North Umpqua Hydroelectric Project
{{Short description|Hydroelectric project in Douglas County, Oregon, U.S.}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2023}}
File:Aqueduct Tokatee Hydro Project.jpg]]
The North Umpqua Hydroelectric Project is a series of hydroelectric power generation facilities along the North Umpqua River in Douglas County, Oregon, United States. The project is owned and operated by PacifiCorp.
History
The project was constructed by PacifiCorp between 1947 and 1956.{{cite web |title=North Umpqua River |publisher=PacifiCorp |url=https://www.pacificorp.com/energy/hydro/north-umpqua-river.html |access-date=September 25, 2023}} The original federal license to operate the project was issued in 1947 for a period of 50 years, expiring in 1997.{{cite web |author= |title=Settlement Agreement Among Pacificorp, USDA Forest Service, National Marine Fisheries Service, USDI Fish & Wildlife Service, USDI Bureau of Land Management, Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, Oregon Water Resources Department Concerning the Relicensing of the North Umpqua Hydroelectric Project |date=June 13, 2001 |publisher= |at=Appendix E, p. 23 |url=https://www.pacificorp.com/content/dam/pcorp/documents/en/pacificorp/energy/hydro/north-umpqua-river/settlement-agreement-documents/North_Umpqua_Settlement_Agreement.pdf |access-date=May 17, 2024 |quote=PacifiCorp owns and operates the North Umpqua Hydroelectric Project, FERC No. 1927, under a federal license issued on January 30, 1947. The initial license was issued for a period of 50 years, and expired on January 30, 1997.}} A settlement agreement to renew the license was approved in 2001 after prolonged negotiations between PacifiCorp and numerous state and federal agencies.{{cite web |last=Schwennesen |first=Lois |title=Dams vs. fish? Mediate it! |website=Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce |date=July 12, 2001 |url=https://www.djc.com/news/enviro/11123681.html |access-date=May 7, 2023}}
Description
The project consists of eight dams, three reservoirs, and miles of flumes, canals, penstocks and tunnels.{{cite web |title=North Umpqua Hydroelectric Project |url=https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/umpqua/landmanagement/?cid=stelprdb5387275 |publisher=U.S. Department of Agriculture |access-date=April 23, 2023}}{{cite news |last=Geschke |first=Will |title=PacifiCorp hosts tour of North Umpqua Hydroelectric Project |newspaper=The News-Review |location=Roseburg, Oregon |date=October 5, 2022 |url=https://www.nrtoday.com/news/education/pacificorp-hosts-tour-of-north-umpqua-hydroelectric-project/article_44e45ce6-4c34-54af-a6ed-45f9f2453072.html |access-date=April 23, 2023}}
Conservationists have criticized the hydroelectric facilities for their impact on the ecology of the North Umpqua River watershed.{{cite web |title=North Umpqua Hydropower License Illegal |publisher=Earthjustice |date=May 24, 2004 |url=https://earthjustice.org/press/2004/north-umpqua-hydropower-license-illegal |access-date=September 24, 2023}}{{cite web |title=Upper North Umpqua River Watershed |website=Oregon Explorer |publisher=Oregon State University |url=https://oregonexplorer.info/content/upper-north-umpqua-river-watershed?topic=56&ptopic=98 |access-date=September 24, 2023}} Particular focus has been placed on the Soda Springs Dam, which restricts salmon and steelhead from swimming to spawning grounds upstream. A fish ladder allowing them upstream passage was completed in 2012 at a cost of $60 million.{{cite news |title=Fish ladder completed at dam on North Umpqua River |newspaper=OregonLive |agency=Associated Press |date=December 1, 2012 |url=https://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/2012/12/fish_ladder_completed_at_dam_o.html |access-date=September 24, 2023}}{{cite news |last=Taylor |first=Ted |title=River Be Dammed |newspaper=Eugene Weekly |date=January 30, 2014 |url=https://eugeneweekly.com/2014/01/30/river-be-dammed/ |access-date=September 24, 2023}}
References
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Category:Buildings and structures in Douglas County, Oregon
Category:Hydroelectric power plants in Oregon