his money where his mouth is or putting his mouth where his money is. ------. If Congress extends the production tax credit for wind, that would be worth hundreds of millions or more to his project over a period of years. -----.”

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

********************************************************************************************************** (Here’s someome who’s got it right on energy. But, we still have the interim period to deal with while changing and the question of how we will generate Electricity long-term. We certainly can’t do it with wind mills!) (WORTH READING) http://www.american.com/archive/2008/july-august-magazine-contents/our-electric-future **********************************************************************************************************

DDaammss Summit County goes to court to reopen dam road By Christopher Sanchez, The Denver Post, 07/12/2008

Summit County officials went to court Friday demanding that Denver Water reopen the Dillon Dam Road after it was closed earlier this week for security reasons. The complaint filed in Summit County District Court states that Denver Water closed the road without providing specific details, and it asks for the road to be reopened. The complaint is signed by several agencies, including Summit's Board of County Commissioners, three towns and the Lake Dillon Fire Rescue. Denver Water closed the road at the end of the day on Tuesday, saying it was vulnerable to a terrorist attack. The agency has been mum on details, saying only that federal and state security agencies found the dam to be at risk. Denver Water said in a statement that it had not reviewed the complaint and declined to comment.

Closing the road could be life threatening, said Brandon Williams, a spokesman for the Lake Dillon Fire Rescue. Williams said the barriers delay the department's reaction time. Williams said the closure has had negative consequences in the few days that it has been closed. The department tried responding to a call today that required passing through the road to help a cyclist who had crashed. The barriers caused the department to be several minutes late, he said. "Regardless of what (the situation) is, if it was a heart attack, a stroke, any number of situations, seconds could mean lives," he said. "And today we were slower than we would have been." Williams said the barriers can make operations difficult because they don't allow access to firetrucks. But Denver Water said this evening that it would soon install new barriers that would allow firetrucks.

(Do you get the feeling that someone needs to step back and take a deep breath?) Denver Water gives Summit keys to dam road By Tom McGhee, The Denver Post, 7/16/08

Denver Water has provided firefighters with keys to unlock security gates blocking Dillon Dam Road and rearranged concrete barriers that had raised public-safety concerns. But while the changes will make it easier for firefighters to get through, the agency still is in violation of fire-code regulations that require unimpeded access to roads for fire trucks, said Lake Dillon Fire Rescue spokesman Brandon Williams. "That's still not unimpeded access," he said. The changes to the barriers are a first step, and Denver Water will put security measures in place that will give Fire Rescue crews easier access to the road before August, Denver Water spokeswoman Stacy Chesney said. "Today, we worked to eliminate their urgent concern that they didn't have access to the road. We know that there is more work to do with them on this, and we will continue to work to get them the access that they need," she said. Denver Water soon will install portable gates that will make it easier for emergency crews to get to the road, Chesney said. The fire marshal had issued a notice of violation to the agency, Williams said. "The Sheriff's Department will decide what the next step is." Violations of the fire code are a misdemeanor that can be punished by a fine, imprisonment or both. Each day that the road remains blocked could be a separate violation.

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

The standoff began when Denver Water erected concrete barriers and closed the road on July 8 over concerns that the dam could be a target of terrorists. No specific threats have been made against the dam, said Chesney. But recently, the Denver Water Board became aware that the earthen dam is more vulnerable to attack than had previously been believed, she added. Denver Water will meet tonight with Summit County law-enforcement officials in a closed meeting to give them information on the perceived security threat, Chesney said. "We will be sharing information about what we know about the dam vulnerability. It is a closed meeting because it is dealing with security issues." On July 11, emergency workers had to wait several minutes for someone from the agency to open the gate and then had to leave their trucks outside the barriers to reach an injured cyclist. Today, Fire Rescue was able to drive an engine through the reconfigured concrete barriers, Williams said. But fire officials don't want anyone to have to call a guard, which can result in the message going to voice mail. Fire Rescue gave the agency until 2 p.m. today to arrange barriers so that fire trucks could get through without trouble or face criminal fire-code charges. "It is not perfect, but at least it is moving in the right direction," Williams said. "We are going back every day to see if access is restored. It is just like a glacier, it is moving awfully, awfully slow."

