Protecting Clackamas River energy resources
A decade of analysis and planning ensures hydro system continuity
PGE has spent the last 10 years conducting studies, analyzing research and collaborating with stakeholders to create a blueprint for the future of the hydroelectric plants along with the associated fish passage systems, parks, campgrounds and property on the Clackamas River system.
Originating in a series of lakes near the crest of the Cascade Mountains, the Clackamas flows 80 miles in a northwesterly direction and empties into the Willamette River at Oregon City. Its watershed covers more than 900 square miles.
Hydroelectric power is a vital part of PGE’s energy mix. It can serve as a lower-cost, reliable renewable power source that can generate electricity when other renewable sources can’t. Much of PGE’s strategic planning for the Clackamas River during the last decade has been focused on protecting the flexibility of the hydropower system. Being able to ramp up flows at different times of the day to meet customer demand is a vital benefit of hydropower.
PGE’s biologists, power supply engineers, licensing experts and plant operations staff joined with federal and state natural resource agencies, tribes and environmental groups to conduct research and develop mitigation strategies for the future of the project. This collaboration established the resource protection goals, plant operations and the schedule for implementing the improvements and enhancements to the recreation, aquatic and terrestrial resources in the Clackamas River basin.
“We’ve worked closely throughout the years with virtually every agency, tribe and interest group that has a stake in the use and protection of the Clackamas River,” said John Esler, a PGE hydropower licensing project manager. “The mutual respect we developed with this diverse group of stakeholders allowed a solution that built on the great job PGE has always done operating hydroelectric plants on the Clackamas River. As we move forward, we will implement natural resource improvement projects while maintaining the economic value of this generating resource for our customers.”
There are several key improvements proposed for PGE’s Clackamas River project. They include:
- Completing a 7-mile-long downstream migrant fish pipeline that will transport juvenile fish safely past four dams in less than 12 hours.
- Improving fish passage conditions downstream of the diversion dams to help salmon and steelhead, while maintaining the plants generating capability.
- Improving the function of the almost 2-mile-long fish ladder for adult salmon, the longest fish ladder in the U.S.
For more information about the hydropower system PGE operates along the Clackamas River, see our Hydropower Photo Tour. You can also view a map (PDF) that describes many of the key fish protection improvements proposed for PGE’s Clackamas River facilities.