Owners: Portland General Electric and the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon Operator: Portland General Electric
In December 2009, construction of an underwater tower and fish collection structure was successfully completed at the 465-MW Pelton Round Butte Hydroelectric Project. The first-of-its-kind fish bypass and intake structure returns temperatures in the lower Deschutes River to historic patterns and restores downstream passage of Chinook, steelhead, and sockeye salmon while maintaining existing generating capacity.
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| Courtesy: Portland General Electric |
Resting in a high desert setting in Central Oregon, Lake Billy Chinook is surrounded by high basalt cliffs and hillsides covered with sagebrush and juniper. The lake was formed by the construction of Round Butte Dam in 1964 and is fed by the Deschutes, Metolius, and Crooked Rivers. With its scenic views and large populations of bull trout and other fish species, the lake for years has attracted large numbers of anglers, boaters, hikers, and sightseers.
The new bypass and intake structure for the Pelton Round Butte Hydroelectric Project was one of the main components of a historic 50-year relicensing agreement signed in 2004 by co-owners Portland General Electric (PGE) and the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon (CTWS), Steve Corson, spokesman for PGE, told POWER in October. A license with the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) for the project was issued in 2005, incorporating the agreement. Officially known as the Selective Water Withdrawal Project (SWW), the structure is the world’s only known floating surface fish collection facility coupled with power generation (Figure 1). It was designed to reflect the latest scientific data about fish migration patterns. Construction wrapped up in 2009, and the project was certified as complete in early 2010.
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| 1. Award-winning design. The first-of-its-kind fish bypass and intake structure at the Pelton Round Butte Hydroelectric Project is shown while under construction. The Selective Water Withdrawal Project, which was designed and constructed by CH2M HILL, won the 2011 American Council of Engineering Companies’ national Grand Award. Courtesy: Portland General Electric |
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