(Anybody else want to get involved?) Office of Homeland Security now involved in Dam Road discussions By ASHLEY DICKSON, Summit Daily News, Summit County, CO Colorado, July 17, 2008

The director of the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security has joined Denver Water and Summit County officials in discussions over re-opening the Dillon Dam Road. “Right now, we are drafting very simple measures that we believe will meet Denver Water’s vulnerability concerns, while at the same time allow open access on the road,” said Lake Dillon Fire-Rescue spokesman Brandon Williams. A meeting Wednesday night between local law-enforcement agencies and representatives from Denver Water established that there have been no specific threats against the dam, and that discussions regarding the re- opening of the Dam Road need to start immediately. State homeland-security director Maj. Gen. Mason Whitney, who is responsible for ensuring that effective risk management is used in assessing threats to Colorado, attended the meeting to kick off the dialogue. “General Whitney will be taking an active role in our discussions with Denver Water to facilitate the immediate restoration of public and emergency access,” Williams said.

Denver Water abruptly closed the Dam Road last week, after receiving new information from undisclosed state and federal agencies regarding the dam’s vulnerability. The lack of advance notice surrounding the closure generated an uproar in the county, prompting local officials last Friday to file a suit in Summit County district court demanding the immediate re-opening of the road. Then, on Tuesday, Lake Dillon Fire-Rescue issued Denver Water a “notice of violation,” stating that the barriers placed on the road by the utility violate the international fire code. Although crews from Denver Water on Wednesday rearranged the barriers to allow fire-truck access, fire officials claimed that locked gates on the road continued to hinder response times. Lake Dillon Fire Marshal Steve Skulski later issued an “order to comply,” referring the fire code violation to the Summit County Sheriff’s Office, which is responsible for pursuing any criminal investigations related to the violation. County, town and local emergency officials continue to stress that unimpeded access on the Dam Road is imperative to emergency response, and a press release issued by the county Thursday afternoon stated that “time is of the essence.” Whitney will join county and Denver Water officials at their next meeting, the specifics of which had not been disclosed Thursday afternoon.

(Mmmm! The State of PA has rules – one set for them and one for everyone else.) Funding for dam repair not enough LEMON TWP - The Governor recently signed a bill authorizing $35 million for the repair of unsafe high-hazard dams, including Stevens Lake Dam north of Tunkhannock. BY JOSH MROZINSKI, Wyoming County Press Examiner, 07/16/2008

However, $35 million may not be enough and that bothers some. "It bothers me that the state doesn't take responsibility to take care of its problems," Commissioner Tony Litwin said. "If it was a county dam, we'd be mandated to do it." "We'd have to find someway to fund it," the commissioner added. Stevens Lake dam is owned by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission. It has been identified by the state as a publicly- owned dam eligible to receive a part of the $35 million in grant funding, which was authorized by Gov. Ed Rendell on July 9 when he signed Senate Bill 2. According to state Department of Environmental Protection spokesman Neil Weaver, repairs to 13 dams eligible for the funding would cost more than $40 million. He added that the dams are considered unsafe and high-hazard because they have structurally issues. About 21 people would be in harm's way if the dam at Stevens Lake fails. The lake, formerly known as Mud Pond, is a 62-acre impoundment. The dam is nine feet high and 99 feet long and located off Route 29. 3 Copy obtained from the National Performance of Dams Program: http://npdp.stanford.edu

Repairs to Stevens Lake dam is projected to cost $1.8 million, according to Weaver. He added that the grants are competitive and would require a 25 percent match. In April, the PFBC asked commissioners for a match to help fund the widening of a concrete spillway at Stevens Lake dam. On Tuesday, Litwin said that the county likely would not be able to provide matching funds. However, he also said that commissioners would like to see the dam repaired. PFBC spokesman Eric Levis said that the commission will apply for the grant funding. "We did go around to local municipalities and explained that more money is needed," Levis said. According to the PFBC, an additional $40 million in local or matching funds will be needed to fully restore and repair 16 PFBC dams identified as high-hazard. "We don't have the money to fix these (dams)," Levis said.

(They never stop trying to kill this project) (Excerpts) The End of Auburn Dam? CSPA to Present Case at Hearing to Revoke Dam's Water Rights by Dan Bacher, Jul 15th, 2008, Friends of the River

The California Sportfishing Protection Alliance (CSPA) will present a case-in-chief at the July 21 and 22, 2008 hearings before the State Water Resources Control Board in Sacramento concerning the Board's proposed revocation of water rights for Auburn Dam. "Given the over-appropriation of water in California, massive increases in State Water Project and Central Valley Project export levels, grievous degradation of the Delta and its tributary waters, precipitous declines in pelagic and salmonid species and pervasive impairment of water quality, it is virtually impossible that the permits could be issued today in their present form," said Bill Jennings, executive director, California Sportfishing Protection Alliance. ------.

