Some Dam – Hydro Newstm and Other Stuff
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2/21/2014 Some Dam – Hydro News TM And Other Stuff i Quote of Note: “If we got one-tenth of what was promised to us in these State of the Union speeches, there wouldn't be any inducement to go to heaven.” Will - Rogers Some Dam - Hydro News Newsletter Archive for Back Issues and Search http://npdp.stanford.edu/ Click on Link (Some Dam - Hydro News) Bottom Right - Under Perspectives “Good wine is a necessity of life.” - -Thomas Jefferson Ron’s wine pick of the week: 2010 Sebastiani US Red Blend "Secolo" “No nation was ever drunk when wine was cheap.” - - Thomas Jefferson Dams: (PMF - Gotcha! Ouch, I bet it’s cold!) UPPCO set to draw down reservoir at Victoria Hydroelectric site February 7, 2014 by Rick Tarsitano, abc10up.com Victoria Hydroelectric The Upper Peninsula Power Company’s Victoria Hydroelectric Project in Ontonagon County is nearly finished. The 2013 construction project will make the dam safer for higher in flows of water, and allow the facility to generate more power. The Ontonagon River reservoir has been refilled, but with the annual draw down expected to begin this weekend, officials are warning residents to be careful if they plan to venture out onto the ice. UPPCO is still waiting for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s final approval before they begin lowering the reservoir, but once they start the process it may cause “bridging,” a condition that creates gaps or spaces underneath the ice due to changing water levels. The increased river flow erodes deep-seeded ice that isn’t visible from above, compromising its stability. UPPCO has warning signs posted locally, but sometimes snowmobile riders don’t see them depending on when they join the trail. 1 Copy obtained from the National Performance of Dams Program: http://npdp.stanford.edu Crewmembers will be on location this weekend as the draw down begins, deicing spillway gates ahead of the spring run off which could see flow speeds upwards of 100 thousand gallons a second. The crew will also be monitoring stumps and other debris as they head downstream so that they can pass safely through the spillway gates and allow water levels to remain unaffected. Again, if you’re planning on crossing the ice on the Ontonagon River near the facility, be careful. (Trying to make rational arguments against dam removal seldom are heard.) LETTER: WHY THE DAM SHOULD STAY recorder.com, February 10, 2014 The Jan. 23 My Turn column, “The case for dam removal,” describes the ways in which the Green River, after removal of the Wiley & Russell dam, would provide recreation and education for residents and visitors. It fails to note that these are also the major reason for retaining the dam! Maintenance costs after repair of the abutments and damaged concrete would not be the recurring expense described. The column also fails to mention the dam’s hydro power potential, a widely recognized new green power source. The walking trail and tours, historic markers, a viewing platform are planned regardless of retention or removal. But they would be greatly diminished by absence of the central exhibit — the dam, which holds a unique lesson from its wood species and design to its long use. The Green River Industrial Area, including the Museum of Our Industrial Heritage, is envisioned as an outdoor recreation and teaching tool and it would attract visitors to the downtown. The dam is its central exhibit and attraction. Would hundreds of visitors visit Lowell if the water power structures were removed? The writers forget that museums are educational institutions that exist to preserve and interpret objects and outdoor museums, in particular, depend on all the parts of its large objects and landscapes to verify its lesson. These lessons include: Why did John Russell site it there, rather than in another spot? It also includes lessons on stonework, the use of specific wood species and timber crib design. Few of these historic structures survive and we are just now learning from and about them. This is also why Old Sturbridge Village is today gathering funds to repair and modify its dam for hydro power after more than 40 years powering its grist and carding mills. OSV says it will save the museum money and add a teaching exhibit. In addition to preservation of the existing ecosystem, other very serious reasons compel dam retention, including preserving water quality, protection of the Green River Cemetery and of homes on the river bank’s highly erodible soils along this meltwater stream. It’s a matter of location. No dam removals in similarly developed town centers with highly erodible soils are known. - Marcia Starkey, Tower Hill Consultants. (That’s for sure! A failure would cause chaos!) WE’LL HAVE CHAOS,’ INVESTIGATING OKLAHOMA’S