Condit Hydroelectric Project was a development on the
White Salmon River
The White Salmon River is a tributary of the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington. Originating on the slopes of Mount Adams, it flows into the Columbia Gorge near the community of Underwood. Parts of the river have been designated Wi ...
in the U.S. state of
Washington
Washington commonly refers to:
* Washington (state), United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A metonym for the federal government of the United States
** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...
. It was completed in 1913 to provide electrical power for local industry, and is listed in the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
as an engineering and architecture landmark.
PacifiCorp
PacifiCorp is an electric power company in the western United States.
PacifiCorp has two business units:
# Pacific Power, a regulated electric utility with service territory throughout Oregon, northern California, and southeastern Washington.
# ...
decommissioned the project due to rising environmental costs, and the dam was
intentionally breached on October 26, 2011.
Hole blasted in Condit Dam to restore endangered fish habitat
citing AP and KGW. Retrieved from MSNBC website 26 October 2011. Condit Dam was the largest dam ever removed in the United States until the Elwha Ecosystem Restoration
The Elwha Ecosystem Restoration Project is a 21st-century project of the U.S. National Park Service to remove two dams on the Elwha River on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington state, and restore the river to a natural state. It is the largest da ...
Project on the Olympic Peninsula
The Olympic Peninsula is a large arm of land in western Washington that lies across Puget Sound from Seattle, and contains Olympic National Park. It is bounded on the west by the Pacific Ocean, the north by the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and the ...
removed the larger Elwha Dam
The Elwha Dam was a 108-ft (33 m) high dam located in the United States, in the state of Washington, on the Elwha River approximately upstream from the mouth of the river on the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
The Elwha River Ecosystem and Fisheries Res ...
and Glines Canyon Dam
Glines Canyon Dam, also known as Upper Elwha Dam, built in 1927, was a high concrete arch dam built on the Elwha River within Olympic National Park, Clallam County, Washington.
It was located upstream from the mouth of the Elwha River at the S ...
.
Overview and history
The White Salmon is a glacier
A glacier (; ) is a persistent body of dense ice that is constantly moving under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its Ablation#Glaciology, ablation over many years, often Century, centuries. It acquires dis ...
-fed river originating on the slopes of Mount Adams and emptying into the Columbia River
The Columbia River (Upper Chinook: ' or '; Sahaptin: ''Nch’i-Wàna'' or ''Nchi wana''; Sinixt dialect'' '') is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, C ...
. Condit Dam is about upstream of the confluence. The area below the dam is part of the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, while parts of the river upstream belong to the National Wild and Scenic Rivers system. The area is famous for its natural environment and recreational activities such as whitewater rafting and fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from stocked bodies of water such as ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. Fishing techniques inclu ...
. Impoundment of the river in 1911 removed of steelhead habitat and of salmon
Salmon () is the common name for several list of commercially important fish species, commercially important species of euryhaline ray-finned fish from the family (biology), family Salmonidae, which are native to tributary, tributaries of the ...
habitat.
The Condit Hydroelectric Project, named after its lead engineer B.C. Condit, was built by Northwestern Electric Company in 1913. During the construction, all 242 workers at the project went on strike and voted unanimously for the strike to be managed by the Industrial Workers of the World
The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), members of which are commonly termed "Wobblies", is an international labor union that was founded in Chicago in 1905. The origin of the nickname "Wobblies" is uncertain. IWW ideology combines genera ...
. Their demands were 25-cent per day pay raise, better food and accommodations, and an end to discrimination against the workers.
Once complete, electricity was primarily supplied to the Crown Willamette Paper Company
A crown is a traditional form of head adornment, or hat, worn by monarchs as a symbol of their power and dignity. A crown is often, by extension, a symbol of the monarch's government or items endorsed by it. The word itself is used, partic ...
in Camas, Washington
Camas is a city in Clark County, Washington, with a population of 26,065 at the 2020 census. The east side of town borders the city of Washougal, Washington, and the west side of town borders Vancouver, Washington. Camas lies along the Washing ...
, and surplus power was sold to Portland
Portland most commonly refers to:
* Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States
* Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...
customers via a power line across the Columbia River. The project was acquired in 1947 by its current owner, PacifiCorp.[PacifiCorp, ''Condit Hydro Project'', An overview of the Condit Hydroelectric project and its proposed decommissionin]
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The facility consisted of Condit Dam in Klickitat County, and its impoundment, Northwestern Lake
Condit Hydroelectric Project was a development on the White Salmon River in the U.S. state of Washington. It was completed in 1913 to provide electrical power for local industry, and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places as an eng ...
; a woodstave pipeline that transported water to a surge tank and auxiliary spillway; two penstocks; and the powerhouse. Two horizontally mounted Francis turbine
The Francis turbine is a type of water turbine. It is an inward-flow reaction turbine that combines radial and axial flow concepts. Francis turbines are the most common water turbine in use today, and can achieve over 95% efficiency.
The proces ...
s and generators produced electrical power, and the exhausted water rejoined the river about a mile downstream of the dam.