Boom! Boondoggle or savior? Explosives begin destruction of part of Elk Creek Dam The long-running battle over the Elk Creek Dam reached a milestone Tuesday as explosives began the destruction of part of the dam. The aim is to create an opening in the 83-foot-tall concrete span so Elk Creek and the wild salmon there can flow through. Medford Mail Tribune, July 16, 2008, by Mark Freeman

TRAIL,OR -- The crack of explosives Tuesday sent waves of concrete crumbling and launched a plume of dust skyward, signaling the beginning of the end to Elk Creek Dam. Construction crews detonated the first set of explosives at 1:35 p.m. as part of a $7.9 million effort to notch the half-built dam spanning Elk Creek, a major upper Rogue River salmon-spawning tributary. The plume slowly drifted upstream as a small group of witnesses oohed and aahed at the historical charge that will mark the end of a contentious community battle over the future of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers facility whose construction was stopped by lawsuits in 1986. Whether people viewed it as a flood-control and water-storage opportunity wasted or a fish-killing boondoggle, those perched at a viewing area near the dam said they came for the spectacle. "I just wanted to see the pyrotechnical display," said Bernie Hukill of Eagle Point, who said he did not support the dam's completion. "Put it in, and then blow it up. What a waste of money."

Dam experts get another two months to review LOW plan 7/18/2008, BY ROBIN KNEPPER, The Free Lance-Star, Fredericksburg, VA

The Virginia Soil and Water Conservation Board voted unanimously yesterday to give Division of Dam Safety staff two months to review technical submissions from Lake of the Woods on proposed alterations to its dam spillway. "We want two more months to review the work that has been submitted," Dam Safety Director William G. Browning told the board, which approved the extension without question or comment. In March, the SWCB gave Lake of the Woods a four-month extension on the two-year conditional operating and maintenance certificate for the dam on its main lake. During that time, the Orange County subdivision was to submit hydrology and hydraulic studies to determine the capacity of the dam's spillway, a final bid- ready design, an alteration-permit application and project schedule, among other things. The final submissions were made Wednesday in response to last-minute clarifications requested by the DDS staff.

LOW's proposal would add a control gate to the existing spillway so it could discharge two-thirds of the probable maximum flood for the area. State regulations require the spillway to discharge 100 percent of the water if dam failure would result in the probable loss of life. The gate would also allow the level of the lake to be lowered before a significant storm arrived, thereby decreasing the need for increased spillway capacity. 4 Copy obtained from the National Performance of Dams Program: http://npdp.stanford.edu

The PMF for the LOW area is 37 inches of rain in 24 hours. The spillway presently can discharge half of that. The cost of adding a water-control gate to the existing spillway is estimated to be $2.5 million. The estimate for building another spillway to meet the full PMF is $7 million. LOW's proposal goes hand-in-hand with its contention that it can evacuate every person in the dam's inundation zone who would be in jeopardy if the dam failed. The owners of five LOW homes that would be in jeopardy if the dam failed signed a letter agreeing to voluntarily evacuate their homes if necessary. The owners of a sixth such home refused to sign the letter, and instead sold the house to LOW for $230,000.

(Last week, you may heave read the absurd legislative proposal by Senator Reid. It’s good that the Bureau is setting the record straight. Politicians can screw up the obvious so they should let a subject such as dam safety to professionals because it’s beyond their limited capacity to understand.) Dam safety Public Forum Letter, 07/18/2008, Salt Lake City Tribune

The editorial "Dam safety: Expand federal protection program" (Our View, July 12) largely ignores the Bureau of Reclamation's aggressive work to promote the safety of water facilities in the West. The bureau's Dam Safety Program ensures that its dams and other infrastructure are regularly inspected not by "whim" but as part of a comprehensive and strategic effort. In 2009, the bureau has requested $90 million - a $15 million increase - for inspections and corrective actions, including four projects in Utah. Our work is robust and, in cooperation with local partners, will assure continued safe operation of these facilities. For canals, the bureau has a number of comprehensive programs to assess the status and condition of their infrastructure. The rapid transition of rural areas to residential neighborhoods makes the task at some sites more complex, but the bureau is already focusing its efforts to meet this emerging challenge. Canal breaches and delivery interruptions may never be completely eliminated, but the bureau is working effectively to reduce the probability and consequences of potential failures across the West. Robert W. Johnson Commissioner, Bureau of Reclamation Washington, D.C.

