Resource survey of low-head hydroelectric potential at existing dams and proposed sites in the Pacific Northwest region, Phase II

In September of 1977, the University of Idaho Water Resources Research Institute entered into a contract with the then named Energy Research and Development Administration, (now the U.S. Department of Energy) to make a study entitled, "A Resource Survey of Low-Head Hydroelectric Potential Pacific Northwest Region." The University of Idaho Water Resources Research Institute in turn entered into subcontracts with the water resources research institutes of Oregon, Washington and Montana to do portions of the study involving their respective states. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the theoretical potential for small hydroelectric development of the Pacific Northwest Region. The study area included all of the Columbia River system in the United States and all other river basins in Idaho, Oregon and Washington. The total area studied is approximately 292,000 squares miles. The first phase of the study was to evaluate the theoretical power potential of the streams in the region. This portion of the study was completed in March 1979. This report is the completion report for Phase II of the study where an evaluation of the hydro potential was made for existing dams without present generating capabilities, proposed hydro sites, and at proposed power sites in existing irrigation systems. For this phase of the study small hydro was defined as a site with potential to produce power between 200 kW and 25MW with flows at the 50% exceedance level. This is slightly different than the Phase I definition of low head hydro which called for power at the 50% exceedance to be greater than 200 KW and heads to be between 3 and 20 meters. The change in definition of Small Hydro sites was requested by the Department of Energy. The existing dams that were studied were those that were identified in state dam registration lists or in the Corps of Engineers Dam Safety Studies. The primary sources of information for the proposed sites were siting studies done by various federal and state agencies. No searches were made for new sites that had not been previously identified. Another aspect to this study involved evaluating transmission and load restraints at existing dams that do not have generating capabilities. Such items as distance to nearest power line, capacity of that line, type of local market and distance to nearest population center were evaluated. These items are important to those making feasibility studies of Hydro Sites