The original design had fish ladders, which were twice destroyed by floods shortly after the dam's completion. The Washington State Fisheries Department then required Northwestern Electric to participate in a fish hatchery instead of rebuilding the fish ladders. This ended natural salmonid
Salmonidae is a family of ray-finned fish that constitutes the only currently extant family in the order Salmoniformes . It includes salmon (both Atlantic and Pacific species), trout (both ocean-going and landlocked), chars, freshwater whitefis ...
migration on the river.
In 1996, the federal government ordered PacifiCorp to alter the dam and add fish ladders to meet environmental codes. PacifiCorp deemed the modifications too expensive, and asked to decommission the dam, instead. The project operated under annual license extensions until the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is the United States federal agency that regulates the transmission and wholesale sale of electricity and natural gas in interstate commerce and regulates the transportation of oil by pipeline in ...
(FERC) approved decommissioning. The dam was breached at noon (Pacific Time) on October 26, 2011.
At the time, it was the largest U.S. dam to be removed. The Elwha Ecosystem Restoration Project on the Olympic Peninsula has since removed the larger Elwha and Glines Canyon Dams.
Plant operations and specifications
River flow
Condit Dam was required to discharge at least 15 ft³/s (0.4 m³/s) to keep the river channel viable. Surplus water was used by the turbines for electrical power generation and returned to the river about a mile downstream. Additional flow beyond what the turbines could use was discharged through five tainter gates and two sluice gates. The dam crest had a pneumatically actuated hinged crestgate, which was designed to fail catastrophically as a safety relief when flow exceeds 18000 ft³/s (510 m³/s). The river averages 1125 ft³/s (32 m³/s), with flows up to 3500 ft³/s (99 m³/s) being fairly common.
Power production
The two turbines could use a maximum of 1,400 ft³/s (40 m³/s) and operate efficiently with as little as 1,100 ft³/s (31 m³/s). In this flow range, the plant operated as a run-of-river
Run-of-river hydroelectricity (ROR) or run-of-the-river hydroelectricity is a type of hydroelectric generation plant whereby little or no water storage is provided. Run-of-the-river power plants may have no water storage at all or a limited amou ...
project. Inflow equaled outflow, and both turbines operated continuously to supply base load
The base load (also baseload) is the minimum level of demand on an electrical grid over a span of time, for example, one week. This demand can be met by unvarying power plants, dispatchable generation, or by a collection of smaller intermittent en ...
electricity.
When river flow was not quite enough for two turbines, operation was cycled between running one and both turbines, based on a daily reservoir draw-down and refill cycle. The cycling was timed to meet peak electrical demands; both turbines operated during hours of high electrical demand and the reservoir was drawn down. A single turbine operated during low electrical demand hours while the reservoir refilled. A similar cycle was used when inflow was less than enough for a single turbine. A weekly cycle was superimposed on the daily cycle that tended to draw down the reservoir during the week and allowed it refill during the weekend. In these cases, known as load factoring, the plant operated as a peaking plant
Peaking power plants, also known as peaker plants, and occasionally just "peakers", are power plants that generally run only when there is a high demand, known as peak demand, for electricity. Because they supply power only occasionally, the power ...
. This mode of operation was greatly reduced through the 1980s and 1990s to appease lakefront cabin owners.
Licensing
According to Federal Power Act of 1920, hydropower producers are periodically required to apply for license renewal from FERC. Condit's license was last reviewed in 1991, when it failed approval, and expired in 1993. From 1993 until 2011, PacifiCorp operated the plant under annual license extensions while it sought approval from FERC for the decommissioning.[PacifiCorp, ''Condit Settlement Agreement, Explanatory Statement (1999)'']
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In December 2005, PacifiCorp filed an appeal of FERC's 1991 license rejection under the Bush administration's 2005 energy bill, which allows power producers to challenge licensing requirements retroactively. PacifiCorp explained the appeal as a backup plan in case decommissioning application failed.[Durbin, Kathie (27 December 2005)]
"PacifiCorp appeals old ruling on dam"
''The Columbian'', Vancouver, WA.
:
Decommissioning
FERC proposals
After PacifiCorp's license application failed in 1993, FERC prepared an environmental impact statement that proposed installation of a state-of-the-art fish passage system as conditions for license renewal. The enhancements were to include fish ladders to allow upstream migrations of spawning salmon, and other modifications of the dam and operating procedures to allow a 95% survival rate of downstream migrating salmon. These conditions were based on National Marine Fisheries Service
The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), informally known as NOAA Fisheries, is a United States federal agency within the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) that is responsible for the stew ...
requirements. FERC's report also reviewed options to decommissioning the project, which it estimated would cost twice as much as the fish passage system.[Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (October 1996), ''Final Environmental Impact Statement, Condit Hydroelectric Project, Skamania and Klickitat Counties, Washington'',]
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The investment needed to comply with the new requirements was estimated at $30 to $50 million, while at the same time reducing the amount of water available for power production.[PacifiCorp]
PacifiCorp decided the project was no longer economically viable, and began negotiations for decommissioning. In 1999, PacifiCorp announced an agreement had been reached, at which point they applied to FERC for approval. The plan called for dam removal to begin in 2006 and capped PacifiCorp's liability at $17.5 million. In 2005, they applied for an operating extension to 2008, to earn another $3.3 million to help offset the cost of dam removal. The main parties involved in negotiations were federal regulatory bodies such as the National Marine Fisheries Service
The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), informally known as NOAA Fisheries, is a United States federal agency within the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) that is responsible for the stew ...