(Is this the snail darter all over again, except it looks a little different?) Plan for new dam threatens endangered fish Apache plan set despite minnow controversy by Dennis Wagner - Jul. 20, 2008, The Arizona Republic (Article too long - so here’s the URL in case you’re interested) http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2008/ 07/20/20080720minerflat0720.html

HHyyddrroo (Hydro is beautiful) Alcoa Reaches New Renewable Power Deal for Wenatchee, WA Smelter Secures Clean, Competitive Power Through 2028 7/15/2008, Press Release (Excerpts)

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Alcoa ----- today announced it has reached agreement with the Chelan PUD on a new, clean-energy hydropower contract to supply its Wenatchee, Washington aluminum smelter through 2028. The new contract, which begins in 2011, will provide enough energy to enable the start-up of a third potline at the smelter in 2012. In announcing the new power agreement, John Thuestad, President of Alcoa’s US Primary Products said, “This is an excellent example of a community working together with industry to help secure the future for family wage jobs in Wenatchee. In addition to the more than 400 jobs in Wenatchee today, this new agreement provides incremental power for increased production of 42,000 5 Copy obtained from the National Performance of Dams Program: http://npdp.stanford.edu metric tons annually, bringing another 60-80 new jobs to the region. “This agreement makes this facility more competitive and is an excellent outcome for everyone,” said Thuestad. “Long-term, reliable and globally-competitive power is essential, and the Chelan PUD, through long and arduous negotiations, has taken the steps to help this community and region for the next 20 years.”

The new 17-year agreement begins when the existing contract expires in 2011. The Wenatchee smelter has a nameplate capacity of 184,000 metric tons and is currently operating at approximately 100,000 mtpy. Current plans call for it to reach 142,000 mtpy when the new contract begins in 2012. The agreement is another in a series of new, globally-competitive power agreements by Alcoa for its worldwide smelting operations. Including new agreements in Quebec, Alcoa now has approximately 75 percent of its smelting production under long-term, competitive power supply. Approximately 25 percent of the Company’s smelting production is supplied through self-generated power. “With the completion of the Wenatchee agreement we can now turn our attention to successfully negotiate a long-term agreement with our other public energy supplier in Washington—the Bonneville Power Administration—to secure the 650 family wage jobs in the Ferndale community,” added Thuestad.

Watervliet OK'd to look into new hydro plant By: Danielle Sanzone, The Record, 07/18/2008

WATERVLIET - The city recently received a permit to study the feasibility of developing a new hydroelectric plant along the Mohawk River in Rome, said Mayor Michael Manning. The studies will cost approximately $210,000 and take about a year. Then, if construction is approved, the hydroelectric plant is estimated to cost $8 million, officials said. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission issued the permit so the city's consulting engineering firm, Albany Engineering Corporation, can begin to collect data to determine the feasibility of developing the Delta Dam which is about 90 minutes west of Watervliet, officials said.

"In these days of skyrocketing fuel costs, the city must take every opportunity to control costs for its residents," said Manning. "Developing and using the hydroelectric power that can be provided by the Delta Dam project for municipal purposes is an important part of our fiscal plan." The city has three years to decide whether to pursue a possible $8 million project to develop a 5,000 kilowatt hydroelectric generating station which could be used to generate electricity for Capital District residents and areas along the Mohawk River. The city plans to use the renewable power for its water supply system which supplies water to more than 40,000 customers in the city of Watervliet and the town of Guilderland, officials said. Since 1915, the city has produced electricity at their reservoir in Guilderland. They then sell the power to National Grid to offset other costs, said Manning. The new dam would produce five times more energy than the city's current plant, officials said. In order to proceed with research and development, the city is in the midst of negotiations with the Canal Corporation since that organization owns the Delta Dam area. The studies to be conducted under the permit, including geotechnical, water quality, recreation, archeological, fisheries and other environmental issues, will last until mid-2009, officials said. The permit does not authorize any construction, but if those plans proceed, the city is projecting initial power generation of power at the site by 2011.