MOST DANGEROUS DAMS kfor.com, February 11, 2014, by Lance West Arcadia, Okla - It is the Main Street of America. Historic Route 66 stretches hundreds of miles over old bridges, past nostalgic icons and through picturesque communities like Arcadia, Oklahoma. Arthur Ganther, 76, is a volunteer at Arcadia’s Round Barn. He’s seen it all through the years, including an alarming increase in strong earthquakes. Nobody really considered earthquakes when a giant earthen dam was constructed in 1986, to protect Arthur’s town from flooding. Ganther said, “No, that wasn’t probably on their itinerary, to think about that.” The dam at Arcadia is one of 376 state structures classified as a “high hazard” by the Oklahoma Water Resource Board. If there were a breach, there would be “a probable loss of human life.” Ganther said, “We’ll have chaos because we’re in the lower level. All the water would come right down on us. We would be flooded out.” The Arcadia dam is inspected annually by the Army Corps of Engineers. Inspectors have a routine inspection scheduled for Feb. 12 and Feb. 13, but officials say it has nothing to do with the recent swarm of quakes. Many of the state’s 4,600 dams are showing signs of age. Cracks, leaks and cave in’s are becoming more frequent. Lake Hefner, for 2 Copy obtained from the National Performance of Dams Program: http://npdp.stanford.edu example, was built in 1947 and has had no major updates since its construction. Brian Vance, from the Oklahoma Water Resource Board, confessed, “I don’t think I’d live there even if I knew that dam was the best dam in the world. I still would be a little gun-shy.” Authorities say a dam failure is very unlikely. However, central Oklahoma’s tremors have the attention of our state’s decision makers. Vance said, “We are definitely taking the earthquake risk seriously.” Last year, the Oklahoma Water Resource Board passed a new rule requiring an unscheduled dam inspection if a magnitude 5.0 earthquake strikes within 50 miles of any dam structure. If you’re curious about the condition of a dam in your area, the inspection reports are public record and available for review at the Oklahoma Water Resource Board. (If you fix it, get something out of it) UTILITY WILL REPAIR MIRROR POND DAM Repairs scheduled for April Feb 11, 2014, bendbulletin.com PacifiCorp announced this afternoon that it will repair the leak in Mirror Pond dam in April, in time for people to enjoy higher water levels on the Deschutes River this summer. One of the wooden panels in the dam began leaking in October and since then, the water level has sunk, leaving visible the mud flats that have been building up in the Mirror Pond section of the river. The utility stopped generating power at the dam after it discovered the leak, and executives have been meeting with a Bend city councilor and the executive director of the Bend Park & Recreation District to discuss the possibility of transferring ownership of the dam to a government agency. PacifiCorp plans to install a steel sheet pile upstream of the leaking panel, according to a news release from the utility. Once the dam is repaired, PacifiCorp will once again begin generating electricity at the dam, Mark Tallman, PacifiCorp’s vice president for renewable resources, said in a statement. Park district Executive Director Don Horton recently called for the utility to repair the dam, to prevent further damage to the structure and ensure the river will be safe for boaters and others recreating on the river this summer. Hydro: (All you need is the money!) Hydroelectric Project Focus of Energy Hearing By Phillip Manning, KTNA - Talkeetna | February 7, 2014 - alaskapublic.org The Alaska House Energy Committee heard testimony this week from the Alaska Energy Authority. While the meeting was not initially intended to focus on the Susitna-Watana Hydroelectric Project, a multitude of questions from legislators, as well as the presence of members of the Susitna River Coalition, prompted a shift that saw about half the meeting center around the proposed dam. The first half of Wednesday’s Alaska House Energy Committee meeting was largely a combination of updates on AEA’s various projects as well as an information session for representatives trying to learn more about how the organization operates. About half way through, however, questions and discussion shifted heavily toward one project in particular, the proposed multi-billion dollar hydroelectric project which would be built on the Susitna River. In response to a question from Rep. Shelley Hughes (R-Wasilla), AEA Executive 3 Copy obtained from the National Performance of Dams Program: http://npdp.stanford.edu Director Sara Fisher-Goad said that the land-access issues that led Gov. Sean Parnell to cut more than 90 percent of the project’s budget may be resolved soon.