The Bureau of Reclamation’s David Raff: How the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Funds Aquatic Restoration
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, commonly known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, allocates $250 million to the Bureau of Reclamation to fund aquatic restoration projects. This summer, Reclamation will develop a funding opportunity for project selection. Hydro Leader spoke with David Raff, Reclamation’s chief engineer, about the Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration Program’s new funding flows. […]
Fish-Friendly Hydropower Production at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Pacific Northwest Facilities
With 75 power-producing dams, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is the largest generator of hydropower in the United States. Most of its largest hydroelectric dams are located on the Columbia, Snake, Willamette, and Rogue Rivers in the Pacific Northwest. These rivers are also home to important anadromous fish species, such as Chinook salmon and […]
A Partnership for Endangered Fish on the Colorado River
For more than 30 years, the Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program has brought water users, power interests, conservation groups, and state and federal agencies together to support the recovery of endangered fish species. In this interview, Hydro Leader talks with three of the program’s fish experts about the program’s activities, which range from […]
How the Relicensing of a Hydro Project Led to Improvements for Salmon on Washington State’s Sultan River
It’s been 10 years since Snohomish County Public Utility District (PUD) relicensed its Jackson Hydroelectric Project on the Sultan River. Since that time, the utility has followed through on commitments made as part of the relicensing agreement to manage the project for healthy fish populations. In this interview, Natural Resources Manager Keith Binkley looks back […]
Jim Chandler on Idaho Power’s Plans to Improve Fisheries and Water Quality in the Snake River
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) relicensing process for several of Idaho Power’s 15 FERC-licensed hydroelectric projects has spawned fresh thinking about how to manage fish passage and water quality. Nearly 60 years after an agreement to change its mitigation program to a hatchery program for Chinook salmon and steelhead trout, Idaho Power is finding […]
In the Transition to a Low-Carbon Economy, Pumped Storage Will Be Critical
By Chuck Sensiba and Elizabeth McCormick As the United States moves toward a low-carbon economy, zero-carbon emitting sources of electricity will be increasingly critical to stabilize the electric grid and prevent outages, including those associated with extreme weather events. Wind and solar resources are, of course, necessary to achieve this goal, but their intermittent nature […]
John Eastwood on His Half-Century in Energy Development and the Future of Pumped Storage
John Eastwood has spent more than 50 years in the energy development industry, with experience on many continents in fields including civil and hydraulic engineering; turbine and pump manufacturing and sales; and wind, solar, and hydro project development. Mr. Eastwood’s long experience gives him insight into the development of the hydro market over the past […]
How an Ice Boom Is Aiding Operations at the New York Power Authority’s Vischer Ferry Project
Hydropower makes up more than 80 percent of the electricity produced by the New York Power Authority (NYPA), the largest state public power organization in the nation. What happens when winter ice flows threaten to clog up those critical operations? NYPA recently installed an ice boom at its Vischer Ferry small hydroelectric facility, located on […]
The International Forum on Pumped Storage Hydropower: Exploring How to Scale Up Investment and Adaptation
As the use of renewables grows globally, why hasn’t pumped storage hydro been more widely adopted as a way to store energy and provide flexibility to the grid? In 2020, the International Hydropower Association (IHA) convened the government-led International Forum on Pumped Storage Hydropower to identify the obstacles to scaling up this technology, to make […]
Progress on Idaho’s Cat Creek Energy and Water Project
The Cat Creek Energy & Water project (CCEW) is a major pumped storage and renewable energy generation project that is scheduled to be built north of Mountain Home, Idaho, on the South Fork of the Boise River. The project, which will use the Bureau of Reclamation’s Anderson Ranch Reservoir as its lower reservoir, will have […]