(It appears that the consultant used the sharing-of-the-net-benefits method used for years by the FERC and other Federal agencies but didn’t appear to use it in the traditional sense. The State seems to ignore who made the profits possible by their investment. Don’t know if it applies here, but it’s interesting and you have to wonder if other states will jump on this band wagon. The State didn’t do much to make this happen and now they get a huge piece of the action.) Judge: PPL Montana Owes State $41M 21 July 2008, By Dennison, Mike, redOrbit.com

HELENA - PPL Montana, the state's largest electric power producer, owes the state $41 million in back rent for using state- owned riverbeds at its hydroelectric dams, a state judge has ruled. District Judge Thomas Honzel of Helena, whose ruling was filed late Friday afternoon, said PPL should pay the state rent based on a percentage of its power sales profits going back to 2000 - a method proposed by a state-hired expert. Honzel said the riverbeds under PPL Montana's eight hydroelectric dams in Montana have "unique characteristics which make them valuable for the production of hydropower." The riverbeds are "directly related" to hydropower production, so using a percentage of power sales to calculate the rent is the "appropriate method" to determine fair market value for using state lands, the judge wrote. The $41 million is rent for eight years, from 2007 back to 2000, when PPL took control of the dams after buying them from Montana Power Co. Rent for use of state lands is dedicated for funding public schools. Attorney General 6 Copy obtained from the National Performance of Dams Program: http://npdp.stanford.edu

Mike McGrath, whose office handled the case, said Monday the ruling is a "huge victory" for the state and the fair treatment of those using state lands. "Everybody else that uses state lands has to pay a fee," McGrath said. "There is no reason that this business, which is extremely profitable, should be singled out not to pay the fee that every other state lands user has to pay."

PPL spokesman David Hoffman said the company is "extremely disappointed" with the decision but hasn't decided whether to appeal to the Montana Supreme Court. He said the decision "upsets 100 years of settled property and water-rights law," and could end up affecting other water users who benefit from the flow of rivers over state-owned streambeds. Neither PPL nor its predecessor, Montana Power Co., ever paid any rent to the state for using state-owned riverbeds at their privately owned hydroelectric projects. "We also have more than 100 years of policy by the state to encourage the development of hydroelectric power, that provides clean, renewable power," Hoffman said. "This decision certainly isn't an incentive to create or expand hydroelectric power." Friday's ruling is in a case that began with a 2004 lawsuit filed in federal court by private attorneys in Bozeman and Helena, who said PPL and other hydroelectric dam owners had been violating the state constitution by failing to pay rent for use of the state- owned riverbeds of any navigable stream. The state eventually became a party in the case and took it over, winning decisions in federal and state court. Honzel ruled Friday that the Federal Power Act does not pre-empt state law on the question of the state's property rights. He then largely adopted the rent calculation method proposed by University of Montana economics professor John Duffield. Duffield used a method known as "shared net benefits," which grants a percentage of a project's profits to the owner of property leased for the project. In this case, Duffield calculated the value of the power produced by PPL's dams and subtracted the cost of producing that power, to come up with a net benefit. He then determined the percentage of the project acreage owned by the state and allocated that percentage of "net benefits" to the state. Duffield said PPL made $40 million on power sales from the Thompson Falls dam on the Clark Fork River, from 2000 to 2007. The state owns slightly more than 27 percent of the project, so its share for those years is about $10.9 million. PPL's earnings from its eight dams along the Madison and Missouri rivers totaled $122 million for those same years. The state's ownership of each project area varies, but its total rent amount should be a shade more than $30 million, Duffield said. The state Land Board would determine future annual rents for use of the riverbeds, Honzel said.

The dams include the Madison Dam on the Madison River, near Ennis, and Hauser, Holter, Black Eagle, Rainbow, Cochrane, Ryan and Morony dams on the Missouri, near Great Falls and Helena. An expert hired by PPL Montana said the company's state lease payments should be based on a per-acre charge for the land flooded by the dams. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission uses this method to charge PPL and other hydroelectric-project owners for flooded federal lands. The PPL expert said the company's total lease payments for 2007 should be $210,500, or one-thirtieth of what Duffield said the rent should be. Honzel said the FERC method "does not take into consideration the economic value those lands contribute to the production of power. Furthermore, using that schedule simply does not establish the full- market value required by the Montana Constitution." Montana last fall settled the case with Avista Corp., a Spokane, Wash.-based company that owns Noxon Dam on the Clark River in northwestern Montana. Avista agreed to pay $4 million a year in rent from 2007-2016. The state also agreed to a much smaller settlement with PacifiCorp, which owns a small hydroelectric project on the Swan River near Bigfork. McGrath said the state tried to negotiate a settlement with PPL, but the parties couldn't agree.