, Native American tribal governments with interests in the area, and a number of local and national environmental groups.[PacifiCorp(25 February 2005), ''Memorandum of Agreement Modifying the Condit Hydroelectric Project Settlement Agreement'' , Includes current list of parties to the negotiations]
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PacifiCorp proposal
PacifiCorp's decommissioning plan differed from FERC's decommissioning proposal in how the sediment behind the dam is treated. FERC's plan was to dredge or bypass the sediment while PacifiCorp's plan used the demolition of the dam to quickly flush as much sediment as possible, thereby minimizing the amount of time the sediment plume harmed downstream aquatic life.
Breaching the dam involved cutting a 12 x 18 x tunnel in its base; the final was drilled and blasted. A dredge removed woody sediment from the dam's inside face, and when breached, the reservoir was expected to drain within six hours, but actually drained much faster, in only about 30 minutes. The rest of the dam was cut into blocks and removed for disposal or recycling on-site. As of the date of demolition, Condit dam was the largest dam ever removed for environmental reasons and the largest dam ever removed in the United States.["Condit Dam's life extended 2 years"](_blank)
12 February 2005).''The Columbian'', Vancouver, WA.
The quick drainage of the reservoir flushed a large amount of sediment quickly, helping to create a new river channel above the dam. The remaining sediment will continue to erode until vegetation takes root. The sediment plume will harm the aquatic ecosystem temporarily; in the case of bull trout, it will be a negative influence for two years, after which it will be a positive influence due to improved ecosystem nutrition. Also, a new sand bar is expected to form at the mouth of the White Salmon River, interfering with Native American fishing rights, for which PacifiCorp will pay a settlement.
Controversy
Opposition to the dam removal came from Klickitat and Skamania County governments. Objections revolved around the loss of lake-front property and water recreation, loss of wetlands and water habitat, and a perception that PacifiCorp was choosing the cheapest way to abandon the project, rather than paying for FERC's preferred solution (a fish passage system), which some believed was the best solution for all parties.[White Salmon Conservation League]
''Environmental Jewel to be Sacrificed to 'Dam Removal God' ''
The Klickitat Public Utility District Board of Commissioners investigated acquiring the project from Pacificorp to continue its operation as a power plant. A 2002 study commissioned from CH2M Hill calculated that purchasing and upgrading as required by FERC would have led to power production at $64 per MWh, and that for the project to be economically viable, it would have to have produced power at $45 to $50 per MWh. The report further stated that power produced at Condit would have been more expensive than a gas-fired plant for more than 20 years after its acquisition.[Burkhardt, Jesse (4 December 2002)]
"Engineer's report shows Condit Dam not viable power resource for PUD"
''The Enterprise'', White Salmon, WA
In July 2006, KPUD and Skamania County announced a new effort to acquire the project from PacifiCorp and preserve the dam. Their plan relied on trucking spawning salmon around the dam as a less expensive alternative to fish ladders. This type of proposal was previously rejected by FERC.[Durbine, Kathy (20 July 2006)]
"Klickitat PUD seeks to buy Condit Dam"
''The Columbian''
The sediment plume was expected to kill some aquatic life below the dam and displace fish as far downstream as Bonneville dam. It could also harm several generations of a threatened chum salmon
The chum salmon (''Oncorhynchus keta''), also known as dog salmon or keta salmon, is a species of anadromous salmonid fish from the genus '' Oncorhynchus'' (Pacific salmon) native to the coastal rivers of the North Pacific and the Beringian A ...
population.[Durbine, Kathy (22 October 2005)]
"PacifiCorp appeals old ruling on dam"
''The Columbian''
Most environmental groups involved with the decommissioning plan, as well as the National Forest Service, believed that the long-term benefits of removing the dam far outweighed the short-term damage done by flushed sedimentation. Some fish and environmental advocates see this case as an important precedent for dam removals to restore free-flowing rivers.
References
External links
Pacificorp map
Restoring the White Salmon River
Condit Dam - There was a dam here
- Pacific Power
Video of dam history and breach
The White Salmon River Runs Free: Breaching the Condit Dam
Documentary produced by Oregon Field Guide
''Oregon Field Guide'' is a weekly television program produced by Oregon Public Broadcasting focusing on recreation, the outdoors, and environmental issues in the state of Oregon. The show has become part of the Oregon zeitgeist. Steve Amen is th ...
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Hydroelectric power plants in Washington (state)
Dams in Washington (state)
Buildings and structures in Klickitat County, Washington
Buildings and structures in Skamania County, Washington
Energy infrastructure completed in 1913
Gifford Pinchot National Forest
Former dams
1913 establishments in Washington (state)
2011 disestablishments in Washington (state)
Buildings and structures demolished in 2011