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Jan 20 , 2010
Yesterday marked the end of an 80-year era for Avista, with the release of wooden flashboards at our Nine Mile Falls Dam on the Spokane River. Watch the two-minute video to see what it looked like to release the flashboards.
In 1928 Avista began installing the five-foot high, hand-built flashboards at the top of the face of the dam, extending the normal dam height to 63 feet (without the flash boards its 58 feet). Later, the flashboard height was doubled to a total height of 10 feet. Flashboards are installed annually in four sections: two upper and two lower. Yesterday we released the two upper sections, and we’ll release the remaining sections later this spring, for the final time.
The flashboards, constructed with sheets of plywood and solid wood beams, allow operators to hold back more water in the forebay for power generation when river levels are lower. They are installed each summer and removed in late winter or early spring, as river levels begin to rise again.
Beginning this summer, Avista will replace the wooden flashboards at Nine Mile with an automated spillway that will give operators the ability to raise and lower the height of the spillway as needed. This new spillway, required under our FERC Spokane River Project license, will allow us to maintain the reservoir pool at a more constant level throughout the entire year, partly because it eliminates the need to lower the reservoir each summer to install flashboards.
Just a reminder – if you’re out on the river for any reason, be careful. High river levels, run-off from recent storms and the flashboard release have resulted in extra debris in the water, especially downstream from Nine Mile Dam. The video shows a few rather large trees and other items floating down the river.
Oct 30 , 2009
Oftentimes a hydro dam looks like a block of earth and cement, just holding back water. Not much happening, right? Well, peel back the layers and you’ll find an incredibly high-tech operation that is constantly in motion.
As Avista’s largest single generation facility, the Noxon Rapids Dam in Montana is an impressive structure that has been in operation more than 50 years. But just like your house, after 50 years, it’s due for some upgrades.
One of the upgrades currently underway is the replacement of the turbine runner for Unit 3 in the dam. The dam’s five units are capable of producing as much as 548 megawatts of clean, renewable electricity. Unit 3 generates about 100 megawatts of electricity by itself.
On Wednesday, Oct. 28 I was at the dam and produced a video about the removal of the turbine runner – the massive section of the unit that is spun by water. Avista Electric Foreman Howard Johnson actually let me go inside the penstock (well-supervised) to see the final preparations for the removal of the turbine.
The penstock is normally filled with rushing water that slams into the turbine. It was a little creepy climbing through the tiny porthole to get in – I’m not shy about saying that. But today the penstock was filled with workers getting the turbine ready for removal and prepped for its replacement. The new turbine, which should be in around March will produce more electricity than its predecessor – saving customers money.
Upgrading our electric system isn’t just about power lines or the things you see every day, it’s also where the power comes from, like hydro dams. Most people don’t get to see work like this, so I produced this video to show the final prep work and removal of the Unit 3’s turbine.
The video shows some of the damage and maintenance on the turbine over the last 50 years and why a new one is prudent. Check out the video.
So the next time I write something about upgrading our system, think about this massive 250,000-pound turbine being lifted across the deck of the dam all in the name of producing hydro electricity better and cheaper for customers.
Oct 27 , 2009
This morning, when I got into the office it was still just getting light outside. There was a buzz about the place and I didn’t know why. We’re just like any office, some days are more exciting than others – but today seemed special. A lot of conversations in the halls and happy faces. So, when I opened up my e-mail and found out that Avista had been selected to receive a federal matching grant worth about $20 million for smart grid work, I knew why the tone in the office was so jubilant.
This is very cool news and will give us the opportunity to upgrade a fair amount of our electric line feeder system (improving reliability for your service), lessen the impact on rates (by getting matching funds), create green jobs for our region (could be around 45 jobs), save energy (through efficiency improvements) and serve as an example for other utilities (because we’ve been doing work like this for more than 100 years).
Specifically, the project will include installation of modern equipment and software to enable smart grid capabilities and increase reliability and efficiency.
We originally applied for funds for this project last summer. Read the August 4 blog post, “ Smart grid details: Spokane’s smart circuits.” Given that this is only October, the stimulus funds process is moving at a rapid pace and we expect to start the feeder upgrade work by the end of this year. The whole project is expected to take 36 months to complete. Sep 11 , 2009
As much as we dislike having planned power outages, with the number of infrastructure improvement projects we’re working on for customers, some planned outages are necessary. They create a safe working environment for our crews. One such project will impact around 2,700 customers in the Lake Roosevelt area in Stevens and Ferry counties in about a week.
The outage will occur on consecutive Thursdays: Sept. 17, Sept. 24, Oct. 1 and Oct. 8 – and will last from 10 p.m. until 4 a.m.
As we said last week in regards to a planned outage in Coeur d’Alene, it’s time to check the batteries in your alarm clock or figure out how to set the alarm on your cell phone (my favorite choice). If your boss reads this blog, you’ll have no excuse for showing up late to work on Friday morning. And trust me, you can’t know if they read us or not!
Our Colville Operations Manager Marshall Law said in a news release today, “This upgrade will ensure that we’re able to reliably meet the energy needs of our customers in this area for years to come.”
So what does improved reliability mean? In this case new, taller steel poles are replacing existing wood poles along Addy-Gifford Road. So we’re moving the exiting power lines to the new structures. With the added height of the lines, inclement weather and trees are less likely to cause outages. The new structures also mean the lines can carry additional power to meet the growing needs of our customers in Stevens and Ferry counties.
You may receive a flier from us about this outage, see a notice in the paper or even get a phone call. Click here for a map of the outage area.
Areas that will be impacted by the planned outages are:
• Stevens County – Cedonia, Daisy, Fruitland, Gifford, Hunters, Rice, Two River and West End. Also, the Summit Valley area west of the Addy Gifford Road and Swiss Valley Road intersection, including Addy Gifford Road, Addy Cedonia Road, Summit Valley Roads, Swiss Valley Road, Clark Lake Road, Egland Road, Gilson Road, Forsland Road, Grimm Road, Burgess Road, and other side roads in the Summit Valley area.
• Ferry County – Inchelium area from Nine Mile Creek north
Aug 27 , 2009
I just got word that we’re going to have a planned outage next Tuesday, Sept. 1, for some customers along Lake Coeur d’Alene. Our crews are working on improvements to our Ogara substation and they need to shut off the juice for about four hours.
Approximately 760 Avista customers on the east side of Lake Coeur d’Alene from Carling Bay south to Ogara Bay, including the City of Harrison and customers on Hells Gulch Road will be impacted by the outage. About 575 Kootenai Electric Cooperative members on the southeast side of Lake Coeur d’Alene and in the Harrison area will also be impacted. The outage will begin at 3:30 a.m. and is expected to last until about 7:30 a.m.
This event is a good chance to talk about infrastructure upgrades, improved reliability projects and meeting customer demand. We always use those buzz words when talking about rates and why we file requests for increases. This work shows where some of those words are put to action. Customer demand in the area has increased and work on the sub will allow for increased demand.
So, if you live in this area, you’ve got a couple days to find a battery-power alarm for that early morning wake-up call. Personally, I opt for the cell phone alarm. It’s plenty loud and the phone holds a charge for a few days.
If you are impacted by this outage, drop us a line and let us know how it went.
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