WWaatteerr (This is getting messy.) Yadkin water rights under examination Bill would order impact study before renewing Alcoa's license for its hydroelectric dams. By Bruce Henderson, Charlotte Observer, 7/16/08

Water rights to the Yadkin River, including aluminum giant Alcoa's hydroelectric dams, will come under scrutiny this week in the N.C. legislature. Alcoa has been under growing political fire over its four dams, 7 Copy obtained from the National Performance of Dams Program: http://npdp.stanford.edu which once powered a Stanly County smelting mill that has largely closed. The company now makes about $8 million a year selling electricity. It has asked federal regulators to renew its hydroelectric license. Stanly County commissioners are trying to block the license, saying money made with local resources should stay in the region. Gov. Mike Easley, Lt. Gov. Bev Perdue and commissioners in six other counties have taken up the cause, urging the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to delay its decision. The N.C. House is expected to vote today on a bill directing the legislature's Environmental Review Commission to study the impact of granting the Alcoa Power Generating a new license, which would be in effect for decades. Supporters expect the Senate to act by Thursday. “It's the state's last chance to take a look before a 50-year licensing decision is made,” said Bruce Thompson, a Raleigh lawyer representing Stanly County. The study, to be submitted to legislators by Feb. 1, may cover the closing of the Badin smelter and future water supplies for the region. “We have been supportive for a long time of studying water issues,” said Alcoa official Gene Ellis. “From that perspective, we think (the bill) is a good thing.” Alcoa isn't OK with suggestions that the state consider transferring Alcoa's hydroelectric operations to the public. Such a step, the company said, would amount to an unconstitutional taking of private property by the government. The company-vs.-county fight has roiled well outside Stanly. A statewide poll Alcoa commissioned last month found widespread opposition to using tax money to take over a private business. The pro-Stanly N.C. Water Rights Committee responded last week with a poll heavily supporting control of the Yadkin by N.C. residents, not the multinational Alcoa. State regulators, meanwhile, are taking a second look at Alcoa's operations. Because of a public-notice error in April, the state made Alcoa reapply for a key permit needed before the federal license can be granted. The permit certifies that the water pouring through Alcoa's dams meets state standards. Stanly County then filed a consultant's report saying sediment in a swimming area of Badin Lake, near the aluminum mill, is contaminated by toxic chemicals once used in electrical transformers, fuels, oils and greases. The contamination has been known since the 1990s. The state now wants Alcoa to sample water discharged from its dams to learn whether the chemicals are flowing downstream, said John Dorney, an official of the N.C. Division of Water Quality. Alcoa will also produce a plan for studying whether the contaminated sediment is migrating toward the Badin dam. A decision on the state permit is expected by early April.

(Sharpening your pencil to make sure that hydro is considered is a good idea. It’s pumped storage and it works very well on the California Aqueduct and the City of San Diego found it economical in its recent water developments) Projections have doubled Inflation driving up cost estimate of planned Lake Powell pipeline Plan now tabbed at $1.1 billion, but that's before debt service By Patty Henetz. The Salt Lake Tribune. 07/18/2008

The estimated cost of building the Lake Powell pipeline has nearly doubled in three years and could continue to grow. State officials on Friday say they expect construction of the 174-mile pipeline that would bring water to Washington, Kane and Iron counties would cost at least $1.1 billion. In 2005, the cost estimate was $585 million. "We're still working through the economic analysis," said Eric Millis, spokesman for the Utah Division of Water Resources. "This is a good snapshot of where the project is now." But the estimate doesn't include debt service on bonds, which pipeline critics say could push the ultimate cost much higher, perhaps beyond residents' ability to pay. Paul Van Dam, a former Utah attorney general and director of Citizens for Dixie's Future, said debt repayment would at least triple the pipeline cost to $3 billion, and could reach $6 billion by the time the project is finished. "It's pretty striking that this cost estimate can double in three years. What's going to happen in the next three years?" Van Dam said. "I wonder how in the world anyone thinks these counties can pick up these costs."

The engineers who put together the construction estimate included building small hydroelectric stations on the pipeline. A line-item breakdown of the estimate shows the hydroelectric components account for $95.5 million of base construction costs for Washington County. Necessary electrical transmission lines would cost about $73.3 million. Together, they come to about one-quarter of Washington County's total cost. A 15 percent contingency would be added to the base. Power transmission would account for $14.8 million of the Cedar City spur, which would incur a base construction cost of about $100 million. Kane County's base cost estimate is $5.3 million. The pipeline would provide about 100,000 acre-feet of water per year, with 70 percent going to Washington County, 20 percent to Iron County and 10 percent to Kane County. An acre- foot is enough for one or two households a year. While the hydroelectricity generated by falling water in the 69-inch diameter pipes could offset the cost of the power needed to pump the water uphill, there still would be a net energy loss, Millis said. But he couldn't say whether it might be less expensive to build the pipeline and pump the water uphill without the added hydroelectric construction costs. "We know that we have to pay 8 Copy obtained from the National Performance of Dams Program: http://npdp.stanford.edu

for the pumping regardless," Millis said. "We know first and foremost that it's a water development project. Strong has said the state chose the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission as the lead agency on the water-delivery project because licensing the hydro and then doing required environmental studies of the massive project would be quicker and less expensive than with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management at the helm as originally planned. FERC says it could produce 300 megawatts of power, equivalent to the needs of at least 225,000 households. But even FERC acknowledges it will take far more power to pump the water uphill than the little electric projects could yield. The hope is that selling the electricity at peak-hour prices will raise extra cash. The money would go to a state-run enterprise fund set up to pay for operations, maintenance and other costs associated with the project, Millis said.

EEnnvviirroonnmmeenntt (They call it facilitation, it looks like intimidation. Every case where there are differences, the Licensee is intimidated into withdrawing its water quality application so the State has more than the one year to act on it than is required by law.) Klamath dams’ owner pulls key water quality application The Times-Standard, 07/15/2008

The owner of several hydroelectric dams on the Klamath River has pulled a vital California water quality permit application, saying the move is meant to facilitate a long-term settlement for the project. Pacificorp wrote to the State Water Resources Control Board Friday, withdrawing its application for water quality certification necessary for the hydroelectric project to be relicensed. The decision comes during discussions with federal fish and wildlife agencies about the future of the dams. A tenuous but still holding settlement agreement on a host of other water, fisheries and agriculture issues among more than two dozen tribes, environmental groups, farmers and fishing organizations was presented earlier this year. Missing is Pacificorp and a deal to remove the dams that block hundreds of miles of spawning grounds for salmon. Serious concerns about how the reservoirs behind Pacificorp's dams brew heavy algae growth and otherwise deteriorate water quality had led many to believe California water quality regulators would deny the certification of the project. Pacificorp wrote to the water board Friday that it intends to submit another application in the near future.

(You have to wonder if these so-called ratepayers are in cahoots with the dam removal groups. Now, just who do they think caused the licensing process to be so expensive?) PacifiCorp ratepayers seek Klamath dams review 7/15/2008, The Associated Press

KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. (AP) — PacifiCorp ratepayers have asked the California Public Utilities Commission to review spending on relicensing for Klamath River hydroelectric dams. Ratepayers in Northern California claim the Portland-based utility has spent too much on the process and that an independent assessment is needed to determine the fate of the three dams. Last Friday, PacifiCorp told the California Water Resources Control Board it was withdrawing an application for a water-quality permit needed to get a new operating license for the dams. PacifiCorp said the application was withdrawn to allow more discussions about the dams with state and federal officials.

Study: Salmon do fine in Klamath waters 07/16/2008, By JEFF BARNARD / Associated Press, KGW.com

If Chinook salmon can get past the dams blocking the Klamath River, they'll do fine in the waters of the upper basin, a study has found. A series of small hydroelectric dams have blocked salmon from Upper Klamath Lake and its tributaries for a century, but talks are under way now between the dam owner, PacifiCorp, and state and federal agencies over a proposal to remove them. Concerned that water quality and habitat in the upper basin had deteriorated to the point salmon could no longer survive there, biologists put young fish from the Iron Gate Hatchery on the Klamath River in California in net pens in Upper Klamath Lake and the Williamson River in Oregon in 2005 and 2006. The biologists from the U.S. Geological Survey, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Oregon State University found the fish went through the biological

9 Copy obtained from the National Performance of Dams Program: http://npdp.stanford.edu changes needed to migrate to the ocean, known as smoltification, and were not infested with a deadly parasite called Ceratomyxa shasta, which attacks young fish lower down in the basin.

Meanwhile, the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission is to vote Friday on whether to amend its management plan for the Upper Klamath Basin to allow reintroduction of salmon in the 300 miles of Oregon rivers above the dams. Roger Smith, Klamath district biologist for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, said he expects once fish passage is restored, either through fish ladders or dam removal, Chinook salmon, steelhead and lamprey are likely to find their way upriver to spawn without help from man. "With regards to steelhead, it should happen very rapidly," Smith said. "With regards to chinook, lamprey and to some extent coho, it is somewhat of an unknown." Upper Klamath Lake may be a problem, because it represents the only instance on the West Coast where salmon migrate more than 100 miles upriver, then have to find their way through a large lake to the tributaries beyond, Smith said. Due to those concerns, state, tribal and federal biologists will develop plans for reintroducing young Chinook salmon from a fish hatchery to the lake to get a population going more quickly, Smith said. "It could take 10 years, it could take 100 years to re-establish fish to Upper Klamath Lake," he said. "Our hope is through man's intervention; we can at least jump-start it and then let Mother Nature take over from there." --- On the Net: ODFW draft plan to reintroduce salmon to Upper Klamath Basin: http://www.dfw.state.or.us/fish/docs/salmon_in_klamath.pdf Study of salmon in Upper Klamath Basin: http://online.wr.usgs.gov/ocw/htmlmail/2008/July/PhysioreadyfinalreportOct302007.pdf (Copy and paste URL)

Judge delivers vindication but no relief for imperiled salmon, steelhead A federal judge says California's water-export system puts the fish in great jeopardy. But he denied the remedies suggested by environmentalists for 'scientific and evidentiary' reasons By Eric Bailey, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer, July 19, 2008

SACRAMENTO -- A federal judge struck a largely symbolic blow for imperiled salmon and steelhead Friday, declaring that the state's vast water-export system is putting the fish at risk but rejecting environmentalists' key demands for change. U.S. District Judge Oliver W. Wanger of Fresno said in a 118-page opinion that the Central Valley's winter- and spring-run salmon as well as the remnants of its once-thriving steelhead population are being threatened by the dams and aqueducts that store and move water around California. The water projects' operations "appreciably increase jeopardy to the three species," Wanger concluded, saying it is "undisputed" that water exports will in the short term continue to kill eggs, fry and juveniles while reducing the abundance and distribution of the fish and the chances of long-term recovery. But the judge denied several remedies suggested by environmental attorneys with the Natural Resources Defense Council and Earthjustice, such as storing more water behind Shasta Dam to be released for migrating salmon and opening a pivotal diversion dam's gates to allow the fish to reach spawning grounds. Fishermen who have seen this year's salmon season canceled because of a historic slump in returning fish gave the ruling a tepid review.

"It's a mixed bag," said Zeke Grader of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Assns., one of the plaintiffs. "It verified what we've been saying all along -- that the fish are in jeopardy. But he did nothing to fix it." Wanger's decree stems from a long-running battle over a 2004 biological study by the National Marine Fisheries Service that was used to justify boosted water exports from Northern California. Citing the threat to salmon and steelhead, environmentalists successfully sued last April. Federal officials plan to wrap up a new biological study by March spelling out operational changes needed to keep the state's water system functioning without endangering the fish. Wanger, meanwhile, held a series of hearings over five weeks in June and early July, letting both sides argue about whether short-term changes were needed to safeguard the fish in the meantime. During those hearings, state and federal water agencies voluntarily agreed to some operational changes to better protect the fish, such as earlier opening of a diversion dam and increased water flows down a key tributary. But environmentalists and fishermen wanted more. The judge's ruling Friday forcefully sided with environmentalists on the peril facing the fish, even spelling out a worst-case scenario in which the entire population of winter-run salmon in 2009 could be wiped out if officials fail to hold back enough cold water in Shasta Dam. But he said a "scientific and evidentiary dispute" undercut the merits of environmentalists' proposed changes. He set a hearing Wednesday to hear further arguments. Wanger's latest decision comes nearly a year after he ordered a pivotal shift in water operations because of concerns about Delta smelt, a tiny endangered fish that lives only in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. That ruling has resulted in a 30% cutback in Delta water exports this year.

********************************************************************** “Good wine is a necessity of life.” - -Thomas Jefferson 10 Copy obtained from the National Performance of Dams Program: http://npdp.stanford.edu

Ron’s wine pick of the week: Wente Vineyards Riva Ranch Chardonnay 2006 i This 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 to those who have an interest in receiving this information for non-profit and educational purposes only.

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